What price the wind farm explosion?
Fierce debate ebate as turbines es double in n four years s
SCOTLAND has thrown n up more than one windind turbine every day for fourour years.
A Sunday Post probe hasas found there are now 340000 onshore turbines in opera-tion compared with 16577 four years ago.
What’s more, a further 15471547 areare inin the pipeline after they werewere givengiven planning approval, with manyany alreadyalready under construction.
Our revelation comes asas itit emergedemerged energy companies were paidpaid almostalmost £5.5 million to switch off theireir turbinesturbines inin Scotland for one day this summer.ummer.
The firms received thehe cashcash viavia “constraint” payments afterr theirtheir stationsstations managed to produce morere electricityelectricity than Scotland needed overver aa 24-24-hourhour period in August.
The situation has broughtght intointo sharpsharp focus the continuing divisionsivisions thatthat surround wind farms.
While many environmentalental groupsgroups support the development ofof turbinesturbines toto meet the country’s power needs,eeds, therethere areare many who feel the proliferationation hashas spunspun out of control.
Last year, local communitiesties inin England were given new powers toto vetoveto windwind farms. All onshore wind farm applications are dealt with at local level, rather than national authorities dealing with the biggest projects.
Two new “planning tests” were also introduced so councils can only approve wind farms on sites that have been clearly designated as part of any local or neighbourhood plan, and where the proposed project has the backing of the locals.
Anti-wind farm campaigner Lyndsey Ward said the same approach should be taken in Scotland.
She said: “I am concerned with the way community objections are cast aside by the Government and wind industry. Communities should get the wind farm veto that’s given to residents in England.
“Planning is devolved to Holyrood, yet the SNP refuse to give us the same empowerment. They refuse to implement a moratorium on wind development.
“In June, Nicola Sturgeon said it was absolutely right people’s opinions had to be considered in respect of fracking as they were the ones living with it. What about wind?”
A Sunday Post probe in 2012 found there were 1657 on- shore turbines in Scotland. Now, figures released by The Scottish Government reveal that number has risen to 3400.
Many energy firms own wind farms as part of their portfolio of projects.
Scottish Power is one of the biggest owners, with 715 turbines at present in Scotland. Similarly Scottish And Southern Energy owns 475 operational turbines, including those owned via joint ventures.
In the last financial year, onshore wind turbines in Scotland produced 9,532,322 MWh of electricity – the equivalent to the yearly electricity demand of more than two million homes.
Power firms are compensated when the turbines are switched off to avoid overloading the National Grid.
On August 7 the country was blasted by strong winds that saw turbines produce more energy than the grid could handle. As a result they were switched off.
The National Grid has said £5.49m was paid out in wind constraint payments for that day alone. The news comes after it
was reported in May that wind farm operators had been paid more than £217 million in the last five years to turn their turbines off in Scotland.
World Wildlife Fund Scotland director Lang Banks has called for improvements to the National Grid to increase its storage capacity. He said: “The National Grid pays most power generators, including coal and gas companies, to reduce output on occasion. It’s how they ensure consumer demand is met by supply in the most cost-effective way. “Those concerned about payments to power firms to reduce their output should be supporting our calls to see improvements to the grid, stronger interconnectors, and more energy storage capacity such as pumped hydro. Onshore wind is a huge success story, generating clean electricity, supporting thousands of jobs, and helping us to avoid millions of tonnes of carbon emissions.”
However, the development of wind farms in Scotland has faced strong opposition from community groups opposed to having them built in their local areas.
A Scottish Affairs Committee report said it received “a substantial number of submissions” raising concerns over turbines.
This included fears over the adverse impact they might have on house prices, the local environment, scenery and the health of local residents.
People have also voiced their opposition to constraint payments paid out to wind farm companies.
Susan Crossthwaite, 64, from Ballantrae, South Ayrshire, runs a B&B around 10km from the 60-turbine Arecleoch wind farm.
Susan said her customers complained about the proliferation of turbines in Scotland. She said: “My interest comes from the fact my visitors ask, ‘why are these landscapes being ruined?’.
“People say they are met with a wall of turbines as they approach the village of Barrhill. Plus our sleep is affected by the wind farms.”