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Queen's castle gets green go-ahead
 About a third of Windsor Castle will be powered by the plant. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSLONDON, England -- Windsor Castle, one of the British queen's royal residences, is to be powered by environmentally friendly energy, following approval from a local council for a hydroelectric power plant to be built nearby. The four-turbine plant will generate 200 kilowatts of electricity, which will be fed directly to the castle, in Berkshire, 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of London, and will not be a part of the local grid. The plant will cost £1 million ($1.7 million) to build and will have the capacity to power about a third of the castle, the largest occupied castle in the world, Britain's Press Association reported. The low head hydro project was approved this month by planners at Windsor and Maidenhead Council after an application was submitted in February 2004. Queen Elizabeth II spends many weekends throughout the year at the castle, as well as a week in June for the annual service of the Order of the Garter and the Royal Ascot Race meeting. The castle is also a popular tourist attraction. The hydropower plant, expected to be the biggest in south England, will be built at Romney Weir on the River Thames by electricity company Npower Renewables. An existing weir, or dam system, on the river will be used to house the electric turbines. According to the palace, the underwater turbines will be virtually invisible and silent. Buckingham Palace told PA the royal household was pleased the project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2006, had been approved. "We're constantly looking at ways of saving energy. We use energy efficient light bulbs at Buckingham Palace and recycle 99% of green waste," a spokeswoman for the Queen said. Friends of the Earth also welcomed news that approval for the plant was granted. Tony Juniper, director of the pressure group, said: "We're delighted that the Queen is taking a lead in the use of green electricity to help tackle global warming. "It highlights the massive potential for small scale micro-generation systems within the UK. Most homes wouldn't use hydroelectricity, but they could install solar panels or small wind turbines instead." The royal family has long since embraced the environmentally friendly way of life. The Duke of Edinburgh's taxi cab, which he drives around London, runs on liquid petroleum gas, while water in a bore hole at Buckingham Palace is used to supply air conditioning to The Queen's Gallery before topping up the water levels in the Palace lake. 
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