Brighton i360 has applied for planning permission to remove a wind turbine at the top of the tower from its design.
It applied to change the design after the engineers raised concerns that the turbine might cause the 162-metre (530ft) tower to move in high winds.
The i360 is also likely to go ahead without the rainwater harvesting that was originally intended.
John Roberts, the attraction’s chief engineer, said: “In the very early designs of the tower, we had proposed including a wind turbine at the top.
“However, detailed studies by our damping specialist showed that the wind turbine (with a mounting on the roof of the tower) would have stopped the tower damping system from working properly and the turbine itself would have been susceptible to damage.
“An important aspect of the tower design has been to ensure that it can withstand very high winds in the worst possible storms.
“To deal with these conditions there are damping systems mounted internally within the tower and the exterior of the tower is clad with perforated aluminium cladding, which disrupts the flow of the wind.
“The wind turbine was expected to generate around 20 per cent of the energy for the vertical cable car’s ascent.
“But by capturing energy on the vertical cable car descent, we will recover approximately 50 per cent of the energy for the ascent so we will be saving more energy than originally envisaged.”
Mr Roberts added: “We had originally hoped to harvest the rainwater. But as the roof of our single-storey beach building is also the boarding platform for the i360, unfortunately the water will be too dirty to be usable, even in the toilet system.
“Therefore, the rainwater harvesting has had to come out of the design.”
Eleanor Harris, the i360 chief executive, said: “We are committed to making the i360 as sustainable as possible and so I am pleased that we’ve found a way to save 50 per cent of the energy for the vertical cable car and we have incorporated a number of exciting sustainable measures into the i360.
“Electricity will be the only energy source used at the Brighton i360 site and it will come entirely from renewable energy sources.
“We will be signing up to a ‘green energy’ tariff, which guarantees that the energy we use has been produced, for example, at wind farms or hydroelectric plants.
“We also have incorporated sustainable design into the beach building to minimise energy consumption.
“For example, we are using natural ventilation for cooling and have insulated the building. We will use low-energy LED lighting throughout the attraction and A+ rated appliances.
“During our construction we have sent as little material as possible to landfill. For example, the crane mat is being constructed from shingle excavated from our basement.
“Fifty per cent of the cement in our concrete foundations was recycled material (ground granulated blast furnace slag).
“Our red Hitachi Sumitomo crane ‘cleans’ the air – so much so that studies have shown that in large cities the air emitted from the exhaust is cleaner than the air it sucks in.
“Sustainability is also about how we work. It is our vision that our restaurants will serve fresh locally sourced food that has been caught, reared and grown in Sussex.
“We also will be installing a food composter for our food waste that turns waste into water.
“In our shop, we will use recyclable material where possible. We will have recycling waste bins throughout our site for use by our customers and our staff
“Our team are encouraged to cycle, walk or take public transport to work. We have no company cars or parking permits and we will provide dedicated cycle storage, showers and changing facilities.
“We will become a member of the Green Tourism Business Scheme and promote environmental awareness and sustainability – training staff to reduce waste and conserve energy and resources.
“We will also be applying for ISO 20121 standard to manage sustainable events at the i360.”
With or without the windmill on top, the isore does not stack up financially. Send the bill to Kitcat and Theobold.
“We will be signing up to a ‘green energy’ tariff, which guarantees that the energy we use has been produced, for example, at wind farms or hydroelectric plants” – What a complete and utter load of 5hite. You cannot guarantee that whatsoever, it’s Impossible. This building is not green in any way shape or form. How much green house gas has been released just manufacturing the components and constructing it and for what purpose? It’s bloody useless.
Have I understood this right? The iPenis is half erect, and they’re dicking around with the design NOW? And they want us to believe they’ve only just calculated the energy savings of the iCockring going up and down the iShaft?