Wind farms were inflicted on Britain by Tony Blair in one of his evangelical insights – and this myth was sustained by the SNP Government with its target of 100 per cent renewables by 2020.
Wind farms in Scotland make no economic or practical sense.
The Scottish electricity demand curve rises in the early morning, remains relatively constant through the day, rises to a peak around 8pm and then falls to a low between 3 and 4am. Electricity cannot be stored in any significant amount. It must be produced at the time to meet the demand.
The base load (a constant supply to meet the overnight needs) is provided by Longannet coal-fired power station.The daytime increase comes from nuclear stations and hydro power.
Wind energy is as unpredictable as the wind. If wind-turbine electricity is fed into the grid overnight, the Longannet load has to be reduced. The power station is then operating at less than its optimal load and becomes inefficient. The operational costs of Longannet go up as a result. So do your fuel bills.
Wind farms cost the Scottish taxpayer at every step of their construction and operation. The turbines are manufactured in Germany and Denmark, providing a useful boost to their economies at our expense.
When the wind turbines are up and running, the operators get a guaranteed price for electricity fed into the National Grid. This is known as the Strike Price. The Strike Price for onshore wind power is £100 per megawatt hour, while the market price for electricity is £50pmh.
The more wind turbines there are, the more wind power is fed into the National Grid and the higher the cost for the consumer. With 100 per cent onshore wind, we would be paying double the market cost of electricity.
Offshore wind turbines are more expensive to install and operate. The Strike Price for offshore wind power is £155pm. There are fears in government that this Strike Price is too low to attract investment in offshore wind – 100 per cent offshore wind would treble the price of electricity at the current Strike Price.
Have you wondered why there is a rush to build a wind turbine on every available piece of ground in Scotland? A treasure trove of public money is there to be claimed for little or no investment.
John Black
(Scottish Jacobite Party)
Woodhollow House
Helensburgh