Wind turbine output proves disappointing in Scotland
The Chronicle, 4 May 2011
“Wind Turbines Fall Far Short of Energy Claims,” was the title of an article in the 4/7/2011 issue of The Daily Telegraph, a London, England, newspaper. I picked it up while traveling in Portugal.
“Wind turbines produce far less power than has been claimed,” a report said. The John Muir Trust, a Scottish conservation group that supported the two-year report, said, “The study was an ‘eye opener’ for anyone wondering how much power came from wind farms that have taken over many of our most beautiful mountains and hillsides.”
The group’s head of policy, added: “The answer appears to be not enough, and much less than is routinely claimed.”
According to the renewable energy industry, wind turbines generate around 30 percent of their stated capacity in a year. But the study by Stuart Young Consulting found that one-third of the period covered by the report – November 2008 to December 2010 – wind output was less than 10 percent of capacity.
The report went on to say, “Over the two-year period studied, the metered wind farms in the U.K. consistently generated far less energy than wind proponents claim is typical.”
“It was a surprise to find out just how disappointingly wind turbines perform in supposedly wind-ridden Scotland,” the article said.
As we flew over Portugal, at 30,000 feet, even at that altitude, the many turbines and miles of mountain top access roads were clearly visible.
I thought about what’s in store for our pristine Lowell Mountains.
Bob Hoffman
Barnet
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/05/04/wind-turbine-output-proves-disappointing-in-scotland/