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Energy bills 'could overtake mortgages in five years'
May 19, 2013 by Emily Gosden in The Telegraph

Energy bills are rising so steeply that they could overtake mortgage repayments in parts of Britain in just five years' time, the chief executive of supplier, First Utility, has claimed. utility bill. Analysis by First Utility shows that UK dual-fuel bills have risen by an average of 8.5pc a year over the last five years to reach current levels of £1,420.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

£1m for wind farms to shut turbines for one day
May 5, 2013 by Tom Peterkin in The Scotsman

Power companies operating wind farms in Scotland were paid more than £1 million to shut down their turbines for a single day last month, Scotland on Sunday can reveal. ...The so-called "constraint payments" are paid by the National Grid to energy companies when energy supply outstrips demand - turbines are switched off so they stop producing electricity to rebalance the system.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Costly renewable energy 'will damage UK's economy'
April 1, 2013 by Julian Knight in The Independent

A cross-industry group called the Powerline is to launch a scathing attack on the Bill, due to be given Royal Assent later this year, through advertising and social media. The business leaders are furious at what they see as the energy Bill's over-reliance on costly renewable energy at the expensive of traditional and lower-cost energy sources such as coal-fired and gas power stations.

£286 green tax on energy bills: But ministers insist 'efficient appliances' will save us money
March 27, 2013 by Nick Mcdermott in Daily Mail

Energy Secretary insisted households will be better off due to initiatives but families will only benefit if they buy more efficient domestic appliances. Average bill is now £1,267 with £112 of that amount going on green taxes. By 2020 green taxes will have risen by over 150 per cent - £286 per family. Charity said government 'embarrassed by terrifying cost of green policies'. Claimed it is 'covering up' with a 'whitewash of wildly optimistic assumptions'.

Also filed under [ Tax Breaks & Subsidies]

Barely 2,000 onshore wind farm jobs in Scotland
March 15, 2013 by Simon Johnson in The Telegraph

"The rhetoric from the Scottish Government over recent years has given the clear impression that wind farms are worth the visual sacrifice because they are such a major source of employment. Yet now we learn that are only 2,000 employed thanks to wind farm developments."

Fuel bills will keep soaring warns energy watchdog: Green targets could trigger 1970s-style power blackouts
February 20, 2013 by Tamara Cohen and Peter Campbell in Daily Mail

Fuel bills will soar as green targets leave Britain reliant on expensive imported gas, the energy regulator warned yesterday. Alistair Buchanan, chief executive of Ofgem, also raised the spectre of 1970s-style blackouts because 10 per cent of coal and oil-fired power production is being shut down next month.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Britain 'on the brink' of energy crisis, warns regulator
February 20, 2013 by Rowena Mason in The Telegraph

Households must prepare for a sharp rise in energy bills within two years as Britain comes "dangerously" close to power shortages, the chief executive of Ofgem has warned.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

Tourists will be surveyed over turbines
January 25, 2013 by Dominic Robertson in County Times

At the pre-inquiry a spokesperson for Welshpool Town Council will argue that ‘public opinion' should be taken into account, as this is not the case as things stand at present. The Mayor of Welshpool, Cllr John Meredith, said: "With such strong public feelings surrounding the proposals, surely it cannot be ignored?"

Also filed under [ Tourism]

Failing turbines to force up power bills
January 7, 2013 by Greg Christison in Daily Express

Scots are set to be hit with a multi-million-pound bill for hundreds of new wind turbines as experts warn that most will need to be replaced after only half their predicted lifespan. It is claimed household bills will rocket as energy firms prepare to renew two-thirds of the country's 188 wind farms by the end of the decade.

Two billion pound Rampion wind farm plans to go before the government's Planning Inspectorate
December 27, 2012 in Worthing Herald

Set eight miles off the coast of Shoreham, it would form a landmark feature visible between Worthing and Brighton, with plans for between 150-195 turbines at the core of its design. According to the firm, the key to its proposals lie in utilising new technology which would enable turbines to be active more than 90 per cent of the time.

Also filed under [ Impact on Landscape]

Wind farms to increase energy bills by £178 a year
November 22, 2012 by Rowena Mason in The Telegraph

Households and businesses will have to pay £7.6billion a year towards the cost of building "greener" power stations by 2020. This is three times the current level of £2.35 billion per year, as bill-payers are forced to remunerate companies for several new nuclear plants, thousands of wind turbines and potentially "green" fossil fuel stations.

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

VisitScotland admits wind farms could harm tourism
October 22, 2012 by David Ross in Herald Scotland

VisitScotland's position emerged as a planning inquiry gets under way today into the Allt Duine wind farm, which would see 31 turbines built half-a-mile from the boundary of Cairngorms National Park. The intervention by the agency into the Lockerbie proposal comes days after Alex Salmond claimed wind farms "enhance our appeal as a country".

Also filed under [ Tourism]

Scottish tourism chiefs admit wind farms will 'drive holidaymakers away'
October 22, 2012 in Daily Mail

In an intervention likely to embarrass the Scottish Government, VisitScotland has said an application to put turbines on a site north of Dumfries could have a ‘detrimental effect' on tourism. Its statement comes after Alex Salmond claimed wind farms ‘enhance our appeal as a country'.

Also filed under [ Tourism]

Doubt cast on wind
October 12, 2012 in Isle of Man Today

A proposed 20MW on-shore wind farm will increase the price of electricity for island customers. That's according to the Green Power Manx Group (GPMG) ...Instead it believes the money saved by not building a wind farm could be used to save considerably more CO2 in the short and long term.

Council tax cut for Cumbrian houses near wind turbines
August 3, 2012 by Lauren Maugham in Cumberland Times

Anti-windfarm activists are claiming a victory after homes near turbines had their council tax bills cut. Campaigners in Cumbria are viewing the Government decision as a step towards an admission that wind turbines do affect properties and their value.

Also filed under [ Property Values]

Wind farm pylons will cost every home £88 as part of £22bn project to link them to national grid
July 17, 2012 by Sean Poulter in Daily Mail

The scheme is part of a £200billion programme to switch to ‘green' energy and build nuclear power stations to meet targets to cut carbon emissions. This wider scheme will also be funded by higher bills for families and businesses. The network of pylons is expected to trigger disputes amid fears that beautiful views will be destroyed.

Also filed under [ Transmission]

Electricity bills set to rise to pay for wind farm subsidies
May 20, 2012 by Robert Mendick in The Telegraph

The study challenges the Government's claims that energy bills will actually fall in the next eight years because of energy efficiency savings. The Coalition is relying on the savings to offset the price increases caused by renewable energy subsidies. Those extra costs are added on to household bills in the form of consumer subsidies.

Trump wants windfarm public inquiry
January 26, 2012 in The Scotsman

Work on the development in Menie, Aberdeenshire, has been put on hold until a decision is made on an offshore wind farm proposal near the site. The postponement was announced last week and the Trump Organisation said any future work, including the building of a hotel, would now depend on the decision made by the Scottish Government regarding the application for the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC).

Also filed under [ Impact on Views]

Concern as developers fail to consult tourism bosses over wind farm plan
January 17, 2012 by Melanie Vass in Daily Echo

Wind farm developer Eneco has been criticised for failing to consult tourism bosses over plans to site turbines in Poole Bay. The proposed Navitus Bay wind park, which would see turbines of around 311 feet tall situated between 10 and 17 miles out to sea, would have a major impact on Bournemouth and Poole's tourism industry.

Also filed under [ Tourism]

Wind farms are useless, says Duke
November 20, 2011 by Jonathan Wynne-Jones in The Telegraph

The Duke of Edinburgh has made a fierce attack on wind farms, describing them as "absolutely useless". The Duke's views are politically charged, as they put him at odds with the Government's policy

Also filed under [ Energy Policy]

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