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ENERGY EXPERT : WIND FARMS ARE NOT REALLY HELPFUL
RICHARD S. COURTNEY SPEAKS OUT AGAINST WIND FARMS

"Windfarms for power generation provide intermittent power so they merely displace thermal power stations onto standby mode or to operate at reduced efficiency while the thermal power stations wait for the wind to change. They make no significant reduction to pollution because thermal power stations continue to use their fuel and to produce their emissions while operating in standby mode or with reduced efficiency that can increase their emissions at low output.

And this need for continuously operating backup means that windfarms can only provide negligible useful electricity to electricity grid supply systems. But the large scale use of windfarms requires upgrading of an electricity grid, more complex grid management, and operation of additional thermal power stations to protect against power cuts in time of supply failure. These effects increase the cost of electricity supplied by the grid in addition to the capital, maintenance and operating costs of the windfarms themselves.

And the windfarms cause significant environmental damage."

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Above : Kilchurn Castle in picturesque Argyll, Western Scotland, a wild and beautiful region now being marred by windfarms - Pastel painting by Jenny Keal, an artist based in mid Wales. www.davidbellamy.co.uk

Here is the full text by Richard S Courtney.

Letter to Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond

Dear Sir:

I accepted the honour of presenting the 2006 Annual Prestigious Lecture of ‘The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining’ and the attachment is the lecture I provided (1). Its text is self-explanatory; i.e
A suggestion for meeting the UK Government’s renewable energy target because the adopted use of windfarms cannot meet it

I understand that you are soon to make a decision on a request for construction of a windfarm on the Isle of Lewis. I also understand that you are being lobbied
(a) by the windfarm industry to permit the local economic gain the windfarm would provide
and
(b) by opponents who fear the despoilation of the Isle of Lewis by introduction of a windfarm.

I am writing to provide the text of the lecture (stated above) in attempt to ensure that you have factually accurate information in addition to that provided by various industry and lobbying groups.

I draw your especial attention to Section 14 of the attached lecture that is titled: Possible alternatives to use of windfarms for reduction of CO2 emissions

This section begins by saying:

"The above considerations indicate that a serious error is being made by the present use of windfarms as an attempt to meet the objective of CO2 reduction set by the Energy White Paper. Hence, consideration of alternative ‘renewable’ energy sources is required if the objective is to be met. This Section provides an overview of such consideration."

The synopsis of the attached lecture says;

“The UK Energy White Paper was published by the UK’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in May 2003. It proposed the objective of a contribution to reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by use of ‘renewables’ mostly in the form of windfarms (i.e. local assemblies of wind turbines) to provide 20% of UK electricity supply. This objective was endorsed by the UK’s Energy Review that was published by the DTI on 11 July 2006. However, this paper suggests the use of windfarms cannot make significant contribution to reducing the emissions and suggests the construction of tidal coffer dams instead. Windfarms for power generation provide intermittent power so they merely displace thermal power stations onto standby mode or to operate at reduced efficiency while the thermal power stations wait for the wind to change. They make no significant reduction to pollution because thermal power stations continue to use their fuel and to produce their emissions while operating in standby mode or with reduced efficiency that can increase their emissions at low output. And this need for continuously operating backup means that windfarms can only provide negligible useful electricity to electricity grid supply systems. But the large scale use of windfarms requires upgrading of an electricity grid, more complex grid management, and operation of additional thermal power stations to protect against power cuts in time of supply failure. These effects increase the cost of electricity supplied by the grid in addition to the capital, maintenance and operating costs of the windfarms themselves. And the windfarms cause significant environmental damage. Tidal coffer dams would not have these problems and could provide continuous and controllable power supply at similar cost to off-shore windfarms.”

I hope you find the attachment interesting and useful to you.

As a courtesy, I am copying this to the lobby group that brought the matter to my attention.

All the best

Richard S Courtney BA ABSW FRSA ESEF
Jan 31 2008

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Above: Harris – watercolour sketch by Jenny Keal, an artist based in mid Wales - www.davidbellamy.co.uk - The Lewis turbines would be visible from this mountain range.

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Garenin – watercolour sketch by Jenny Keal, an artist based in mid Wales - www.davidbellamy.co.uk - The Lewis turbines would be visible from this peaceful, preserved little corner of the west coast.

FOOTNOTES :

(1) The 2006 Annual Prestigious Lecture (http://www.iberica2000.org/documents/EOLICA/REPORTS/Richard_S_Courtney_lecture.DOC)

Other letters sent to the First Minister about the disastrous Lewis windfarm project :
Plea to save the Isle of Lewis

Letter reproduced with the authorisation of Richard S Courtney.
Title and sub-title, and pictures added by Mark Duchamp....... Feb - 2 - 2008

>> Autor: Mark Duchamp (02/02/2008)
>> Fuente: Richard S Courtney

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