I almost feel sorry for Lang Banks (Scotsman, 12 December). He couldn’t have picked a worse time to tell us to ditch fossil fuels and rely on renewables.
For the past two weeks and for the foreseeable, future wind farms have been generating an average five per cent of demand due to lack of wind, with solar almost non-existent in these long dark days of winter. If it wasn’t for fossil fuels and nuclear it wouldn’t just be a case of the lights going out, there would have been multiple deaths in this freezing weather.
Mr Banks is certainly correct that renewables (mainly wind farms) generate the equivalent of almost 100 per cent of our electricity use. Simply translated that means they could do that but in reality they don’t as they only work when the wind blows at the right speed, a very small window in other words.
The wind industry and the Scottish Government love to brag about wind generation breaking records but fail to mention that it is only for a few seconds on a very occasional day. When wind turbines are needed most, such as they are at the moment, they are standing idle in the fields with their arms in the air praying to the Gods of the Four Winds for inspiration.
The majority of rural homes do not have gas for heating and rely on other fossil fuels. Our oil Aga is 45 years old and works 24/7 heating our home, cooking our meals, supplying constant hot water and also acts as a kettle, toaster and clothes dryer. It is also very economical to run, even now. Most country properties have one or an equivalent and couldn’t survive without it.
Only a person with no idea of the realities of country living would suggest it should be replaced by a heat pump which is expensive to buy, extortionate to run and doesn’t multi-task but worst of all it relies on electricity to work. What happens when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine?
Aileen Jackson, Uplawmoor, East Renfrewshire
Blown away
We now have about 25GW of installed wind power capacity. Over the past few days of severe weather actual delivery has been as low as about 1GW and we have had to rely on coal.
Fortunately we only pay for this. However in ideal wind conditions grid connectivity is such that only about half of the installed capacity can be delivered, and we have to pay so-called restraint payments for the other half to shut down. As they say – you couldn’t make it up.
A McCormick, Terregles, Dumfries & Galloway
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