Wind turbine on New Kent Road housing block

Southwark Council says that the turbine – installed by Photon Energy – is the first of this scale to go on a council building in the capital.

The 6kW Proven Energy wind turbine was this week installed on the top of Ashenden, an 11-storey block on the New Kent Road.

The trial – carried out in partnership with London South Bank University – will be used to assess the viability of building-mounted units in an urban area and to measure any impact on nearby homes for noise levels and possible vibration.

"Renewable energy has to be at the very heart of new development, and this work demonstrates our commitment to protecting the environment at the Elephant and Castle," says Cllr Richard Thomas, executive member for regeneration.

"The term 'sustainability' has become something of a buzzword in regeneration, but many developers only treat it as a symbolic and cosmetic afterthought on their high profile buildings.

"However, in Southwark, renewable energy is a core component of all development, making sure the borough becomes as green as possible."

A turbine of a different design will be mounted in the same place for the second phase of the trial later in the year.

The data produced by the pilot scheme will be passed on to developers to ensure that they can integrate wind technology in the most effective way for the regenerated Elephant and Castle.

The development will be required to have at least 10 per cent of its carbon emissions offset by the use of renewable energy sources and if the tests show that noise and vibration levels are acceptable the wind turbines could play an important role in meeting the target.