Wind Power News: U.K.
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Wind farms paid nearly £2m to switch off – even as customers face soaring energy bills
Wind farms were paid more than £1.8 million to shut down this week – at a time when consumers face huge rises in energy bills because of the spiralling cost of natural gas. The turbines were switched off over the course of three days because the electricity they would have produced could not have reached the regions that needed it. Instead, electricity from gas-fired power stations was used at a further cost to consumers of several million pounds. An analysis . . . Complete story »
Residents hit out at new wind turbines ‘twice the height of Edinburgh’s Scott Monument’
Six giant wind farm turbines are to be built on the fringe of the Pentlands National Park, despite fears it will hit tourism and disrupt vital broadband signals for local residents. Plans had already been approved for the six turbines being built by French energy giant EDF, but a new application was submitted after they decided to increase the height of the turbines from 455ft to a new tip height of 491ft – more than twice the height of Edinburgh’s . . . Complete story »
Newing residents wary after Viking correspondence
Residents in the Newing area of South Nesting say they feel wind farm developer SSE Renewables might try to “fob us off” after receiving “no real answers to our queries, concerns and fears”. The group of residents approached the owners of the Viking Energy wind farm earlier this summer after it emerged the developer was planning to create a large ‘borrow pit’ to extract stone for tracks and turbine bases less than 500 metres from their homes. The homeowners have . . . Complete story »
Wind farms Ayrshire: Overhill plans knocked back by council
An application for 10 wind turbines to be installed near Dalmellington is set to be rejected by planning chiefs over size concerns. The proposed Over Hill Windfarm was earmarked for a site around 4km south-west of Dalmellington and 8km from New Cumnock. The site is dominated by poorly drained undulating peatland and is the home of the former Benbain and Chalmerston Pennyvenie opencast coal sites. The development, proposed by German company, Energiekontor, sought to create 10, 180m high (to blade . . . Complete story »
Five new wind turbines, standing nearly 500ft high, proposed for site south of Cullen
A wind farm with five turbines almost 500ft high is being proposed at Deskford. Members of the planning and regulatory services committee will be able to give feedback on the proposal of application notice when it comes before them on September 28. Planning permission had already been granted following an appeal in February 2019 for five turbines at the site on Lurg Hill, around five mile south of Cullen, but with a height up to 426ft. The current notice put . . . Complete story »
Sea Trust concerns over Blue Gem Erebus and Valorous wind farms
A leading Pembrokeshire marine conservation charity, that has been conducting surveys in the Celtic Deep for two decades, has expressed concerns over the effects on marine wildlife of a proposed large-scale windfarm in the area. Simply Blue energy is currently developing the 96MW test Erebus Project with monitoring technology deployed in the Celtic Deep. It is proposed that Erebus will be followed by the 300MW Valorous floating wind project in the Welsh waters of the Celtic Deep. Sea Trust says . . . Complete story »
Why Europe’s power prices are skyrocketing
Renewable energy brings volatility and that’s going to make it very costly for the continent to reach its targets. Germany is a prime example -- Chancellor Angela Merkel’s energy policies have cost its citizens hundreds of billions of euros in subsidies. The EU is unperturbed though. Climate chief Frans Timmermans has said that higher prices mustn’t undermine the bloc’s resolve to expand renewable power and that the industry should speed up instead to make more cheap green energy available. Complete story »
Fire in cable from France sends British electricity prices soaring
The bizarre events on Wednesday illustrate how electric power systems are under pressure from the closing of conventional plants powered by coal and nuclear, and the growing reliance on renewable energy like wind and solar, whose output can vary according to the breeze and the sun. These factors, and the increasing demand for energy as the economy recovers from the pandemic, have left Britain with slim spare capacity in electric power generation. Adding to the uncertainty, breezes of late have been feeble, cutting the production of electricity from Britain’s many offshore wind turbines. Complete story »
U.K. power surges to record 400 pounds as wind fails to blow
Electricity prices soared to a record in Britain as a period of still weather is curbing wind power, exposing the U.K.’s reliance on intermittent renewables. U.K. power for next day exceed 400 pounds ($553) a megawatt-hour at an auction on Monday, an all-time high. Wind generation is currently below normal, accounting for about 11% of all the electricity entering the grid. That’s leaving the market exposed to swings at a time five nuclear units are offline. The U.K.’s ability to . . . Complete story »
Peeblesshire wind farm proposals are ‘intrusive’, meeting hears
Concern has been voiced that a proposed wind farm in Peeblesshire will be “pretty intrusive” if given the go-ahead. Peebles Community Council has been asked to back neighbouring community leaders in objecting to the plans for 12 turbines at Cloich Forest, near Eddleston. Although proposals have been revised to reduce the number of turbines, the height and size are said to have increased. Convenor of planning for the community council, Peter Maudsley, has changed his stance on the proposals. After . . . Complete story »
