Turbine terror
With the recent prolonged drought, The Scotsman article “Tinderbox Scotland” highlights the risk of Muirburn and raging wildfires on peat-covered moorland (29 April).
What politicians, planners and local councillors seem to be blissfully unaware of is that wind turbines pose a significant, deadly, and growing threat to wildlife and human habitation.
Our once beautiful countryside is now littered with giant industrial wind turbines. Hundreds have been built in forests, or on fragile, peat-covered moorland, in reality a tinder-dry touch paper at the moment.
Because of poor maintenance, oil leaks and extremely high gear ratios, wind turbines pose an increasing risk of spontaneous combustion and collapse. This is happening alarmingly often, particularly in Germany where they are now known as “Tickenden Zeitbomben” – the all too graphic translation, “Ticking Time Bombs”.
If one or more of these giant turbines bursts into flames, scattering burning debris and sparks, they can start a rapidly-spreading, raging inferno because they are proving impossible to extinguish at such a height.
I have tried to raise this previously before without response, but surely it must be urgently raised with Government and local authorities?
It must be asked: What country-wide, specialist equipment is available, at a moment’s notice, to extinguish fires at such a height?
Will the ever-so-green wind industry pay for this potential disaster and clean-up costs?
George Herraghty, Lhanbryde, Moray
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