May 11, 2013
U.K.

Prince Harry’s concern over ‘visual impact’ of wind farms

May 11, 2013 | www.telegraph.co.uk

Prince Harry has voiced concerns about the visual impact of wind farms during his tour of America.

His comments came as he attended a reception in Denver on Friday night and his views are apparently shared by his father the Prince of Wales.

The event was hosted by Beverley Simpson, British consul general for Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming, and among the guests was four-time Olympic gold medal winning swimmer Missy Franklin.

Susan Reilly, chief executive officer of Renewable Energy Systems Americas, said after speaking to the prince that she had to reassure Harry about the benefits of wind turbines – just as she’d done with his father.

She said: “Prince Harry said he was worried about their visual impact, I told him that I had met his father some years ago and when we discussed wind farms he shared his concerns.

“But as with Prince Charles, I pointed out that we need to strike a balance between their visual impact and the need for renewable energy for future generations.”

Harry’s comments will be seized upon by critics of wind farms who have labelled them a blot on the landscape.

The Prince’s grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh reportedly raised other concerns about the renewable energy source in 2011, labelling them totally reliant on subsidies.

When Esbjorn Wilmar, managing director of the wind farm firm Infinergy, suggested to the Duke at a reception that he should build wind turbines on royal land, he said Philip told him “they were absolutely useless, completely reliant on subsidies and an absolute disgrace”.

The Department for Energy and Climate Change hopes that offshore wind farms can provide up to 15% of electric needs by 2020.

But that will require around £8 billion of investment in transmission infrastructure such as platforms, cables and substations.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/05/11/prince-harrys-concern-over-visual-impact-of-wind-farms/