We need to talk more about wind; as unconventional as it is. And
yes, that includes windfarms. A number of windfarms have recently been
assembled close to my local area, and were notably met with – as is consistent
with many public responses when turbines appear – cries of ‘eyesore’ and a ‘look what a state they are‘. This level of negativity towards
windfarms can only be expected if they continue to be under-discussed. We need to talk. I think it is a negative that
onshore wind farms will be excluded from a subsidy scheme from 1 April 2016, a
year earlier than expected (especially when wind is one of the cheapest sources
of sustainable energy)[1];
yet the news has caused little, if any, public questioning. The same has been
the case for four windfarms proposed for
mid-wales, turned down only to congratulation[2].
And so the authorities or ‘powers that be’ will continue.
Yet the public are often not given background information on
the benefit of wind power, instead just Better discussion is needed, both at local
and wider levels, as improved awareness of the benefits of wind and farms.
This may allow more constructive agreements to be met regarding where and how
they are assembled. After all, the end of subsidies marks a move to ‘give local
communities the final say over new wind farms’[3];
according to Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd. This could quickly
become a tension between local authorities and the people involved– because what can people say other
than they are unnerved, unless they have information?
having to face windfarms being thrown
up in the foreground. How can you defend something that is presented as an
attack? Hostility is to be expected when wind power only ever gets into the
public eye as a threat.
We can work with wind in a more constructive way, which
pleases more people. It was estimated that by 2014, 9.3% of the UK’s
electricity requirement was met by wind power – a sustainable process which has
much more to offer.[4]
Firstly then, why wind?
Making the most of wind energy has already been helping to sustain the demand
for electricity in the UK for a number of years. Turbines are typically
connected to a power collection system which converts the turning of the blades
into electrical energy, therefore a renewable source. A single turbine at 2.5
MW will typically generate enough
energy to meet the annual electricity requirements for 1,400 households. Or
that’s 230 million cups of tea or 2,000 years at least of average computer
usage – whatever you prefer.[5]
Yet what many people would prefer not to see, are the
turbines themselves. Yes, they are invasive and do change the appearance of the
environment. But the typical methods we
are using to generate electricity are not only changing the shape of the
environment at the deepest level, but are scarring it long-term. Just
because we do not see a towering image of environmental damage, does not mean it
isn’t taking place. According to Energy UK Most of the UK’s electricity is still
produced by burning fossil fuels, especially coal.[6]
The burning of these releases excess gases such as carbon dioxide. Environmental impact of this is vast, with populations
of marine mammals, birds, fish and reptiles declining by up 49% due to the
poisonous levels of these releases (especially CO2) since 1970, according to
the WWF[7].
Wind is a step in providing an alternative to polluting methods of fuel
production – especially in reducing CO2, as provisional 2013/2014 emissions
showed a 15% decrease in CO2 released,
with ‘a change in the fuel mix’ given as one of the key reasons[8].
Part of this forward-looking fuel mix is wind. Yet because we do not SEE this
right in front of our eyes, it seems convenient to ignore it.
Also, the impact of burning fossil fuels we may struggle to
see – because, disturbingly, where the impact hits is below vision; it is occurring
inside us, already. A new consultation document, drawn up by the Department for
the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), states that over 50,000 people a
year die prematurely as a result of UK air pollution[9].
The government is being urged to encourage cycling over car journeys, using
sustainables over pollution-causing coal, and surely another area which will be
turning – are turbines. The generation of power from wind in this way releases
no gas and is renewable, yet people still see them as negative - why?
Seeing the ugly truth is hard.
Here we return to the
outraged cry that turbines look a ‘state’. Perhaps that is precisely the point.
Wind farms seem to stand as a kind of statement – a statement of our guilt. We can’t
just ignore them. Their appearance serves almost as a reminder of our
inability, what has been our inability to keep the world clean. After all, many
people are aware that they have sustainable or at least ‘green’ benefits, yet these factors are
subsumed in favour of an ‘unspoiled view’.
Yet the view of our future as a whole will be further
spoiled if we continue to ignore the efforts of sustainable energies. The
current main way we are generating energy, including electricity, through
fossil fuels, is unsustainable – by definition it cannot last. Wind stands as
an endless source of natural energy.
But it’s easy to balk and not talk.
There appears frustratingly limited/little public discussion
regarding wind power – few information boards and bulletins, no public talks or
programmes. The last time I was provided
with information to read about wind power was at GCSE. There are organisations which are working admirably to provide resources, such as http://www.renewableuk.com/en/get-involved/action-for-renewables.cfm
but lack of publicity means this has not
equated to awareness.
Lack of awareness makes
wind farm plans, when they are announced, seem like a sudden – and
therefore unwelcome
– imposition to people in the local area.
Discussion about wind power often does not occur until the situation
where farms are being proposed by local authorities. In turn, this leads to authorities
proposing the windfarms to appear forceful, whilst the local people opposing the
turbines to appear adamant. In turn, applications often seem forced because plans
for installation are set and opposition is unwilling to compromise. In turn,
opportunities to make the most of windfarms for all involved are often being side-lined.
Yet even if you are opposed to windfarms, once you know the
benefits, would you be more willing to negotiate? The most likely answer is yes.
I am in strong support that the public
should have more of a say regarding
where windfarms are assembled – and this can be positive. If material on
the benefits of wind is made more readily available – leaflets, posters,
recommended reading material – this provides a balance. After all, if we are to
see the whole picture, then it is to pay attention to the implications and
assembly of windfarms too; the building of roads to assemble them can be
time-consuming and disruptive, so will obviously have an effect on local communities.
There is the visual impact to think about too of course. The unfortunate lack of discussion seems to
have had the effect of placing people into two imaginary camps, either ‘eco-nuts’
or ‘world-destroyers’. The reality is that it is okay to take a middle-way. Compromises
are more likely to be reached to suit the majority if people negotiate whilst
accepting both the disadvantages and benefits.
Therefore it’s time to see the whole and not just what we want
to see. By point-blanc refusing windfarms, a negative view is fuelled towards
green energy all together – as in light if government windfarm cuts, headlines
such as ‘Bad luck Greenies, this wind farm has bitten the dust’[10]
serve little constructive use. We can’t keep living in a society where green
energy is seen as the destructive and damaging party. After all, wind could be seen as the opposite of
destructive in many ways, especially when offshore - harnessing massive amounts
of wind as well as encouraging the
growth of a delicate ecosystem (The
Marine Institute found that wind farms provide shelter to fish and even encourage
the growth of some maritime vegetation in a recent study)[11].
Even offshore wind capacities
of up to an enormous 14.3GW is either in planning or under construction, yet it
is still significantly under discussed, most likely because we don’t see them
directly either[12]. Is that what we want? Is it an ideal for
sustainable energy generation to be taking place but with minimal visual
impact? Offshore wind could be part of the answer if so, but as long as ‘green’
and sustainable energies go under-discussed and opposed, little meaningful
progress can be made. The Conservative Government has recently rejected
proposals to build The Navitus Bay Wind Park – a proposal for up to 194 wind
turbines off the Dorset coast – which could have brought a great deal of
sustainable energy. I am not saying whether this decision is right or wrong;
but what I am saying that there needs to be more information provided to the
public on wind farms as a whole – so they can express their attitudes to new
proposals and how they want sustainable energy choices to move forward. The
public deserve more information.
To get finding out for yourself, sites such as http://www.renewableuk.com/. Offer some
important information. Where do you want to start?
[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33177025
[2] http://www.itv.com/news/wales/update/2015-09-07/four-mid-wales-wind-farms-rejected/
[3] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/giving-local-people-the-final-say-over-onshore-wind-farms
[4] RenewableUK.
"RenewableUK – RenewableUK News – Electricity needs of more than a quarter
of UK homes powered by wind in 2014". renewableuk.com. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
[5] http://www.renewableuk.com/en/renewable-energy/wind-energy/
[6] http://www.energy-uk.org.uk/energy-industry/electricity-generation.html
[7] http://www.wwf.org.uk/about_wwf/press_centre/?unewsid=7673
[8]https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416810/2014_stats_release.pdf
[9] http://road.cc/content/news/164317-uk-air-pollution-killing-tens-thousands-says-defra-and-calls-upgrades-cycling
[10] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/energy/11859814/Bad-luck-Greenies-this-wind-farm-has-bitten-the-dust.html
[11] http://www.ewea.org/blog/2012/12/offshore-wind-farms-benefit-sealife-says-study/
[12] http://www.renewableuk.com/en/renewable-energy/wind-energy/offshore-wind/
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