The Church should not profit from building wind turbines on its land
The Telegraph, www.telegraph.co.uk 1 May 2012
The Telegraph, www.telegraph.co.uk 1 May 2012
Wind turbines are unreliable sources of energy. They depend on extravagant subsidies and generous feed-in tariffs. The cost of electricity produced by such machines is roughly three times that from conventional sources. Therefore consumers, including those already suffering fuel poverty, are compelled to pay larger electricity bills.
In that spirit, it would be reasonable to expect the Church of England to abhor any action that adds to the burdens of the poor. Surprisingly, the Diocese of Exeter is not inhibited by such moral considerations and is proposing to erect six wind turbines on Church land in the parishes of Black Torrington, Chittlehampton and East Anstey in north Devon. Apparently the rationale for its decision is theological – “to sustain the ecology of the Earth for future generations before God”.
If that is so, and money is not a consideration, it would add credibility to the decision if the diocese bequeathed all income from the turbines to charities concerned with the poor that are independent of Church administration.
Harry Riches
Black Torrington, Devon
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/05/01/the-church-should-not-profit-from-building-wind-turbines-on-its-land/