British queen goes green
July 25, 2005The Queen of England is ready to go green after getting the go-ahead to run Windsor Castle on hydroelectric power, it was announced Monday.
A $1.7 million, four-turbine, energy-efficient plant has been granted full planning permission and will be built at Romney Weir on the River Thames. It will generate 200 kilowatts, about a third of the energy required to power the queen's Windsor residence, the world's largest occupied castle.
Construction on the project is expected to begin next year, enabling the castle to start using green electricity by the end of 2006.
A spokeswoman for the queen said: "We're constantly looking at ways of saving energy. We use energy efficient light bulbs at Buckingham Palace and recycle 99 percent of green waste."
Other royals have also embraced the green lifestyle. Prince Phillip uses a taxi cab fueled by liquid petroleum gas to travel around London.
Tony Juniper, executive director of Friends of the Earth, commended the queen for taking the lead in the use of green electricity and called for the government to help others to become energy efficient.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International
