I am totally with David Watt in the need for an independent commission report on Scotland’s energy supply system. Such a commission must be entirely scientific/technical. The place for the renewable power enthusiast is in the political arena, once the hard facts have been established.
There is a great deal of deliberate dishonesty in this debate. Wilfully ignored is that wind power locks us into carbon production, for the expensive back-up generators needed during the down-times must be carbon producers, gas, coal or oil. Also ignored is the carbon cost of the extra economic activity necessary to pay the enormous subsidies needed to meet the high costs of renewables and of the back-up power stations.
It may well be that when the sums are done, with honesty and rigor, the switch to wind power will actually increase the overall carbon emissions; though of course high energy prices driving industry and jobs abroad, would have a very beneficial effect on our carbon emissions. This would be a great consolation in the dark winter’s nights.
David J Hogg, Edinburgh
11 February 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/02/11/dishonest-to-ignore-flaws-in-wind-power/