Wind Turbines in the News: The UK

The Performance of Wind Farms in the United Kingdom and Denmark
“The normalised load factor for UK onshore wind farms declines from a peak of about 24% at age 1 to 15% at age 10 and 11% at age 15. The decline in the normalised load factor for Danish onshore wind farms is slower but still significant with a fall from a peak of 22% to 18% at age 15.  On the other hand for offshore wind farms in Denmark the normalised load factor falls from 39% at age 0 to 15% at age 10. The reasons for the observed declines in normalised load factors cannot be fully assessed using the data available but outages due to mechanical breakdowns appear to be a contributory factor.“

“Sustainable energy” just isn’t …. well, sustainable
http://rogerhelmermep.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/sustainable-energy-just-isnt-well-sustainable/

Fuelling an inconvenient delusion that spells ruin for Scotland
http://www.scotsman.com/scotland-on-sunday/opinion/comment/gerald-warner-fuelling-an-inconvenient-delusion-that-spells-ruin-for-scotland-1-2165954

“Professor David MacKay, of Cambridge University, estimated it would require an area the size of Wales completely covered with wind turbines to supply just one-sixth of the UK’s energy needs.”

Uh oh, North sea wind power a hopeless quest – it’s all about the foundations
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/03/05/uh-oh-north-sea-wind-power-a-hopeless-quest-its-all-about-the-foundations/“I have it on good authority from a marine engineer that keeping wind turbines upright in the gravel, tides and storms of the North Sea for 25 years is a near hopeless quest, so the repair bill is going to be horrific and the output disappointing. Already the grouting in the foundations of hundreds of turbines off Kent, Denmark and the Dogger Bank has failed, necessitating costly repairs.”

Wind turbine bursts into flames as hurricane-force winds hit Scotland
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/west-central/286170-wind-turbine-bursts-into-flames-as-hurricane-force-winds-hit-scotland/Wind farms are useless, says Duke of Edinburgh

The Duke of Edinburgh has made a fierce attack on wind farms, describing them as “absolutely useless”.
Wind energy in the Irish power system.
http://www.clepair.net/IerlandUdo.html

Abstract.
This article describes the influence of wind energy on the CO₂ output of the fossil-fired generation of electricity in Ireland. Where most available publications on this subject are based on models, the present study makes use of real-time production data. It is shown, that in absence of hydro energy the CO₂ production of the conventional generators increases with wind energy penetration. The data shows that the reduction of CO₂ emissions is at most a few percent, if gas fired generation is used for balancing a 30% share of wind energy.

Wind farms: the monuments to lunacy that will be left to blot the landscape
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/8754531/Wind-farms-the-monuments-to-lunacy-that-will-be-left-to-blot-the-landscape.html

“…a prediction by energy consultants Ulyx that a further avalanche of “green” measures will alone raise Britain’s already soaring energy bills in the same nine years by a further 58 per cent.

A significant part of this crippling increase, helping to drive more than half Britain’s households into “fuel poverty”, will be the costs involved in covering thousands of square miles of our countryside and seas with wind turbines. The sole beneficiaries will be the energy companies, which are allowed to charge us double or treble the normal cost of our electricity, through the subsidies hidden in our energy bills; and landowners such as Sir Reginald Sheffield, the Prime Minister’s father-in-law, who on his own admission stands to earn nearly £1,000 a day at the expense of the rest of us, for allowing a wind farm to be built on his Lincolnshire estate.”

Energy giants want billions for back-up to windfarms
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/article-2008055/Energy-giants-want-billions-windfarms.html#ixzz1R93uiUOL

Why the £250bn wind power industry could be the greatest scam of our age – and here are the three ‘lies’ that prove it
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1361316/250bn-wind-power-industry-greatest-scam-age.html

Wind farms inefficient because they’re in “wrong places”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businessclub/8574705/Wind-farms-inefficient-because-theyre-in-wrong-places.html

Does money grow in wind farms?
“The wind turbines required in Britain alone, says Prof MacKay, would amount to about double the number of all turbines in the world. Even then, “the maximum plausible production from on-shore windmills is 20 kilowatt hours per day per person”, about a sixth of Britain’s actual consumption.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/7823681/Does-money-grow-in-wind-farms.html

Whoa, windfarms in UK operate well below advertised efficiency
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/04/06/whoa-windfarms-in-uk-operate-well-below-advertised-efficiency/#comment-637417

“It is clear from this analysis that wind cannot be relied upon to provide any significant level of generation at any defined time in the future.”

UK Government Looks to Scrap Funding of Inefficient Onshore Wind Turbines
The UK Government plans to scrap full subsidies to locate wind turbines in unsuitable locations and provide more democratic accountability for communities affected by wind farm proposals. To policy makers committed to making the current government the greenest ever, the challenge is that one-third of Britons think that the science on climate change has been exaggerated. Moreover, the hectoring approach has not worked, as castigations have led to more entrenched opposition and a lack of consent for local wind farm developments. The Energy Minister said “At present, too often a community can see what it will lose by having a wind farm in its midst [local impact from the turbines], but it cannot see what it gains [less expensive grid connections].”
http://www.clickgreen.org.uk/news/national-news/121889-uk-looks-to-scrap-funding-of-inefficient-onshore-wind-turbines.html

Brits to pay $3200 per year for power bill. Ontarians take note
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2010/10/06/lawrence-solomon-brits-to-pay-3200-per-year-for-power-bill-ontarians-take-note/#ixzz11dixcVEs

The Thanet wind farm will milk us of billions
The media remain conspicuously silent about the real price we pay for wind energy, says Christopher Booker.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/8025148/The-Thanet-wind-farm-will-milk-us-of-billions.html

UK renewable energy production falls for second time in 2010
Department of Energy and Climate Change says lower wind speeds and rainfall led to 12% drop between April and June
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/sep/30/uk-renewable-energy-production-drops#post-area

Firms paid to shut down wind farms when the wind is blowing
Britain’s biggest wind farm companies are to be paid not to produce electricity when the wind is blowing.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/windpower/7840035/Firms-paid-to-shut-down-wind-farms-when-the-wind-is-blowing.html

The Intermittency Report
An Assessment of the Evidence on the costs and impacts of intermittent generation on the British electricity network.
http://www.ukerc.ac.uk/support/Intermittency

Does money grow in wind farms?
Wind turbines are a poor way to harness energy – but a very good way to generate public subsidies, says Andrew Gilligan.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/7823681/Does-money-grow-in-wind-farms.html

More than half of Britain’s wind farms have been built where there is not enough wind
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1303688/More-half-Britains-wind-farms-built-wind.html#ixzz0zWb0oASJ

Renewable energy: Not all it’s cracked up to be?
http://www.greenbang.com/renewable-energy-not-all-its-cracked-up-to-be_14776.html

Wind Energy Supply Dips During Cold Snap
http://icecap.us/index.php/go/political-climate/wind_energy_supply_dips_during_cold_snap/

Wind power targets unrealistic, say critics
Claims in a Government-commissioned report that wind power can supply a third of Britain’s electricity have been condemned as wildly optimistic by leading experts.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/3569875/Wind-power-targets-unrealistic-say-critics.html