The number of turbine projects granted planning permission has more than doubled over the last two years, according to the latest figures, prompting fears that hand-outs for energy firms are too high.
A growing public backlash against green energy levies on household bills, and the spread of wind turbines across the countryside, has led senior Tories to plot radical steps to protect the landscape and cut costs for customers.
Conservative ministers have drawn up a four-point plan to prevent the growth of wind farms and other forms of renewable energy such as solar power plants from blighting the countryside.
David Cameron used last week’s Cabinet reshuffle to promote a leading critic of wind farms, Kris Hopkins, to the post of minister responsible for planning turbine projects.
The Chancellor, George Osborne, is also said to be determined to cut household gas and electricity costs by reducing the “green levy” that adds an estimated £110 to customers’ bills.
Number of planned new onshore wind farms has doubled since 2011 – Telegraph
One could conclude that you are against anyone making any effort to reduce carbon consumption if that reduction happens to please a liberal.
One could conclude that your comprehension skills are negligible.
Steve,
this is the latest Feed In Tariff (FITs) table for so called green energy suppliers. What is surprising is that they only add £110 to bills.
http://www.fitariffs.co.uk/eligible/levels/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-24508808
I can’t wait for the scots to get independence and then watch them go broke under their communist leader.
Under your apparent world view, renewable energy is “communist”. Scotland gets over 30 percent of it energy today from renewables. Polls show strong community support to continue moving forward for an even greater amount of renewable energy. Sure, they have start up issues, but it is apparent that most of the world recognizes the need to steadily increase their production of renewable energy.
Scotland’s countryside is being wrecked by wind farms. In 30 years there will be forests of rusted out hideously ugly windmills.
Scotland is doing tidal, wave, natural gas, hydro electric, bio diesel, even solar hot water. Windmills are an important component. If the commitment is there, the long term maintenance will be there. As far as aesthetics, reminds me of cell phones. I used to find it annoying to go around in public with so many people with cell phones stuck in their ear. It doesn’t bother me now, I do it myself sometimes. The aesthetics would not bother you if conservatives got on board for renewable energy.
@Avery: In terms of renewable energy, wind power is probably the worst. I know some people in the power generation industry, and they laugh at wind power. By contrast, hydro is far superior. While it can’t be used everywhere, it is a much better alternative to wind. Here in Ontario, the Niagara Tunnel Project was recently completed. It will provide virtually maintenance-free power for 100 + years:
http://www.opg.com/power/hydro/new_projects/ntp/index.asp
No one disagrees that hydro is best but it is not always available. As imperfect as wind is, Denmark gets 25 percent of its energy that way. World wide I see the number is 2.5 percent of energy production from wind and growing 25 percent per year. Wind energy is coming regardless what faults there are with it.
Wind energy may be “coming” as you put it, but it is mostly politically driven. Western governments that are trying to look like they are going “green” have been pushing wind power regardless of whether it is the best thing to do or not. Here in Ontario, wind power has been an absolute disaster.
That’s because no-one lives there. Scotland’s greatest export? Its people – they live almost everywhere else except Scotland.
By the way, assuming that it does get 30% from renewables, that’ll be some days. Wind is not reliable.
That is why they are also doing tidal, wave, natural gas, hydro electric, bio diesel, even solar hot water work there.
Scotland is at its highest population ever of 5.3 million. That is a respectable size to take on a major renewable energy project.
The U.S. and other World Governments are well aware that the two deepest bores holes drilled (7.1 & 7.4 miles) ended with the common failure, which was the 568 degrees F. meltdown.
They do know that conventional spinning shaft techniques are the mentally deficient approach, and that power head down with controlled refrigerant dispersing techniques would make geo-thermal possible on every single point on the planet.
Why, would they not pursue free energy, is the question?
I’m assuming you already know the answer.
That £110 is roughly 10%, another 20% or so goes to the upkeep of the national grid.
For upkeep of the national grid insert cost of connecting those windmills to the grid. The costs of going “green” are a lot more than £110.
The news reports on this years price increases indicated that national grid costs will continue to increase in the next few years.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/10375167/Number-of-planned-new-onshore-wind-farms-has-doubled-since-2011.html
“Number of planned new onshore wind farms has doubled since 2011”
And what about the cost of connecting and maintaining those off shore connections. (Hate to think of the hassle if a ships anchor slices through the underwater grid connections?
Indeed, if the 110 is direct costs. Wind makes conventional energy less efficient and more expensive. Wind has to have back up, but wind gets the priority when it is working, so the conventional back up must stay on line and ready, This makes conventional energy far more expensive to operate.
This is the latest wheeze in green scamming. From Bishop Hill blog:
Following a post showing that DECC has spent more than £1.5M on flights over the last 2.5 years we have this:
“ The Enercon E48 turbine’s rated capacity is 800kW. It will be ‘de-rated’ to 500kW, meaning that its maximum output will be reduced by 37.5%.
At 500kW it will earn a Feed-in Tariff rate of 18.04p/kWh compared to 9.79p/kWh for an 800kW turbine. With an export tariff of 4.64p/kWh this gives a return of 22.68p/kWh at the higher rate. The average wholesale price for electricity is around 5p/kWh.
All over the country large turbines are having their output reduced in order to game the system and qualify for a higher rate of subsidy. “
http://www.windbyte.co.uk/index.html
Oct 13, 2013 at 12:17 PM | RobWansbeck