A new report claims that the UK could meet its 2020 carbon reduction targets at a lower cost by building new nuclear plants and gas-fired power stations instead of wind farms, but the report has met strong criticism.

The study, published by AF Consult and picked up by the Sunday Times newspaper, says that opting for new nuclear and gas would be £45 billion (€54 billion) cheaper than wind farms, despite the fact that in reality new nuclear power plants take years to build and gas prices are pushing up energy prices. The UK government said recently that average bills rose by €537 between 2004 and 2011 and 64 % of that increase was down to rises in gas prices. Meanwhile, just 6.5% of the increase was attributed to support for renewable energy.

From the unusual to the beautiful, hundreds of photos have already been submitted for the Global Wind Day photo competition. Below we display just a small snapshot of captivating images. Take a look, feel inspired and grab your camera – the competition is open until 6 May. Click here to enter!

By Nuno Serrão, from Funchal, Portugal