Wind power is acknowledged to be one of the solutions to the need for energy without pumping the atmosphere full of carbon dioxide.

But onshore wind power is hugely controversial – many hate the sight of large windmill turbines standing on hills across the country to the extent that prime minister Rishi Sunak tried to ban the construction of more – but had to back down in the face of a Conservative backbench rebellion.

A solution may be not far away, and if it is, Swindon will have played a major role.

Wroughton Airfield to the south of the town will soon be host to a test and demonstration model of a radical new type of generator that turns wind into electricity.

Swindon council planners have given the go-ahead for the Science Museum to host a new prototype constructed by specialist engineers Seamach Energy for the next five years.

Based on the sort of technology using in turbos for aircraft engines, the machine creates energy from wind without the need for huge sails, and it doesn’t need to be on such a tall support tower.

The application put in by The Science Museum and Seamach Energy said: “Taking a fresh look at renewable wind technology has enabled us to design and patent a next generation wind turbine. This represents a potential game changing opportunity in relation to build and operational costs resulting from a significant uplift in the generating capacity per installation.

"It is important to note that what is not proposed is a traditional three bladed wind turbine.”

This means, according to the company that the problems of traditional wind turbines, such as the killing of birds, danger to aviation, shadow flicker radar and electromagnetic disturbance do not apply.

Drawings of the model show a squat structure, looking rather like a domestic electric fan heater, on a small tower.

The company said: “The technology is an evolution of the diffuser principle, which are aerodynamic structures commonly found in turbomachinery for aircraft engines and so they translate well to applications in wind technology.

“They are intended to increase energy generation utilisation by accelerating air mass flow through their funnel-shaped structure.”

The permission to host the generator on an 11-metre tower last for five years with the engineering company saying that’s enough time to see whether the technology will work beyond a research laboratory.

The application concluded: “This will enable Swindon to position itself as a leader in the technology, design and manufacturing of a new approach to wind generation, where such technology can be deployed for urban and semi-urban environments.”