Is wind power doomed?

It seems like wind power is taking a right battering at the moment. We've had ethical man on the BBC hammering domestic turbines, saying they barely produce any power.

Now conservation groups are campaigning against the UK's largest onshore wind farm on the isle of Lewis in the Hebrideas.

Is this the end of wind as a renewable source or merely turbulence for it to get past?

[* star *]

It's not looking too good at the moment, although the concerns for the Lewis wind farm seem to be more about disturbance to winds and the impact of the support roads (etc) on the peatland in the area than any energy derived from them and the economics of it.

[dowism]

[alte]

In Asia, wind power is being very popular, since power plants take a long time to set up

Well it looks as though it's going ahead.

Plans for one of Europe's largest onshore wind farms have been approved by the Western Isles Council.

The £500m project, which will see 181 giant turbines built on the Isle of Lewis, has divided the community.

Opponents warn of long-term environmental damage while supporters point to economic benefits, including more than 400 jobs during construction.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/...ds/6363359.stm

[Jeroenla]

using the old "poor birds"-argument won't work for much longer

because birds aren't so stupid to fly into a mill!

[thomas thomas]

Originally Posted by tommyg

Well it looks as though it's going ahead.

Sorry it doesnt ......... Comhairle nan Eilean Siar are only a consultee in the process which is an application for consent under the Electricity Act which will be determined by the Scottish Executive ministers provided that there are no objections from other statutory consultees. If any of them object there will be a public inquiry.

Scottish Natural Heritage are submitting a formal objection to the scheme on the grounds that the developer has not ascertained that the integrity of the Lewis Peatlands SPA and Ramsar site, and Ness and Barvas SPA will not be adversely affected and that the proposal has insufficient information in the ES to determine the otential impact on breeding and wintering birds in the wider countryside. They do confirm that they would not be objecting to the proposal with respect to landscape, otters and fisheries (see board papers for details http://www.snh.org.uk./pdfs/SNH%20Bo...ind%20Farm.pdf ) There seems little doubt that the RSPB will also not be withdrawing their objection.

Therefore the whole development will require testing at public inquiry (strange echoes of the Lingabay Superquarry fiasco).

Oh aye, then there is the small matter of removing the generated power from Lewis to the mainland and beyond. There is a public inquiry (expected to last a year) for the Denny Beauly interconnector underway, if that is successful then there is the even more difficult problem of convincing the public and statutory authorities of the case for installing a HVDC cable from Beauly to Ullapool right through the heart of some of the Highlands most glorious and sensitive environments.

Lastly there is the even more difficult case of trying to justify economics of the new HVDC cable (todays price £375 million) to export some where of the order of 2,300GWh of power from the remotest part of the islands to the rest of the UK

[geoguy]

Literally hundreds of thousands of resident and migrating birds are being slaughtered by wind generators. countless more thousands of bats and untold numbers of butterflies and other insects.

Conservation groups have been fighting these 'feel-good' monstrosities (including RSPCA) for over a decade.
An example of such a discussion on 'Bird forum'

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=27198

[Jeroenla]

Then how do you explain that the birds in the study I referred to earlier all where smart enough NOT to fly into the blades?

[MarkuisMellvile]

Wether or not the Lewis wind farm goes ahead, and depite the recent BBC report highlighting poor outputs from existing micro wind turbines, wind power is here and here to stay!

The highly emotive argument about perceived dangers to birds are a distraction, but much like tales of dropping house values, don't hold up to objective scrutiny.

Globally, thousands of animals are killed annually by colliding with industrial structures, homes and (shock horror) cars and lorries!

In the UK, planning applications are assessed on their individual merits. You only have to hope that planning officers aren't swayed by emotive arguments about the risk to birds, as though our existing energy mix is entirely benign to wildlife.

The argument about wind turbines should focus on their contribution to the fight against climate change, not the various smaller issues that single interest groups shout about if an application arouses their NIMBY tendencies.

MM