There must be a shake-up of the application system for wind farms to prevent time and money being wasted, it was claimed today. Tory deputy leader Murdo Fraser said that there were "no real guidelines" to show developers which sites were appropriate. This has led to a "barrage" of applications being submitted for sites in Perthshire and the Stirling area that should not be considered, the mid-Scotland and Fife MSP claimed. Much time and money were then wasted by both the developers and anti-wind farm campaigners confronting each other, when no application should have been made in the first place, he said.

A controversial 23-turbine wind farm is to be built at Achany in Sutherland after Scottish and Southern Energy was granted planning permission. The decision follows a public inquiry into the proposals in August. Highland Council had originally opposed the £55m wind farm but withdrew its objections as the inquiry concluded. Construction of the 40 megawatt capacity wind farm will begin in the new year. It is expected to be operational in 2010. When Achany is commissioned, SSE will have 275 MW of installed wind farm capacity. This includes the Drumderg and Toddleburn wind farms, which are expected to be commissioned in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

Offshore wind farms cost significantly more to build and maintain than their onshore equivalent. And because they involve new and untested technology they also suffer from "first of a kind" costs. But the industry is confident that those costs will fall over time. It is difficult to compare the cost of electricity obtained from a wind farm rather than a conventional energy source like gas. This is because it involves assumptions about future construction costs, the cost of carbon emissions, and the cost of gas. However, right now offshore wind farms are significantly more expensive than thermal generation and require a government subsidy to make them economic.

Business Secretary John Hutton says he wants to open up British seas to allow enough new turbines - up to 7,000 - to power all UK homes by the year 2020. He acknowledged "it is going to change our coastline", but said the issue of climate change was "not going away". The thrust of the idea was backed by Tory Alan Duncan: "We're an island nation. There's a lot of wind around." ...The other choice was, he said, whether it was "easier to have these developments offshore rather than onshore". Asked what would happen if there was no wind for a few days, Mr Hutton said that was why there had to be a mix of energy sources - including nuclear power - to cover for calmer weather periods.

The Independent on Sunday has learnt that, in an astonishing U-turn, the Secretary of State for Business, John Hutton, will announce that he is opening up the seas around Britain to wind farms in the biggest ever renewable energy initiative. Only weeks ago he was resisting a major expansion of renewable sources, on the grounds that it would interfere with plans to build new nuclear power stations. ...The announcement is the first step in implementing the offshore wind power revolution, which is likely to run into far less environmental opposition than proposals to build wind farms on land.

One of Britain's largest green energy companies has damned the MoD as being "biggest single obstacle to wind power in the UK" after it opposed a second Norfolk wind farm. The future of wind energy in the county was thrown into doubt last night after it emerged that the MoD has raised concerns over Ecotricity's plans for six turbines between Sporle and Swaffham. The MoD says that trials conducted in 2004 and 2005 on the effects of wind turbines on radar systems identified that even solitary turbines can significantly reduce operational effectiveness when in line of sight.

"Wind turbines, by their scale and movement, are the most visually intrusive of all developments. "The applicant has chosen a site visible from a wide range of the most sensitive and valued locations in Northumberland, and has elected to apply for a number and scale of turbines which are inappropriate for this landscape." On the matter of MoD objections over the impact on radar at RAF Brizlee Wood, she added: "Unless the laws of physics are overturned, this development cannot go ahead and permit Brizlee Wood air defence radar to function. "Such immutable laws are not overturned.

According to the Daily Mail, government advisers believe the environmental cost of making, transporting and installing domestic turbines usually outweighs their benefits in built-up areas. They say that wind speeds in towns and cities are simply too low to produce enough energy to justify their installation. It is the latest finding to show how apparently "green" lifestyles can be less environmentally friendly than they seem. The latest finding comes from the Building Research Establishment Trust, which advises the Government and the private sector on energy efficiency.

Villagers who have already fought plans to build three wind farms near their homes are preparing for another battle. Protesters in Gedney Hill are holding a public meeting today to discuss the possibility of another wind farm application near their homes. Spanish firm IBERDROLA UK has sent a scoping report to South Holland District Council to find out about the viability of building up to ten turbines at Langary Gate, near Gedney Hill.

Derek Gilpin, who owns a shop on Arlecdon Road, said villagers would be rallying around to get more information about the effects of windfarms and what they can do to oppose the plans. He said: “Everyone who I spoke to was 100 per cent against it. I have not found anyone for it. They are a blot on the landscape and they don’t work for the small amount they put in. “Everyone is against them here. If they go up they are likely to be on the crest of the hill at Moresby Moss. We will be able to see them from our house. It will be about three- quarters of a mile away. “The meeting was the company’s way of trying to sell them to people. Local people have been meeting with scientists to get more information.”

BRENT Knoll residents are still waiting to hear whether a controversial wind farm will be given the go ahead. The planning inspectorate was expected to announce today (Fri) whether five wind turbines will be granted planning permission on land north of Inner Farm off Stoddens Lane.

THE group behind a second huge wind farm planned for the sea off Walney says its construction will create 200 jobs. The latest proposal for 139 turbines, many of them taller than Blackpool Tower, means that within a few years there will be more than 300 turbines off the Barrow coast. The company behind the plan has promised to give as much work as it can to local contractors. On Wednesday the government gave the go-ahead for the first large wind farm off Walney planned by Danish energy group Dong. It is to develop a 75 square kilometre Walney Wind Farm with up to 152 giant turbines operating 14 miles off Walney.

Planning officials have recommended that proposals for a controversial wind farm application in Berwickshire are rejected by Scottish Borders Council. ..."Our natural landscape makes the Borders a beautiful place to live and that is something we should work hard to preserve," he said. "I also think it is important that the views of residents are properly taken into consideration, and I hope that is the case as councillors from the planning committee visit the site today." The government's emphasis on supporting wind power over other renewable sources, should also be questioned, he added.

Following concerns from council planning officers about the reasons given for the refusal of planning permission for Wandylaw wind farm, the eight reasons given for refusal at the meeting at Berwick High School on October 23 have been redrafted, clarified, and approved by the council planning committee. Concerns over the original reasons were that some could not be substantiated and would not stand up to any possible appeal by developers ...

UK Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks has given the go-ahead for a major wind project 14km from Walney Island, off the coast of Cumbria. The Walney wind farm, from developer DONG Energy, is expected to have somewhere between 93-152 turbines, producing enough clean electricity for approximately 360,000 homes when fully operational in 2013. The world's largest offshore wind project - the 1000MW London Array - has also now received its final consent.

Fresh controversy is brewing after First Minister Rhodri Morgan announced wind turbines could spring up on Forestry Commission land. Mr Morgan told an audience at the Liberty Stadium yesterday that wind farm developers are to come up with plans for the land, which lies in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire as well as Mid and North Wales. Opponents said it should be left alone for walkers and tourists. Mr Morgan insisted Wales had to take action to combat climate change by increasing its production of renewable energy and that wind farms were, for the time being, the best method of doing that.

Ministers are planning a U-turn on Britain's pledges to combat climate change that "effectively abolishes" its targets to rapidly expand the use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. Leaked documents seen by the Guardian show that Gordon Brown will be advised today that the target Tony Blair signed up to this year for 20% of all European energy to come from renewable sources by 2020 is expensive and faces "severe practical difficulties". ...The shift in stance is due to be discussed at full cabinet next week. Last night a spokesman for the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said: "We don't comment on ministerial meetings with the PM."

... wind energy farms are not a simple panacea for the country's energy problems. Last week the Beatrice turbines were being serviced but, if they had been operational, they would not have been turning. The North Sea's winds were virtually non-existent, meaning no power would have been generated. Opponents say such variability of output is a drawback of wind energy. But O'Brien insisted: 'If we can build big turbines far away from the shore, they will cause minimum upset and disruption. This is their future and that is why the Beatrice project is so important.'

This Government is matching words with action. We said we needed to make tough choices if we are to achieve our clean energy objectives and that is exactly what we are doing.

[ENERGY Minister Malcolm] Wicks said the Government did not want to force through turbines where there was a good reason to refuse permission. He said: "I'm a great fan of wind energy, but I always thought if it is not appropriate in a particular location, the answer should be no. And those answers sometimes come from the local authority and if they are very large, those decisions come through my department. I actually said no to one near the Lake District, but yes to another large one. "The thing to remember is we should not be so gung-ho about any technology that we start to create a backlash in terms of public opinion.