Where there’s wind there’s a way (From The Argus)

Where there’s wind there’s a way

8:30am Saturday 11th February 2012 in Your Argus

A letter from Brenda Pollack raises a number of points on wind turbines that need to be answered, (The Argus, February 4).

Wind power “is the most economically viable source of renewable electricity in the UK”. In strict grammatical or engineering terms “viable” is the wrong word.

A dictionary defines viable as “capable of working successfully”. As the overall performance of wind turbines in the UK shows they only generate about 30% of their design rating (load factor), and can’t guarantee to supply power when needed, they can hardly be considered successful. A better description would be best of a poor bunch.

The cost payback time is certainly longer than three to nine months when considering their poor load factor, the large amount of concrete, transport from Europe and installation. In fact payback would not be achieved until some time later if high Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) subsidies were not in place.

The turbines operate at wind velocities ranging from 10mph up to 35mph, when the capacity power rating is generated. So operating “80% of the time” doesn’t mean a lot.

A real storm should be brewing over the Government’s deluded support for renewable power generation and, until now, its non-support of gas and nuclear power stations.

As for the high cost of electricity, the ROC for land wind turbines, double ROC for offshore farms and feed-in tariffs for other renewable systems are all recovered as part of our electricity bills. It has been reported these subsidies could add £300 a year to the average household bill.

I can imagine this sort of happening in 2020: Surgeon – “You are being prepared for your operation this afternoon.” Later, at operation time, “Awfully sorry, we have no power. You’ll have to go back to the ward. We’ll try again tomorrow.”

Brian Beck, Highdown Road, Lewes

Oh dear, oh dear. God forbid we have wind turbines off the Sussex coast (The Argus, February 6). That’s going to send the Letters page of The Argus into overdrive. But let’s get real.

The oil will run out one day. And as we’re not allowed to use all the coal we have under us, which would last for hundreds of years, let’s put wind turbines all the way along the South Downs while we’re at it.

What do people think we’re going to do? I’m just off to stock up on candles.

A Gumbrill, Chapel Mews, Hove

I really cannot understand the constant aversion of some people towards renewable energy. They appear to view it as a gimmick.

There seems to be a blinkered approach by people who do not want to accept we only have enough oil and coal on Earth to last us about 40 years.

What are they frightened of? We’re not suddenly going to undergo a huge switchover to renewable energy, detrimental to our (very high) quality of life.

The key to the future of sustainable energy in the long-term is down to two things: Firstly, we need to develop ways of combining various forms of energy generation, including solar, wind and hydro power – it’s understandable no one believes any single form of energy is enough in its own right now.

Secondly, the key is to gradually phase in a combination of new energies to offset coal consumption.

Unfortunately, two things stunt our progress: large oil companies and public reticence.

Martin Arrowsmith, Dyke Road, Brighton