I read with utter amazement that yet more wind farms have been given the go ahead by the planners in west Tyrone and Derry. The Countryside Act 1968 imposed a responsibility on them to preserve the countryside for us and future generations, but they seem hell bent on destroying this part of the country.
If the government are determined to go ahead with this Mickey Mouse form of generating electricity so be it. But I would like to know why such a great proportion of them have to be sited here. Do our local planners have any say in this matter, or are they dictated to by the energy generating companies?
As far as I know, not one application has been refused in this area. According to the Planning Service there are currently 102 windmills in West Tyrone and Derry, and another 70 proposed, yet in the rest of northern Ireland wind farms are relatively thin on the ground. In my opinion, the way in which this beautiful area is being destroyed is obscene . Surely, enough is enough. Is it any wonder that the Northern Ireland Tourist Board have completely ignored West Tyrone in their new advertising campaign for Northern Ireland. Perhaps they should start promoting coach tours to see our captivating wind turbines. The latest ones, for example, located between Omagh and Newtownstewart, seem as is if they are almost on the road. We were told that they would be sited in outlying areas, but this is just another untruth invented by the generating companies.
The undue haste with which these planning applications are being placed may be due to the fact that some european countries are rejecting wind power as the answer to their energy problems. Sweden and The Netherlands, for instance, have scrapped Government subsidies for wind power. The Norwegian government studied the Danish experience and have also decided not to provide any subsidies, while Germany has realised that wind power is a 'bottomless pit' for public money. If the UK follows suit then the wind turbine gold rush will be at an end.
A 2006 report from the British Renewable Energy Foundation showed that, despite the millions of pounds expended on wind across England, Scotland, and Wales, turbines operated at an average capacity of well below 30 percent. The report went so far as to designate some lowland England sites as "real turkeys." In 2007, a study of turbine production figures published in the National Grid's "Winter Consultation Report 2007/8" showed that, even in some of the world's windiest nations, wind turbines were highly erratic and unreliable. Between October 2006 and February 2007, National Grid figures, including offshore as well as onshore developments, revealed that there were 17 days when output from the 1,632 windmills studied was less than 10 percent, 5 days when it was less than 5 percent, and 1 day when it was 2 percent. During the entire time studied, at best the wind turbines performed at 35 percent efficiency. .."
Developers claim their turbines will last 20-25 years, but those at Caton Moor (Lancs), Ovenden (Yorks), Cold Northcote (Cornwall), and two in Wales are being replaced after just 9-12 years.
Readers must ask themselves this question: if wind power is so cheap why are our electricity bills constantly rising year on year?
And as for reducing their carbon footprint, it will take years just to undo the damage that was caused during their installation, and will be caused in the course of their removal or replacement. The amount of CO2 released in the process of dragging all that concrete and steel into this beautiful region to erect these monstrosities is immense.
If the government are determined to go ahead with this Mickey Mouse form of generating electricity so be it. But I would like to know why such a great proportion of them have to be sited here. Do our local planners have any say in this matter, or are they dictated to by the energy generating companies?
As far as I know, not one application has been refused in this area. According to the Planning Service there are currently 102 windmills in West Tyrone and Derry, and another 70 proposed, yet in the rest of northern Ireland wind farms are relatively thin on the ground. In my opinion, the way in which this beautiful area is being destroyed is obscene . Surely, enough is enough. Is it any wonder that the Northern Ireland Tourist Board have completely ignored West Tyrone in their new advertising campaign for Northern Ireland. Perhaps they should start promoting coach tours to see our captivating wind turbines. The latest ones, for example, located between Omagh and Newtownstewart, seem as is if they are almost on the road. We were told that they would be sited in outlying areas, but this is just another untruth invented by the generating companies.
The undue haste with which these planning applications are being placed may be due to the fact that some european countries are rejecting wind power as the answer to their energy problems. Sweden and The Netherlands, for instance, have scrapped Government subsidies for wind power. The Norwegian government studied the Danish experience and have also decided not to provide any subsidies, while Germany has realised that wind power is a 'bottomless pit' for public money. If the UK follows suit then the wind turbine gold rush will be at an end.
A 2006 report from the British Renewable Energy Foundation showed that, despite the millions of pounds expended on wind across England, Scotland, and Wales, turbines operated at an average capacity of well below 30 percent. The report went so far as to designate some lowland England sites as "real turkeys." In 2007, a study of turbine production figures published in the National Grid's "Winter Consultation Report 2007/8" showed that, even in some of the world's windiest nations, wind turbines were highly erratic and unreliable. Between October 2006 and February 2007, National Grid figures, including offshore as well as onshore developments, revealed that there were 17 days when output from the 1,632 windmills studied was less than 10 percent, 5 days when it was less than 5 percent, and 1 day when it was 2 percent. During the entire time studied, at best the wind turbines performed at 35 percent efficiency. .."
Developers claim their turbines will last 20-25 years, but those at Caton Moor (Lancs), Ovenden (Yorks), Cold Northcote (Cornwall), and two in Wales are being replaced after just 9-12 years.
Readers must ask themselves this question: if wind power is so cheap why are our electricity bills constantly rising year on year?
And as for reducing their carbon footprint, it will take years just to undo the damage that was caused during their installation, and will be caused in the course of their removal or replacement. The amount of CO2 released in the process of dragging all that concrete and steel into this beautiful region to erect these monstrosities is immense.
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