Wind direction
changes
Jul 31, 2005 - Scotland on Sunday
Author(s): Murdo Macleod And Jeremy Watson
FOR Peter Carruthers, even the name "wind farm" is an Orwellian
attempt to make vast industrial developments sound cuddly, playing down
the image of huge whistling turbines and encouraging the image of
beaming farmers in wellies watching green energy being generated.
Living by the shores of Loch Awe in Argyll, Carruthers - who runs a
bed and breakfast in the village of Kilchrenan - believes that the local
economy is under threat from the invasion of the turbines, which recall
the War of the Worlds more than Old MacDonald. There are seven "wind
factories" in the pipeline, at various stages of planning, around the
loch.
Now he hopes that the penny may finally be dropping for the Scottish
Executive as it has performed a major U-turn in its wind power policy,
warning that many applications are "speculative" and will not be
granted, reducing targets for renewables, and announcing more focus for
other kinds of green energy.
Carruthers said: "It has finally dawned on the Executive that they
are going nowhere with this pursuit of wind farms as they don't give
anything like the supply of electricity promised. They are already
yesterday's technology. Far better to concentrate on something which
will be more reliable, such as power from the sea."
Almost unnoticed, ministers have changed their policy towards
wind-farming, which up until now has emphasised onshore wind to the
exclusion of almost all else and set ambitious targets for how much of
Scotland's power can be generated from green sources.
At a stroke, the Executive has lowered its estimate of how much
electricity it thinks can be produced by renewable power north of the
Border, and signalled that it wants to move to other forms of green
energy. It is also considering new guidelines to protect landscapes from
being damaged by large wind developments, including considering the
"cumulative impact" of a large number of developments in a single area.
The change in policy is a major victory for campaigners, including
Scotland on Sunday, who have argued against a headlong rush to cover
large, scenic areas of Scotland with wind turbines in the hope that
Scotland and the UK would be seen as "doing their bit" against global
warming.
High-profile opponents include Professor David Bellamy, the
environmental campaigner who is alarmed about the encroachment of wind
farms on wildlife sites, and Sir Jeremy Isaacs, the former head of
Channel Four, who has a holiday cottage close to a proposed wind farm on
Skye.
Until now, the Executive has aimed to have 40 per cent of the
electricity produced in Scotland coming from green power by 2020. But
that target has now been changed to 40 per cent of the electricity
needed in Scotland. The distinction matters because Scotland produces
more energy than it needs and is a net exporter of power. The change in
wording has reduced the amount of power Scotland must find from
renewables by about 25 per cent.
In addition, the new strategy will see far more regard given to the
environmental impact of wind developments. That will mean that many of
the current applications for wind farms are likely to be rejected.
Ministers have already gone so far as to say that many are
"speculative".
Moreover, there will be more emphasis on other forms of renewable
energy, such as offshore wind, wave and tidal power, and 'biomass', the
burning of crops grown for fuel, such as tree saplings.
Nicol Stephen, the Minister for Enterprise and Deputy First Minister,
said: "The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland, which I
chair, considers that many of the current proposals for onshore wind
development are speculative and are likely to drop out of the system."
He said ministers had "made clear our aim to see Scotland's renewable
electricity generation targets being met through the development of a
range of technologies and we will bring forward detailed proposals in
order to achieve that aim."
The talk of a "range of technologies" is crucial for objectors to the
march of the wind farms. Critics claim that because the turbines only
work when the wind is blowing at optimum speeds, they will never supply
all the power needed. They argue that it would be far better to focus
more on wave and tidal power which are not as variable.
Brian Wilson, the former UK energy minister, said of the changes in
policy: "This is a significant redefinition and it is probably more
realistic. Ministers face the challenge of making sure enough projects
go ahead so that there is the capacity in the renewables sector to meet
the targets. They are right, too, to emphasise other kinds of renewable
power rather than onshore wind alone. "
Even the pro-wind-power lobby, the Scottish Renewables Forum, agree
that some of the planning applications are speculative. But they insist
that onshore wind farms still matter. It is argued that unless the wind
farms are built now, there will not be the infrastructure available to
transmit future forms of green energy around the country.
That idea that wind farms should be built now in order to ensure the
grids and connectors are there for the likes of offshore winds and wave
power fills campaigners with horror. They worry that their landscapes
will be damaged in the cause of a doomed "interim technology", the
equivalent of buying a Betamax video, but with far more solemn
consequences.
Some worry too that the Executive's move has been short on the vital
detail of how and why developments will be blocked.
A spokeswoman for the anti-turbine group, Views of Scotland, said: "Nicol
Stephen's predecessor, Jim Wallace, never turned down anything. Does
this mean some will now be turned down? That would be welcome, but there
is no indication in any of this what the criteria will be."
Bob Graham, of the Highlands-based campaign Protect Rural Scotland,
said: "It's fine for ministers to say that these applications are
speculative, but what we see in my area is applications being
rubber-stamped and developers rushing ahead before the government
realise that the technology doesn't work and won't bring the clean power
they have promised. The only thing that will work is a moratorium on
wind farm developments."
The Green Party said it approved of the ministerial announcements on
moving towards a national planning strategy for wind farms and a greater
focus on "cumulative impact".
Green MSP Mark Ballard said: "We have long been arguing for a review
of planning guidance and the need to assess applications in rounds,
rather than one by one."
Hovering in the background of the wind power announcement is the
"n-word", the power source which dare not speak its name. For many in
the green lobby, atomic power is the ultimate bogeyman, blighting
landscapes and producing waste which is difficult to dispose of safely.
But in recent years, the nuclear industry's green credentials have
become more relevant for governments intent of tackling global warming
by reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas.
First Minister Jack McConnell is understood to be softening in his
previous opposition to any new nuclear power stations north of the
Border, despite the hostility of coalition partners the Lib Dems.
Although energy policy, including nuclear power, is an area reserved
to Westminster, the Scottish Parliament controls planning, meaning that
an anti-nuclear majority of MSPs could stop the building of new nuclear
power stations.
Peace in the coalition has been secured by ruling that no new
stations will be built before experts come up with a solution to the
problem of what to do with nuclear waste, effectively deferring a
decision until a government panel, which is reviewing the issue,
publishes a report next year.
But as the report approaches, and the time for a decision nears,
McConnell is understood to be relaxing his opposition, by insisting that
the decision should depend on whether the panel comes up with a solution
as to how to dispose of waste. If the panel comes up with an answer, it
is argued, then that should be seen as the green light for new nuclear
power north of the Border.
The change of heart in the Executive is also being helped on by the
fact that the UK government is increasingly coming to the view that it
needs more nuclear power.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Tony Blair said administrations
which refused to consider nuclear power as part future energy supply
were not being "responsible".
And the Scottish Executive's chief scientific adviser, Professor
Wilson Sibbett, has also warned of the "extremely high risks" to power
supplies if the country is forced to rely on wind farms and renewable
sources for its electricity.
One source close to McConnell said: "Jack has changed his approach.
He has been under pressure from London and many of his colleagues to
leave the nuclear option open.
"He is preparing the ground to give himself much more wriggle room
for manoeuvre by saying that the decision depends on whether the experts
believe that waste can be dealt with safely. Jack knows that he doesn't
have to make a decision yet but he is preparing the ground for the time
when he, or another First Minister, must."
HOW THE VARIOUS OPTIONS COMPARE
ONSHORE WIND. Has the advantage of being relatively straightforward
to install. The disadvantages include the fact that they are unpopular
with locals, who regard them as a blight on the landscape, and they only
work when the wind blows.
* OFFSHORE WIND. Less likely to prompt objections from locals, but
much more expensive to install and maintain. Could lead to environmental
objections because of the risks to seabirds, fish and dolphins.
* TIDAL POWER. Much more reliable than any variant of wind power. The
tides always come in regardless of how strong the wind is. But tidal
power is less developed as a power source than wind, and the technology
is expensive to buy, install and run.
* WAVE POWER. Tidal power's less reliable but more advanced cousin.
Wave power depends on the strength of the wind, but is still a much
better bet than wind power. But all the coastal options must overcome
the problem of sending power to population centres on land.
* BIOMASS. One of humankind's oldest forms of fuel. The plan
envisages burning wood in huge power plants. Fast-growing species of
trees would be cultivated for this purpose. The problem is that it fails
to deal with the problem of the greenhouse gases produced by burning
most kinds of fuel.
* CARBON SCRUBBING TECHNOLOGIES. The most adventurous way in which
the forms of energy currently in use can continue. It envisages
attaching special filters to power stations using coal, oil, and gas so
that they capture gases such as carbon dioxide. The disadvantage is that
pollutants are only reduced, not eliminated.
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