LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Missing out on energy cash 

Credit:  The Press and Journal | www.pressandjournal.co.uk 15 September 2012 ~~

Highland and island communities could miss out on renewable-energy profits if they pursue over-ambitious windfarm schemes, experts warned yesterday.

Environmental consultancy Ecodyn says poor grid infrastructure puts north-west communities at a disadvantage.

Community windfarms can provide significant funds for local developments, as shown by Scotland’s first grid-connected community-owned windfarm at Gigha but the firm claims some areas are being disadvantaged because their grid is log-jammed.

Sleat Community Trust, on Skye, spent £9,000 and seven years on a 900kilowatt (KW) turbine project but were told they could not sell energy to the grid until 2020.

Trust manager Angus Robertson said: “The turbine was supposed to give us income for community projects for many years.

“We wanted a bigger turbine because the payback was larger but, with hindsight, a smaller project is something we should have looked at. It wasn’t until we had gone through a costly process that we learned we couldn’t export electricity until 2020.

“Our financial projections were based around exporting immediately and, if you are going to have to wait seven years, you wonder whether the project is worth doing.”

Crofter’s commission member Colin Kennedy of Coll is also struggling to get connected at the capacity he expected. He said: “I have paid for, and have everything in place for, a project over 100kw in capacity but I have been prohibited in going beyond 50kw because of grid problems. If you have your house in order, you can get a 50kw turbine now before the tariffs drop but, until things change, you won’t get anything more.”

Ecodyn director Henrik Micski fears communities holding out for the big payback projects will be shocked to discover they cannot connect for years, giving lower returns than expected. He said: “What we are finding is that, if communities opt for smaller projects up to 50KW now, they should not have connection problems and can start to get payback immediately. They then have an asset that banks are more likely to lend against for other community priorities such as schools or playparks.”

Source:  The Press and Journal | www.pressandjournal.co.uk 15 September 2012

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon