November 5, 2011
Scotland

Armistice Day assault in war with windfarms

The Press and Journal, 5 November 2011

Armistice Day will be the next milestone in the war against windfarms.

On November 11, Scotland’s first national anti-windfarm conference is expected to demonstrate the strength of feeling with more than 300 people due to attend.

They are expected to travel to Ayr Racecourse from as far as Caithness, Tiree and the Borders.

The meeting, hosted by campaign group Communities Against Turbines Scotland, aims to highlight the myths about windparks, focussing on the long-term implications for the landscape, health, economy and tourism.

The conference will be chaired by South Scotland Labour MSP Graeme Pearson. Speakers include Tory MEP Struan Stevenson with energy experts, academics and environmentalists.

Mr Stevenson, chairman of the Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development Intergroup in the European Parliament, has been the most vocal senior politician to oppose windfarms.

He said: “Scotland has more than half of the UK’S installed wind turbines. I believe we all stand to suffer from the scourge of onshore and offshore windfarms and the inestimable damage they do to our landscape, economy and prosperity all for a small, intermittent trickle of electricity producedat vast cost to the consumer and little benefit to the environment.”

The Renewable Energy Foundation, which monitors the industry, has warned that many jobs will be lost because of the £100billion expected cost of subsidising onshore UK windfarms up to 2030.

The efficiency of Scotland’s monitored onshore turbines last year, however, was 22%.

Answering the critics, trade body Scottish Renewables said “no form of electricity generation in the UK has gone without significant financial support,” and that the Renewables Obligation Certificates are “top- up incentive payments given only to projects that actually generate green energy”.

Pat Wells, of the Stop Highland Windfarms Campaign, said: “It’s an important event, the first national conference. It’s indicative of the wide opposition to windfarms.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/11/05/armistice-day-assault-in-war-with-windfarms/