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It’s time to call a halt to wind farm developments before they ruin our environment and drive away the tourists
Credit: The Herald, www.heraldscotland.com 21 April 2011 ~~
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Translate: FROM English | TO English
The excellent letter from Bruce McIntosh was a breath of fresh air in criticising wind farms (The Herald, April 19).
It dealt with technical facts and avoided Norman Lawrie’s party political stance.
It is noteworthy that Visit Scotland’s TV adverts displaying our beautiful lochs and islands conspicuously avoid the intrusion of wind farms and pylons.
Not one technical report details how we could achieve a 100% renewable energy target. Not one commercial organisation would be constructing these dreadful machines were they not funded by Government money (grants not loans).
Each citizen consumes 12kWh (kilowatt hours) of electrical energy a day out of a total of 120kWh – even with the target being met the net effect is minuscule. The environmental damage caused by these machines is far greater than the CO2 saved.
It is time to stop this headlong dash and put them offshore. Almost every planning application is taken to appeal because local people don’t want them. Wind power is unreliable.
We should ask politicians at the hustings: what do we do when the wind fails? Unlike the wind farms,the technical explanations will not be visible.
Bob Hamilton,
55 Halbeath Road,
Dunfermline.
I WAS in Wales last week, so I missed the momentous announcement the Scottish target for renewable electricity (note: not energy) has been raised from 80% to 100% by 2020. On the 300-mile journey south from Gretna I saw just two windfarms, one in Westmoreland and one in Newport, Gwent, containing a total of seven turbines.
It is already worth comparing this with the vista presenting itself to tourists travelling the 100 miles or so from Gretna to Stirling via historic Dumfries.
Shortly after crossing the border the Minsca Farm windfarm heaves into view on the right, followed closely by the Dalswinton one in the distance on the left, with the soon to be constructed Forest of Ae farm to its right. Crossing into Lanarkshire we have the huge Clyde Valley farm, presently under construction, and, a few miles further, Hagshaw Hill and Hagshaw Hill Extension above Douglas Water. Then follows the Lochhead Farm site next to the M74 with the big Black Law windfarm away to the right.
Other windfarms lie to right and left as we continue to Stirling. Then as we crest the brae on the M9 and the glorious vista of Ben Vorlich, the Ochils and Stirling and its castle opens up, there in front of us are the turbines of the Braes O’ Doune wind energy plant, surely the most inappropriately sited windfarm in all of Europe. At this point our tourists will turn at the next junction and head back south if they have any sense.
W Flood,
68 Rowanbank Road,
Dumfries.
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