Winds of Change Q&A
It is not difficult to find web based information about the inappropriate siting of industrial wind turbines. You can find a radio 4 programme “Costing the Earth,” discussing the issue here. Follow the listen again link to hear the show. This Q&A is adapted from the Cumbrian wind action group version 8, Jan 2008. For more information visit the Country Guardian Website.
Questions you need to ask about industrial wind energy production
- Can windfarms reduce CO 2 emissions?
Marginally. Developers and the British Wind Energy Association claim 0.86 tonnes of CO 2 saved for every megawatt hour of electricity generated by wind. DEFRA, BERR (DTI), Ofgem, the Carbon Trust, and Government do not accept this and use a figure of 0.43 t/MWh.
The Government press release on the recently approved Fullabrook Down wind farm used a figure of 0.36t/MWh - consistent with that employed by the Sustainable Development Commission (2005). The use of the figure 0.43t/MWh for calculating the lifetime savings of a wind farm is supported by the Advertising Standards Authority.
- Wind turbines do not generate power in light or very strong winds.
True. Below 8-10 mph wind speed they do not generate and cut out for safety reasons above 56 mph. Maximum generation is reached around 30 mph. 75% of UK winds are below 18mph. Thus onshore turbines usually produce only 18 to 26% of their potential electricity (called the ‘load factor’) depending on the site. The figure for offshore sites is only marginally better despite early optimistic statements to the contrary.
- Wind farms only produce power for 25% of the time.
False. They generate some power for 70-75% of the time but just a trickle when wind is less than 18mph.
- Wind is free but extracting energy from it is not.
True. The electricity produced cannot be stored and feeding it into the national grid is complex and costly - a bill ultimately paid by the consumer.
- Do wind farms need back-up?
Yes. Coal or gas-fired power stations are essential to maintain uninterrupted supplies of electricity when there is little wind. So any savings in CO 2 emissions by using wind energy are significantly reduced by power stations running inefficiently on standby.
- Surely the wind is always blowing somewhere in the UK ?
False. Developers claim this but detailed studies by Oswald Consulting Ltd (Dec. 2006) comparing Met. Office wind data with the actual electricity generated showed that there are significant periods when the whole of the UK is essentially becalmed. So too many wind farms will mean power cuts unless there is back-up.
- Can’t wind replace nuclear?
No. Nuclear power stations produce constant power (known as ‘base-load’) essential for our Western life-style for 24/7 all the year round. Wind is an unreliable ‘bit player’ on the energy scene. It would take 1,500 wind turbines spread over 20 km² to produce the same electricity as a 1,000 megawatt nuclear power station - even then it could not provide base load.
- Turbine lifespan is 20-25 years.
False. This is claimed by developers but many actual machines are replaced after just 9-12 years (called re-powering) with yet larger turbines. Gearboxes are their Achilles heel. Further statements that the actual sites have only a 20-25 year span is essentially an untruth. For the vast majority Re-powering and adding new turbines is an inevitability once a site is already existant, giving the sites a much long term lifespan (longer thasn yours or mine).
- Isn’t wind heavily subsidised?
Yes. The Government devised a system called the Renewables Obligation under which a megawatt of electricity from wind earns the developer from two to three times the sum of ‘conventional’ electricity.
The public pays unwittingly for this in its bills. According to Ofgem this cost us over £1 billion between March 2006 and April 2007.
- Noise Pollution.
A DEFRA report identified ‘infrasound’ emitted by wind turbines (frequencies of 20 cycles per second or less, below the lowest note on a piano) as a source of stress-related illness. This was questioned by a controversial report from Salford University (2007). Currently, Environmental Health and Planning Officers have to rely on an outdated 1997 report (ETSU-R97) and are ill-equipped to measure infrasound levels. Wind farm noise affects some people much more than others. This US PDF report explains why; Wind Turbine Syndrome.
- Can CO 2 emissions from electricity generation be reduced?
Yes, by using less, through incentives for increased efficiency, more investment in energy saving technology, the development of other ‘green’ energy generating systems (tidal, wave, solar, hydro, biomass, heat pumps), or investing in nuclear power stations which produce almost no CO 2. ‘Clean coal’, where CO 2 is captured and stored instead of entering the atmosphere, may also become a reality in the medium term.
- Energy Efficiency:
A recent upgrade to the Building Regulations made far too little attempt to increase the energy efficiency of new houses - of which 3 million are planned by 2020. If every home used one additional low energy light bulb, one conventional power station could be decommissioned. If every home reduced its electricity use by 10% the CO 2 saved would be about 8.4 million tonnes per year.
The Carbon Trust Business Action Plan ( Jan. 2 nd 2008 ) could save 11 million tonnes of CO 2 a year. These two actions would save 20 million tonnes of CO 2 - over twice the Government’s annual target (9.2 million tonnes) for 2010 - and no wind farms would be needed at all.
- Alternative renewables
They have significant long-term potential but need much greater investment, financial incentives and political vision for their development and deployment . This is likely to take the form of micro-generation in which each household or locality has its own renewable electricity supply - supported as required by the National Grid.
- Government Policy
Only recently has the Government begun to develop a “joined-up” energy policy linking fossil, nuclear and renewable sources. It is placing undue reliance on natural gas imports from unstable countries now that the UK ’s gas is running out. Existing nuclear and coal-fired power stations are approaching decommissioning.
- Tourism
A DTI (BERR) Small Business Council report (2006) estimates that wind farms in tourist areas are likely to reduce visitor numbers by up to 15%. A high price to pay for a poor return.
The evidence is overwhelming that wind farms reduce the value of the scenery (although not as significantly as pylons). The evidence suggests that a few very large farms concentrated in an area might have less impact on the Tourist Industry than a large number of small farms scattered throughout Scotland. However the evidence, not only in this research but also in research by Moran commissioned by the Scottish Government, is that Landscape has a measurable value that is reduced by the introduction of a wind farm. Concentration of wind farms might have serious implications for a limited number of individual households. A system of compensation by developers might go some way to placate those most negatively affected.
- Don’t wind farms create jobs?
No. There may be some local jobs in the 6-18 month construction phase but wind farms are remotely monitored, often from abroad. Maintenance generates about 2 jobs for every 10 turbines, paltry by comparison with tourism.
- Subsidies
Sweden and The Netherlands have scrapped wind subsidies. Norway didn’t provide any. Germany realises that wind power is a “bottomless subsidy pit”. Wind works in Denmark ONLY because it has power lines to Sweden , Norway and Germany for grid balancing - not so in the UK .
- Property
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (March 2003) found that 60% of their members reported a 5 to 50% fall in property prices in a windfarm area depending on type of property, proximity and visual impact. Some recovery in prices was reported after a few years.
Wind power is one of the most costly methods by which to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, as pointed out by the Government’s Audit Commission
