Comments on: Windfarm plan meets national and local planning guidelines, claim developers http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2009/07/10/windfarm-plan-meets-national-and-local-planning-guidelines-claim-developers Established on the Internet in 1996. Published in Shetland Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:32:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Kevin Learmonth http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2009/07/10/windfarm-plan-meets-national-and-local-planning-guidelines-claim-developers/comment-page-1#comment-67 Kevin Learmonth Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:53:34 +0000 http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/?p=1007499#comment-67 There's so much wrong with this report it’s difficult to cover it all. But here's just one point raised. The report claims that Shetland has an over reliance on non-renewable sources of fuel. So the claimed 20% of generation capacity from Burradale Wind farm has disappeared overnight has it? Does no one in Lerwick get their heating and hot water from the District Heating system? Both these energy sources use a significant element of renewable fuel. Perhaps this report is a copy and paste dossier from some other project? Shetland Charitable trust money paid for it; do we get a discount for a second hand report? Anyway, it has been claimed that 20% electricity from wind is the maximum capable of being handled by a local grid. If this was not the case, Shetland would be covered in wind farms already, not just the Viking Energy scheme. Mind you, add an interconnector cable and the Viking Energy becomes the first of many very large wind farms, coming to a hill near you soon. Meanwhile, the Scottish Government has a target of 50% energy from renewables for Scotland. The EU target is 20%. In fact Shetland probably already meets or even exceeds its EU targets. This report simply picks selective facts which suit its case, and ignores information from the same source when it doesn’t suit their case. If it is impossible to exceed 20% from wind without destabilising or damaging local or national electricity grids (yes the lights could go out because of wind), the bulk of this renewable energy will come from reliable renewable sources; hydro, tidal and the like, not from intermittent sources such as wind. Finally wind farm developers and thieir paid for lobbyists like to imply that it is wind to grid or nothing. In fact wind to heat, waste to heat and a multitude of other energy sources and energy uses work very effectively on an off-grid, community / town / city basis. Good news for the environment, bad news for wind farm developers. There’s so much wrong with this report it’s difficult to cover it all. But here’s just one point raised. The report claims that Shetland has an over reliance on non-renewable sources of fuel. So the claimed 20% of generation capacity from Burradale Wind farm has disappeared overnight has it? Does no one in Lerwick get their heating and hot water from the District Heating system? Both these energy sources use a significant element of renewable fuel. Perhaps this report is a copy and paste dossier from some other project? Shetland Charitable trust money paid for it; do we get a discount for a second hand report?

Anyway, it has been claimed that 20% electricity from wind is the maximum capable of being handled by a local grid. If this was not the case, Shetland would be covered in wind farms already, not just the Viking Energy scheme.

Mind you, add an interconnector cable and the Viking Energy becomes the first of many very large wind farms, coming to a hill near you soon.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Government has a target of 50% energy from renewables for Scotland. The EU target is 20%. In fact Shetland probably already meets or even exceeds its EU targets. This report simply picks selective facts which suit its case, and ignores information from the same source when it doesn’t suit their case.

If it is impossible to exceed 20% from wind without destabilising or damaging local or national electricity grids (yes the lights could go out because of wind), the bulk of this renewable energy will come from reliable renewable sources; hydro, tidal and the like, not from intermittent sources such as wind.

Finally wind farm developers and thieir paid for lobbyists like to imply that it is wind to grid or nothing. In fact wind to heat, waste to heat and a multitude of other energy sources and energy uses work very effectively on an off-grid, community / town / city basis. Good news for the environment, bad news for wind farm developers.

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