There seems to be a
general assumption that wind turbines = CO2 emission-free energy =
'A Good Thing' in virtually any circumstances.
On the back of this assumption a whole industry (indeed, a religion
almost) has sprung up and we are now seeing the fruits of its
labours beginning to cover the length and breadth of our fair land.
Anybody who questions the assumptions or stands in the way of
‘progress’ is a ‘heretic’ or NIMBY to be brushed aside.
But when you are expected to have monster turbines (think of a jumbo
jet standing on its tail) virtually in your front garden you have to
enquire very carefully into the assumptions and ‘facts’ that are
provided. And when you do so, you find that there are some
very big and very important questions that very few people are
facing up to. Far from concluding that you should make sacrifices
for the greater good, your blood pressure rises and you want to
fight to change the terms of the debate.
Do wind farms produce cheap clean energy?
Although the energy
production process of wind turbines doesn’t in itself cause CO2
emissions, the making of the turbines and the construction of the
site creates plenty. So don’t think wind turbines are entirely
clean. Exploiting wind power onshore is of course much cheaper
than exploiting off-shore wind or investing in other renewable
energy sources (tidal or wave power for instance). That is why
wind farms and wind farm proposals are springing up right across the
land. There are already no less than 40 separate schemes in
Northumberland alone, and you can be sure there are more in the
pipeline. In the rush for renewables, onshore wind is simply the
easy option.
Will onshore wind power bring our electricity bills down?
Quite the contrary: it will cause big increases To find out more, you need to know about the Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) scheme, the EU/UK structure which underpins the whole target and financial trading structure of renewable energy. This structure creates a wind power economy which brings handsome rewards for the successful developers, on the back of which they can offer huge financial incentives to landowners, which it is very hard for them to turn down. Make no mistake, this is more about big business than ‘being green’.
Will wind farms keep the lights on?
We all know that
the wind is inconsistent. Hence, wind power is intermittent,
and therefore unreliable. And sometimes when it is blowing, it’s blowing too
hard and a wind turbine must be shut down for safety.
So what happens
when the wind stops possibly all over the country at the same time,
and possibly in the middle of winter when electricity demand is at
its greatest? There has to be ‘spinning reserve’ in the form
of reliable power (nuclear, coal or gas) ready to come on stream at
any moment, at great cost and likely to be either CO2-emitting or
relying on imported gas from Russia. For discussion of how
this has worked in places like
What’s more, wind power tends to be produced far from where the
power is really needed. Can the National Grid cope with
transmitting large volumes of fluctuating power over great
distances? What happens when wind farms are producing more
power than the Grid can cope with? Until the Grid is updated
at huge expense, or means are found to store large amounts of power
at short notice, we face major problems that are likely to cause the
lights to go out.
Can wind farms be built anywhere?
The Energy
Secretary, Ed Milliband, in a speech in March 2009, seems to believe
they can: ‘It is socially unacceptable to be against wind turbines
in your area like not wearing your seatbelt or driving past a zebra
crossing.’ So the considered views of the people expressed
through the local planning system are anti-social?
Notwithstanding this, the developer
must in fact show that there is no ‘significant harm’ to the
landscape in terms of visual and cumulative impact, and their
effects on the character of the landscape. They must also show that
there are no unacceptable implications on internationally and
nationally designated areas of countryside, particularly for
conservation. These landscape considerations are a key element
of WACA’s objections to the West Ancroft Wind Farm.
Are wind farms noisy?
The rules about the
amount of noise a wind farm is allowed to make are governed by a
very technical set of regulations called
ETSU-R-97. The
efficacy of these rules are being increasingly challenged because
they do not take into account certain aspects of wind turbine noise
such as "AM" (Amplitude Modulation of Aerodynamic Noise). This
technical term is all about the noise described by those who already
live close to wind turbines as ‘an old boot going round in a washing
machine’. If nearby residents feel unable to sleep at night
(and there are cases of people being unable to sleep in their own
homes) then there is a real problem, whether it is recognised or not
by ETSU-R-97.
This will be
another key element of WACA’s objections to the West Ancroft Wind
Farm.
What other impacts might there be?
Although impact upon landscape and noise are likely to be the critical issues, there is a long list of other impacts to take into account - here are some of the most significant:
-
Shadow flicker
-
Disruption and noise through the year - long construction process and especially damage to local roads
-
Tourism and the local economy
-
Effect on driver, cyclists, riders, and walkers
-
Effect on birds and other wildlife