_Electricity bills have soared, and more increases are in the pipeline. This punishes the 6 million people already in fuel poverty, restricts economic growth, and makes British industry less competitive. A key factor in this increase is the Renewables Obligation, which indirectly provides more than 40% of the income of wind-farms. These complex and covert subsidies (most of which go to foreign companies) are paid not by the government, but instead are ENTIRELY financed by increasing the price of our electricity bills. Climate-change policies have already increased household electricity by at least 14%, and have increased the electricity bills of business by at least 20%. Even worse, these tariffs are forecast to escalate. By reducing or ending the subsidies for wind-farms, we would benefit the poorest members of society, boost our manufacturing exports and, while doing so, would help protect what remains of our precious countryside. Please vote for this petition. http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22704
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According to the European Platform Against Wind Farms (EPAW), which represents over 500 associations from 23 countries, the National Renewable Energy Action Plans adopted by EU States in June 2010 have failed to answer two essential questions: how much will be saved in greenhouse gas emissions by the EU target of 20% renewable energy by 2020, and how much will it cost Society to implement this policy (1). The Platform argues that it is a violation of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's Aarhus Convention on Human and Environmental Rights, which is a mandatory part of EU law. (2)
From a political point of view, remarks EPAW, it is nothing short of irresponsible that billions upon billions of euros of public money would be spent on “green investments” without first conducting feasibility studies showing the expected results in terms of CO2 saved. “After all”, says its CEO Mark Duchamp, "using less fossil fuels is the whole purpose of this pharaonic investment which, on the negative side, destroys 2 - 5 jobs for everyone it creates (3), stalls the recovery of the EU economy, threatens the existence of the euro, destroys the tourism potential of countless natural and cultural assets, causes losses in property value in the billions of euros, affects the health of wind farm neighbours (noise + infrasounds), is driving many species of birds and bats to extinction, etc."
What is happening now, according to EPAW, is that the public is slowly awakening to the fact that wind farms may not be saving anything at all in terms of fossil fuels burnt and CO2 emitted. That's mainly because the wind farms' erratic production force fossil-fuel power plants, which are needed to back them up when wind is not optimal, to spend much more fuel working in stop-and-go mode - much like a car in city traffic as opposed to highway. "As a matter of fact", recalls Duchamp, "in 2010 the Spanish government paid a little over 1 billion euros to these plants, to compensate them for the impact of wind and solar on their operation."
The Platform draws attention to "the Bentek report" (4), which shows that wind farms, when increased emissions from back-up plants are considered, save much less CO2 and other gasses than what is claimed by the wind industry, governments, and green activists. Says Mark: "if you deduct from this much smaller quantity of savings the additional emissions caused by fossil fuels burnt to manufacture, transport, install, and maintain wind turbines and their power lines; if you consider that these come on top of fossil fuels burnt to build gas-fired or coal-fired power plants to regulate and back up the erratic and unreliable production of wind energy; if you deduct the CO2 released into the atmosphere by the oxidisation of peat in countries like the UK or Ireland; if you also deduct lost CO2 savings resulting from the vast quantities of natural carbon sinks (peat, forests, vegetation in general) that are being destroyed by the large footprint of wind farms; if you deduct the transmission loss of electricity produced far away from where it is consumed (about 9%); if you deduct all this from the meager savings evidenced by the Bentek study, then it is quite possible that the overall savings in CO2 and other gasses may in fact be negative - i.e. wind farms would cause overall use of fossil fuels, and CO2 emissions, to increase by a few percentage points. Indeed, a European study by Dr Udo concludes on this possibility (5)."
It is noteworthy, stresses EPAW, that the massive build-up of wind farms in countries like Denmark or Germany has not caused any measurable reduction in CO2 emissions or use of fossil fuels. In Europe, the Irish grid operator EIRGRID shows on its website real data on wind energy production and CO2 emissions, from which similar observations may be drawn. Dr Fred Udo, a distinguished engineer from CERN in Geneva, now retired, did a study based on Eirgrid data. His conclusions put in doubt the very usefulness of wind energy (5).
The North American Platform Against Windpower (NA-PAW) coincides. "In North America" comments her CEO, Sherri Lange, "studies on the efficacy of wind energy are notoriously absent from policy documents on that form of energy. As in other matters, our governments blindly follow influential lobbies, in this case Green Activism and Big Wind. This is not a proper way to determine policy."
_September was an exceptionally windy month, but still relatively warm – in fact very warm in some lucky areas!Energy production from wind was exceeding demand from the consumer. In Scotland, at various times 13 wind farms were asked to shut down as the National Grid could not cope with the surge of wind energy being generated. Normally, generators of energy have contracts with the Grid and established procedures for when they need to shut down and the Grid compensates them for loss of earning.The government says that the Grid must take wind whenever it is generated. If a wind farm has to close down production because it is asked to by National Grid, it would lose about £55 per MWh. Normally NG would compensate them at this rate But the wind farms are getting greedier and dictating their terms on which they will shut down. NG has no option. The alternative is that sections of the Grid would have to close down and the ‘Lights Go Out’Hadyard Hill (SSE) in Ayrshire demanded £149 per megawatt hour and made almost £2 million in September. Fred Olsen at Crystall Rigg demanded £991 per megawatt hour and made £1.27million over three days. (Information obtained from the Renewable Energy Foundation.)Also see this Telegraph article:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/windpower/8770937/Wind-farm-paid-1.2-million-to-produce-no-electricity.htmlSo, are the wind farms holding the National grid to ransom when they are asked to shut down?Why does this only seems to happen in Scotland?Is this why our energy bills so high and the energy companies making £125 per year profit from every customer. Iain McLeod and Colin Gibson will be speaking on this topic at our conference.
_There was a peaceful demonstration against the proliferation of wind farm development across Scotland. A representation from several action groups attended including Aberdeen, Ayrshire, Caithness, Inverness-shire, Moray, Ross-shire.
Many members of the public and visitors to the Highlands spoke to the demonstrators and offered their support. A Danish visitor said they no longer built wind farms on land in Denmark because of the affect on residents and asked why are we still doing it here? Perhaps Alex Salmond could answer that.
A large number of SNP delegates were handed leaflets and some engaged with protesters. Some more willing to listen than others. Some said they would go away and research the viability of wind after talking to demonstrators. Some SNP members openly supported the demonstration - others quietly did so.
At 3pm at the Mercure Hotel, Inverness, Fergus Ewing, Minister for Energy and Tourism met Mr Stuart Young and Mrs Lyndsey Ward for a private meeting lasting some 40 minutes. At this time Alex Salmond was making his key note speech to SNP members at Eden Court.
It was a professional meeting and Mr Ewing was handed the attached document and promised to look at the content and respond more fully. Concerns regarding the reliability and cost of wind power, the proliferation of wind farms across the whole of Scotland, the proximity of turbines to residents, noise from turbines, affects of wind farm development on tourism, the content at developer's public exhibitions were among issues raised. In addition Mr Ewing was asked to consider the possibility of wind farm developers funding the required experts needed to make assessments for any wind farm proposal (eg bird surveys) but the experts to be appointed by the relevant council instead of the developers - as is the situation now. Thus helping to ensure all information is gained as independently and fairly as possible.
Mr Ewing was attentive and listened carefully throughout the meeting. He has invited Mr Young and Mrs Ward to meet with him again at a later date.
SNP PARTY CONFERENCE Eden Court Inverness 20th - 23rd october 2011 Join the growing movement across Scotland against the proliferation of wind farm development. Here is a chance to make our feelings known to the people who govern us. A gathering of campaigners on Saturday 22nd october outside Eden Court will show the strength of feeling in Scotland It is expected the demonstration will take place from 12pm until the party members leave at the end of the day at around 4.30pm (to be confirmed).Please come if you can, ask others to attend & forward this information to any you think would like to come - the more the better. Mr salmond needs to know that we may be smaller in number than those who live in the cities - But we should still matter - Bring a banner , if you can, that advertises your district and that can be read from a distance
- Eg Aberdeen says no to turbines
- Or similar - so that the media and snp can see this is a scotland wide protest.
TORONTO — Facing a court challenge, a growing backlash and an election, Ontario’s Liberal government imposed a surprise moratorium Friday on all offshore wind farms until there is more scientific research on their impact. The government announced it would not go ahead with offshore wind projects to generate electricity, saying there’s too little evidence on how they may affect people’s health.
FULL ARTICLE HERE
FALMOUTH/CAPE COD — No new wind turbines will be built in Falmouth for at least one year. Monday's annual town meeting overwhelmingly approved a one-year moratorium on constructing wind turbines in town. The measure, which was backed by the planning board, is to provide town officials ample time to study noise, vibration and shadow flicker issues that may affect those living near turbines. FULL ARTICLE HERE
SCOTLAND'S onshore wind farms were idle for record periods last year because of unusually calm weather, which industry analysts claimed could lead to higher power bills. Turbines operated on average for just 21.9 per cent of the time - more than five percentage points less than in 2009, the Renewable Energy Foundation claimed. They are expected to operate at an average output of about 30 per cent of maximum capacity.ADVERTISEMENT The group, which has warned of over-reliance on the power source, said onshore wind farms also produced the least electricity during cold weather, when demand was greatest. It said another factor in the cut in average output was wind farms being developed in less windy places because the windiest spots had been taken. FULL ARTICLE HERE
Published Wed 02 Feb 2011 21:05 SSE report big dip in wind energy output.
The UK's second largest electricity generator has confirmed a near-20% drop in the output of wind energy and a 30% reduction in hydro generation in a shareholder statement.
In an operational update, managers at Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) revealed a worrying slump in its renewable output.
Analysts say the huge drop is linked to the least windy year the UK has experienced but is seen as worrying as the nation's drive for sustainable, green energy is underpinned by the expansion of wind farms.
The SSE statement confirmed: “The total electricity output from hydro generation was 1,760GWh, a reduction of 30%; total output of wind energy was 1,314GWh, an increase of 13.5%; however, excluding new wind farms, output of wind energy was down by almost 20% on a like-for-like basis.”
The figures support research conducted by the Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) which used provisional January-to-December data to demonstrate the decrease.
Lack of wind is a problem because electricity cannot be stored in large quantities and the utility firms have to generate it instantly to match consumers' demand.
In a statement, the Renewable Energy Foundation (REF), said it is clear that overall, the load factor for 2010 was low in comparison with preceding years, indicating that winds in this year, and particularly in the winter 2009-2010, were themselves relatively low.
It said this finding is consistent with data from Ireland and Northern Ireland which showed output in 2010 was approximately 23.5%, as compared to 31% in the previous year, and the average figure of 32.3% for the years 2002 to 2009.
The REF statement added: “Wind power output is significantly variable and difficult to predict over several timescales, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years.
“Variability over short time scales has been much discussed, and it is now well known that low
wind conditions can prevail at times of peak load over very large areas. For example, at 17.30
on the 7th of December 2010, when the 4th highest United Kingdom load of 60,050 MW was
recorded, the UK wind fleet of approximately 5,200 MW was producing about 300 MW (i.e. it
had a Load Factor of 5.8%).
“One of the largest wind farms in the United Kingdom, the 322 MW Whitelee Wind Farm was producing approximately 5 MW (i.e. Load Factor 1.6%).
“Load factor in other European countries at exactly this time was also low. The Irish wind fleet
was recording a load factor of approximately 18% (261 MW/1,425 MW), Germany 3%
(830MW/25,777 MW), and Denmark 4% (142 MW / 3,500 MW).
“Such figures confirm theoretical arguments that regardless of the size of the wind fleet the
United Kingdom will never be able to reduce its conventional generation fleet below peak load
plus a margin of approximately 10%.”
PROTEST MARCH AGAINST - THE DESTRUCTION OF SCOTLAND WITH WIND TURBINES
- THE LEASING OUR FORESTS TO WIND FARM DEVELOPERS
A march and demonstration is confirmed to be held in Central Edinburgh on Wednesday 16 March, 12 noon. Details of congregation point, route, and agenda will be sent out in due course to prevent ‘saboteurs’ from attending or disrupting the proceedings. The march has been organised in response to the Scottish Government’s decision to lease our forests to the four highest bidding European electricity companies. This is an opportunity to demonstrate our objection to the obliteration of Scotland by wind farm developments. Could all persons attending please bring the following: a letter addressed to Alex Salmond stating clearly your concerns about wind farm development in Scotland and the leasing of our forests to foreign energy companies for wind farm developments Could all protest groups attending please bring the following: - placard and/or banner advertising the opposition to the wind farm (proposed, in planning, under construction, or up and running) affecting you the most – this will advertise your own plight
- placards and banners opposing wind farms and the government leasing Forestry Commission forests to foreign electricty companies for wind farm developments
- wind turbine effigies
- horns, drums, megaphones
We will need several people to film this march. Please bring a video camera with you if you are happy to film some or all of the march and demonstration. Enquiries to denisedavis40@tiscali.co.uk Confirmation of attendance not needed. This march and demonstration will be peaceful, stewarded, and orderly. We will alert the police to any person that attempts to sabotage this event in any manner. Please forward this information to everyone who is concerned with these issues Please ADD to your website
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