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So the risks to the SNP's current energy narrative are obvious. What if there's a public backlash against the cost of subsidising renewables as household bills continue to rise? What happens to the dream of Scotland exporting vast quantities of green electricity to England, if Paterson and Osborne win this battle? And who pays to make that trade viable, if the current UK subsidy system is scrapped?
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
UK]
The Bruce Peninsula, like many other parts of Ontario where large-scale industrial wind farms - with turbines numbering in the hundreds - have been built or proposed, has become a hot-bed of anti-wind turbine sentiment along with other parts of Grey-Bruce.
"Stop the Wind Turbines" signs are tacked up on fence posts and even highway signs in steadily growing numbers.
There's more than a whiff of deja vu about the industry's promise of 8,000 jobs; didn't the builders dangle that carrot? How many jobs will be lost because of the effect of these eyesores on tourism?
Surely a major factor driving this multi-billion industry is the money available to it in subsidies and grants. But who will ultimately pay the price?
The vote to allow King's wind business was a very close one, with people most affected having no vote. There were no local jobs created with the exception of a single management position, and some electricity will be free as long as the project makes money.
Do none of these Mooney-like green zealots realise the idea of having one of these obscene blots [wind farms] on the landscape located close to you is about as attractive as living in the central reservation of your nearest motorway?
There is considerable evidence that shows these turbines are not just undesirable, they're positively dangerous.
Germany is being horribly caught out by precisely the same delusion about renewable energy that our own politicians have fallen for. Like all enthusiasts for "free, clean, renewable electricity", they overlook the fatal implications of the fact that wind speeds and sunlight constantly vary. They are taken in by the wind industry's trick of vastly exaggerating the usefulness of wind farms.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
UK]
In the future, historians will puzzle how landscapes, revered for generations, were destroyed by 100-metre-plus machines all over the country. ...Public relations for the wind industry has been magnificent in persuading conformists it is all right to erect machines in once valued landscapes.
There are no mitigation measures that would safeguard our marine mammals. Noise can burst their eardrums, as a result of which they will not be able to locate food and will die.
This is why RWE's offshore turbine factory in Germany has been halted. I was appalled to read the statement by Devon County Council that made no mention of the serious effect to our marine mammals.
Wind power is clearly not the answer to fuel poverty and in Scotland the use of nuclear power has been ruled out. Solar, wave, tidal, shale gas, thorium and biofuels are either as useless as wind or need a significant amount of development to become commercially viable alternatives. The carbon-free utopia will have to wait. Finding the right energy mix will take time.
"The main challenge associated with wind power is its variability; wind power output is highly dependent on weather conditions and carries a high degree of uncertainty ...As the volume of wind power capacity increases, so will the effect of wind variability and hence the accuracy of the wind power forecasts will become more important."
It's difficult to avoid the conclusion that at present there is no policy, with literally hundreds of applications in the pipeline and turbines appearing here, there and everywhere. ...The rush to renewables should not, however, mean an easy ride for proposals which have a significant and potentially irreversible impact on other aspects of life.
Analysis: Should the proposed wind farm get the green light? - No, says Stuart Young
August 31, 2012 in The Scotsman
August 31, 2012 in The Scotsman
Every time electricity bills rise, supporters of wind point the finger at fossil-fuel prices, insisting wind subsidies can't be to blame because all forms of electricity generation are subsidised. This is a blatant untruth. Oil and gas receive no meaningful subsidy, while wind will cost consumers more than £1.8bn in covert subsidy by the end of the year.
Also filed under [
Tax Breaks & Subsidies|
UK]
Green groupthink must never conquer common-sense. Where is the value in destroying some of our most important and fragile ecosystems in order to build wind turbines that will struggle to last 20 years? The lesson for everyone is that the green lobby does not have the monopoly on environmental protection.
A pair of stories in the last week detailed conflicts between San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) and national environmental groups over two separate wind projects. One of the conflicts appears to have been resolved amicably, while the other is headed to the courtroom. And each story involves the power of flight.
Anyone impressed by the efficient way in which Britain has organised the Olympic Games might consider the stark contrast provided by the shambles of our national energy policy - wholly focused as it is on the belief that we can somehow keep our lights on by building tens of thousands more wind turbines within eight years.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
UK]
Isn’t it ironic to be deceived into destroying the world in order to save it!?
All over the world, the use of fossil fuels has INCREASED everywhere Industrial Wind Turbines have been placed. Not only that, but some of the most precious wild areas in the world – from the moors of Scotland to the Carpathian mountains are being invaded by this useless and damaging technology that decidedly will NOT save us from climate change.
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Impact on Landscape|
Impact on People]
We've spoken clearly. Our state government must defend the will of the people. A foreign corporation must not have greater rights than American citizens. Iberdrola should respect the resolve of the people and abandon its wind development plans for Lexington and Concord townships.
Forget lower subsidies, the wind industry has a much bigger problem brewing
July 26, 2012 in Money Week
July 26, 2012 in Money Week
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) - which sets property valuations for the purposes of council tax - appears to have accepted that having wind turbines near your house can (and does) reduce the value of houses.
Until now, all suggestions that this is the case have been firmly rejected by the industry.
In the hill country where I live, there was a time when you could enjoy the blue haze from the distant hills, maybe set up a canvas to paint the sun setting behind them or just sit and watch while the color washed over them at dusk. Now those hills are dotted with wind generators churning out electricity. This pastoral scene looks nothing like the Texas kids imagined when they imagined cowboys and cattle drives.