Sir, – I must admit it, the wind was well and truly taken out of my sails
when reading the news this week.
ScottishPower has announced that it would soon rely on 100% wind energy to
power our homes.
Now, as we all know, wind speeds in Scotland can vary immensely.
Despite this, wind turbines are only allowed to spin when the wind speed
lies between about 5mph and 32mph.
This rather begs the question – from where is ScottishPower going to get
their energy supplies during winter gales or indeed on calm summer days?
And what engineer from a power company is going to endanger his life by
going to sea in some small boat during winter storms to service the growing
number of off-shore wind farms?
Wintertime is the very period when most households require maximum power,
yet that is the very time when wind farms will, most likely, be producing
minimum power.
It just doesn’t make sense.
Obviously at such times of minimum electrical generation, power must be
brought and bought from elsewhere.
Surely this could only result in Scotland being left subservient to others
either south of the border, or even outwith the UK.
Relying on other nations in time of need is not something that will come
easily to our SNP Government.
Meanwhile, using electricity gained from natural resources should be making
it cheaper year by year but the very opposite seems to be taking place.
There seems to be a general belief among some that wind power rules but
that may prove to be a somewhat naive position.
It will be interesting to wait and see what happens in the months and years
to come.
Archibald A Lawrie.
5 Church Wynd,
Kingskettle.
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