Paralympian Melissa Reid takes to waves to promote renewable energy

Cornwall based Paralympic triathlete and surfer Melissa Reid and Welsh adaptive surfer Llewelyn Williams have teamed up with Smart Energy GB alongside other world-renowned water sports stars such as Olympic windsurfer Tom Squires, and surfing champion Mark Boyd, to reveal the power of Great Britain’s weather to create renewable energy. Melissa Reid and Llewelyn Williams talked about how the power of the Cornish and Welsh wind has shaped their careers and they are encouraging the nation to join the fight against climate change by getting a smart meter installed. Smart meters and the smart grid help reduce our country’s reliance on fossil fuels such as coal and gas by harvesting renewable energy from sources such as wind, solar and tides to power our homes. With the British weather being unpredictable, the smart energy system along with other technology will enable energy to be stored and reused at a time when the sun isn’t shining, and the wind isn’t blowing. Melissa grew up near the windy beaches of Cornwall, where she first fell in love with surfing, with the sport helping to hone her skills and determination ahead of becoming a paratriathlete for Team GB. The Cornish beaches were the perfect place for her to start her surfing journey, especially as Cornwall has recorded some of the strongest winds ever in the UK – with a record breaking 118 mph on 15 December 1979 at Gwennap Head. Llewelyn’s love of surfing began in Abersoch, Wales where he grew up and started his career to surfing success practising on the waves. The beaches in Abersoch were the perfect place for him to start his surfing journey, just a short way across St George’s Channel from St David, the UKs windiest area, averaging 13.6mph on any given day during the winter. The UK has nearly 40 operational offshore and a whopping 2,500 onshore wind farms across the country. Totalling just under 10,000 turbines and generating nearly 25GW of electricity a year, wind power offers the most cost-effectiv