CO2 warning

Published on 01/10/2012 00:00

IT IS true, as you report (28 September), that “renewables do not produce carbon dioxide gas that is contributing to global warming”.

However, at times when ­renewables are off-line, for whatever reason, the necessary back-up invariably comes from generation plant burning a fossil fuel, probably gas. Because this back-up plant is forced to operate inefficiently, this can result in the emission over time of more CO2 than is saved by operating the ­renewable plant.

Steuart Campbell

Dovecot Loan

Edinburgh

YOUR report (28 September) that electricity production from renewable energy sources plummeted by 54 per cent between April and June, compared with the previous quarter, confirms the unreliability of this form of power. If you base your energy policy on the effects of weather – whether it is in the form of wind, rain or waves – there is no guarantee as to what electricity you will receive.

It is quite incorrect to suggest that renewables are the way to secure future energy supplies as they offer no security of supply at all and require 100 per cent back-up from fossil fuels.

In global terms, the impact of Scottish wind farms on carbon dioxide levels will be less than negligible, but their disastrous impact on Scotland’s physical environment is plain for all to see.

Alan Black

Camus Avenue

Edinburgh