Watchdog: UK is investing too much in wind farms

Published on 04/02/2013 00:00

The UK government is over-­investing in onshore and offshore wind farms, according
to the Adam Smith Institute.

Its report, The Limits Of Wind Power, claims the investment in the UK and US is misguided.

In it, experts say wind energy “will never be suited as the lone or primary source of grid electricity due to its variable nature and will not deliver the environmental benefits expected”. Wind energy needs either expensive energy storage facilities or reserve power generation facilities to provide for users’ needs, the authors say.

And the report claims “wind energy is intermittent and therefore these back-ups are needed to avoid blackouts”. The paper says the practical upper limit for wind power’s contribution to an electricity grid is 10 per cent of the total energy mix.