A breath of fresh air

Ownership of a small wind turbine is one of the few things I have in common with David Cameron. Mine supplies the relatively modest electrical needs of a sailing boat's auxiliary engine and navigational gear, rather than the more onerous requirements of the Tory Leader's Notting Hill home.
Without pretending to understand the science, I had supposed wind and solar power would never replace oil and coal for domestic use; at least when financial facts are more important than making a political point. So, Government proposals to build 10 new nuclear power stations, announced on Monday, seemed sadly inevitable if we are to meet rising requirements for energy while keeping pollution caused by fossil fuels to a minimum.
Not a bit of it, says sustainable energy expert Clare Brook, who tells me that Britain's windpower capacity has already reached four gigawatts, or enough to power 2.3 million homes. With experience in the sector stretching back to her stewardship of Jupiter's Ecology Fund in 1990, she has demonstrated you can do well by doing good, but is unwilling to be labelled with the "ethical investor" tag.
More recently, Ms Brook managed Morley's Sustainable Future range of funds when they raised £1bn in six years. Along with Nicola Donnelly, she now runs the WHEB Asset Management Sustainability Fund, which sets out to "provide solutions to some of the key challenges of the 21st century". Specifically, they cite pollution, shortage of natural resources and ageing populations in developed countries.
The mix of themes may provide a less bumpy ride than pure ecology funds, while Brook and Donnelly make a refreshing change from the usual run of testosterone-fuelled fund managers. Perhaps the answer to our energy needs really is blowing in the wind. But, as this summer's closure of Vestas Wind Systems turbine factory on the Isle of Wight showed, it will not be plain sailing.