SMALL wind turbines and solar panels could soon become a common sight in York after council chiefs pledged to support a scheme which may help protect the city from the ravages of global warming.

Senior members of City of York Council want to put the city at the vanguard of sustainable and environmental power and have voted unanimously to join Micropower - a scheme which supports the small scale production of power.

It means schemes which produce power at home or community level will be supported by council chiefs.

This could see the installation of small wind turbines on roofs to save on electricity bills, solar panels to heat water and even using trees for "biomass heating".

Reports have suggested solar water heating, using roof mounted panels, could provide up to 50 per cent of a household's hot water needs.

The decision to support sustainable and environmental powercomes days after the Queen applied for planning permission to build a wind turbine at Windsor Castle. The scheme could also be seen as an alternative to larger wind turbines applications such as the Escrick wind farms, which was withdrawn in February, which have caused huge controversy.

The council decision means the authority will back calls to use micropower as a way of reducing carbon dioxide levels, and urge the Government to report to Parliament on these issues.

City of York Council environmental chief Coun Andrew Waller said: "The climate changes resulting from increases in greenhouse gases are not going to be gradual and kind, quite the reverse especially for a place like York.

"We need Government action to help reduce the cost of small scale renewable energy, wind, solar and photo-voltaic so that households, communities and small companies can do their bit to produce energy which does not pump out large amounts of carbon dioxide.

"At a time when the Government is re-opening arguments to bring back nuclear fission power stations it is vital that we do all that we can to invest in renewable power. This is something that even the Queen recognises with the announcement on Monday of a hydro-electric plant at Windsor, and whilst recognising that micro is a little bit bigger for royal castles, I hope that this is an example that will be copied."

Updated: 10:11 Monday, August 01, 2005