Proliferation of wind farms viable only with subsidy from consumers

Much has been reported by Government regarding climate change and how to combat it. May I therefore draw readers’ attention to what I term the ‘might or could scenario’?
There are two sides to the anthropogenic global warming debate. One involves Al Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth‟ which the High Court has ruled must be presented with counterbalance in schools to prevent it being seen as political indoctrination
The other concerns the Channel 4 documentary, the Great Global Warming Swindle, which has been seriously criticised but not legally discredited

The County Durham Climate Change Action Plan appears to subscribe to Gore’s reasoning. It is based on evidence from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which attributes most of the warming over the last 50 years to human activity. The design and printing of the plan has had funding from Npower

However, may I, suggest that the ‘what actually is scenario’ is the real, inconvenient truth behind the global warming issue?

As a result of the renewable obligation subsidy (ROC) a gold rush has been created as the Government struggles to meet renewable energy targets. This has brought a proliferation of wind ‘farm proposals that are viable only with the subsidy, Who pays for it? We do as consumers
Wind farms ‘operating’ in the N East have underperformed for years, yet we still have proposal after proposal .Currently: there are 10 at Moorhouse, (ROC potential £62.5 million), 11 at East/West Newbiggin, (ROC potential £68.7million), 10 at Great Stainton, (ROC potential £62.5 million),10 at Red Gapp,( ROC potential £62.5 million), 3 at Shotton Beck,(ROC potential £18.75 million) and10 at Butterwick,(ROC potential £62.5 million)

The reduction of CO2 emissions and other pollutants now seem lost in the race for regional targets, mainly onshore wind. A real catch 22 as until wind turbines were operational we could not prove whether wind turbines would reduce CO2 emissions as expected. They are certainly not doing so in the North East.

Elizabeth Mann
Chair Durham Branch CPRE

Some relevant factsf which may help

Comment
Campaign to Protect Rural England, Durham Branch
Our main concern has been the progressive weakening of the planning system with the ‘fashionable’ idea that there are no dis benefits from wind energy. The UK protocol for wind and the BERR guidance for onshore wind seemed to “appear” with no prior warning Planning has become draconian. The IPC currently appears undemocratic but we hope it will eventually prove fair, and truly independent of Government and industry interests.
Resurrecting HOC Committee of Public Accounts report is essential
2005, The House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts (CPA) reported that: “The Renewables Obligation is currently at least four times more expensive than the other means of reducing carbon dioxide currently used in the United Kingdom…” and “By 2010, the cost of the Renewables Obligation, which does not appear on electricity bills and is not explained to consumers, is expected to reach £1 billion per annum”. Additionally, the CPA drew attention to the lack of democracy in the RO arrangement stating the Department [DTI] had not consulted consumers or their representative groups, about their willingness to contribute to the cost of renewable energy”.
In setting its 2010 target, the Government stated that the cost of renewable energy should be acceptable to consumers and in 2003, the DTI’s Energy White Paper, EWP said:… The cost of a Renewables Obligation for England and Wales introduced in April 2002 is met through higher prices to consumers “.
2008 June, E.ON’s new energy manifesto, warned the UK would require 50GW of renewable energy to meet the EU target, (20% from renewable sources by 2020) but that would require up to 45GW of backup capacity from coal and gas-fired plants to ensure energy supply when renewable energy supplies are not available.
The EWP stated that benefits of wind power and emissions saved are a material planning consideration. Comment (If emissions saved and electricity generated are to be as claimed the LF needs to be about 30% )
HL Paper126 at 3.1 Hugh Sharman an independent energy consultant working in Denmark cast doubt on this 30% UK load factor “Danish turbines had operated at a load factor of only 21%. If this happened in the UK, half as many turbines again would be needed to deliver the same target output. Potential investors would face dramatic reductions in their income from wind farms”
Advertising Standards Agency ASA found that BWEA member company npower had breached its rules by using a figure of 860 g/kWh for CO2 displacement for its proposed new Batsworthy Cross wind farm
An agreed figure by ASA with BWEA was to be available early 2008
A letter from the Energy Minister stated there were no problems in the North East yet the following figures show the reality:
Load factors as % (compiled by E Mann monthly, over six years, from official figures on Ofgem website)

Wind power station 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
________________________________________
Blyth Harbour Wall 12 11.6 13.2 10.5 9.57
Great Eppleton 11.2 15 zero zero zero
Kirkheaton 25.3 26.8 23.2 27.6 25.74
Tow Law 26.2 31.7 30.8 28.6 21.64
High Hedley Hope 27.4 32.2 33.8 28.6 31.89
GlaxoSmithKline — — 8.9 8.2 10.07
*Holmside — — 19.1 14.2 16.7
*Holmside nffo — — 19.8 16.2 22.03
*Hare Hill — — 14.6 16.2 21.94
*Hare Hill nffo — — 18.3 21.1 18.29
*High Volts — 15.7 18.4 15.5 21.38
*High Volts nffo — 30.1 20.1 6.6 21.74
Blyth offshore WTG 1 16.2 26.5 8.8 2.1 zero
Blyth offshore WTG 2 (LF zero 2002) zero zero zero zero zero
*. DTI case Studies ‘Its Only Natural Campaign’
Claimed as the most modern technology

end of article

The information on this private site and the 3 books there for free download may help you by providing some facts regarding the methodology used to promote renewables http://www.wind-farm.co.uk

CPRE is skeptic not anti wind but look at the right devlopment in the right location. My personal favourite is ‘Solar panels on KMilimanjaro’

I think the point in your second paragraph is addressed in a letter from Ronald W Clarke who is Chairman of the Harrington Aviation Museum Society. He says:

“… the erection of these monsters would do nothing to preserve the integrity of this historic site. We have a steady flow of American veterans and their decendents, who often comment on the tranquility of the memorial and old airfield site. The problem is of course that once erected these inefficient monsters will dominate the surrounding countryside, and ruin the empathy of the place.

On behalf of our members and the hundreds of American airmen who perished whilst flying from Harrington, I would ask the planners responsible for decisions on siting these things, to respect the site, and ensure that the only sounds heard are the birds and sighing of the wind.”

I accept fully your point about windmills, but these were generally singular structures in this country, with a height which rarely exceeded that of the local church tower. I suspect the situation might have been very different had those residents been faced with windmills of the height and number currently being proposed. It’s also interesting to note that they were predominantly erected in the fens, an area known as New Holland, where wind would blow unimpeded from the sea across large tracts of flat land to drive the sails. In the early 19th century there were around 1200 working windmills throughout England and Wales, when wind and water were used to power flour grinders. By the 1920’s there were only around 200 working mills throughout England, with, I believe, around 13 in the Northamptonshire area, mostly south of Moulton.

I hail originally from Lincolnshire and know well the section of coastline that extends from the Humber to the Wash and beyond. It is a desolate area of sand dunes that bord onto shoreline, reaching for miles when the tide is out and where the wind whips relentlessly from sea to land. I can see no comparison between that landscape and the area around the old Harrington airfield, nor do I see much comparison between the handful of working windmills, generally sited alone on the top of hills, at the turn of the last century and the proposed wind turbines which number in excess of 100 along the A14.

I travel the B576 twice a day to work from Desborough, what a fitting tribute to those brave souls who flew from Harrington in the war to have a load of real propellors turning as a memorial to them, why not make in into a feature for those men from Harrington. Surely they are not too bad.

I spend some time in Lincolnshire near skegness, they are rife in that area but everyone accepts them as a part of life, why cant we here.

Richard Morris Desborough