Wind Power News: Scotland
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Councillors ‘fail Scotland’ with Sallachy and Glencassley windfarm vot
Scottish mountaineers expressed dismay at the decision of councillors not to oppose the building of two windfarms in a national scenic area. Highland Council’s north planning applications committee today followed its officers’ advice and said it would not object to the Sallachy and Glencassley developments. The schemes, involving a total of 48 turbines, will now be considered by the Scottish Government. The Mountaineering Council of Scotland said the councillors had failed the Scottish public. Ron Payne, MCofS director of landscape . . .
Loch Shin and Ben Assynt turbine plans get go-ahead
Two controversial windfarms which critics claim would “blemish” part of the nation’s most important wild countryside have been given the green light by Highland councillors. The developments for Glencassley and Sallachy, near Loch Shin and Ben Assynt, total 48 turbines, all at least 125 metres tall. The Glengasslecy project, backed by SSE, was given unanimous backing by the council’s North Planning Committee, while WKN’s Sallachy development went through on five votes to three – with chairwoman Isobel MacCallum objecting to . . .
Blowing smoke
After reading the letter (13 May) from Niall Stuart of Scottish Renewables, whose membership includes wind farm developers, I thought he was protesting far too much. Mr Stuart, along with the rest of the wind industry, is painfully aware that excessively subsidised wind energy is losing public and political support. He tries, unsuccessfully, to defend the indefensible. His rose-tinted look at wind energy and what other countries are embracing fails to report that Germany has realised the inability of wind to . . .
Forestry body ‘kept in the dark’ over Fife windfarm plans
The public sector owner of woodland in Fife where a large windfarm may be built claimed it has been kept in the dark about the proposal. Despite entering a partnership three years ago with the developer of plans for 11 turbines at Blairadam Forest, near Kelty, Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) alleged it had not been consulted. Partnership for Renewables, which was appointed by the Scottish Government woodlands directorate in 2010 to deliver wind energy projects, is behind plans for the . . .
Successful noise abatement order
In an interesting application thought to be one of the first of its kind in Scotland, a QC was instructed to make an application to a Sheriff for a noise abatement order on behalf of the owners of a rural smallholding who were troubled by noise from a small wind turbine. The machine, only some 20m in height, made a noise like a small helicopter at all hours of the day and night whenever the wind was from the South . . .
Call to arms against ‘Nazi’ wind farms
A senior Tory has compared the march of wind farms in Scotland’s countryside to the threat posed by Nazi Germany. Struan Stevenson has provoked the wrath of energy companies by urging Britons opposed to turbines to “recapture the same spirit that defeated Nazi Germany and turned the tide of history”. Writing in The Sunday Times, the Scottish MEP, president of the European parliament’s climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development intergroup, says: “Scots are battling to save our natural heritage from . . .
Mobile app aims to cut wind farms opposition
One of the software pioneers behind property website Myhouseprice.com has created a mobile app that could slash millions of pounds from the cost of developing wind farms. Crispin Hoult, founder of Stirling-based Linknode, will launch VentusAR at this week’s All-Energy Conference in Aberdeen. The move is expected to drive the start-up firm’s revenues from £300,000 to £1 million within the next two years. VentusAR uses technology such as gravity sensors and GPS, which are now standard in smartphones and other . . .
Wind farm dispute yet to blow over
A new wind farm in East Renfrewshire has sparked a cash controversy among local residents. The Neilston community wind farm was opened by deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon on Monday. The £15.6m project is set to give Neilston a 28 per cent community benefit in all profits generated, after the Neilston Development Trust raised £950,000 to buy their stakew. However, this has provoked anger among the Uplawmoor community. Aileen Jackson, chair of the wind farm protest group in Uplawmoor, opposes . . .
Villagers turn down proposal for community-owned wind turbine
Controversial plans for a community-owned wind turbine to help power Denholm and Ancrum are dead in the water. Around 80 locals packed into Denholm Village Hall last Thursday night to give the scheme – which was offered to the villages by local farmer Jim Shanks, whose original proposal for a 74m high turbine was thrown out by councillors last month – a resounding thumbs down. A two-hour presentation from Community Energy Scotland area development officer Andy Maybury failed to convince . . .
Landowner’s Penicuik wind farm is blown off course
It has been a turbulent feud over wind turbines, which has set the scion of one of Scotland’s most distinguished landowning families against the owner of a neighbouring country estate, the Edinburgh financier Peter de Vink. Last night, it was Mr de Vink who was celebrating after winning a crucial victory in his bitter battle against plans for a wind farm that have been proposed on land owned by Sir Robert Clerk of Penicuik. It emerged yesterday that the planning . . .
