It’s an ill wind

Published on 21/12/2012 00:00

The Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) has just published a new study, The Performance of Wind Farms in the UK and 
Denmark, showing that the economic life of onshore wind turbines is between ten and 15 years, not the 20 to 25 projected by the wind industry and used for government projections.

The work was conducted by one of the UK’s leading energy and environmental economists, Professor Gordon Hughes of the University of Edinburgh.

It was found that by ten years of age the contribution of an 
average UK wind farm to meeting electricity demand has 
declined by a third. This has 
serious cost implications for the electricity consumer.

A previous report by Professor Hughes found that the actual savings of CO2 by wind turbines were “ negligible to zero”.

So why are electricity consumers having to pay for the 
exaggerated claims of the wind industry? The only reason for wind turbines was to reduce CO2, not to make foreign 
developers and UK landowners rich at the expense of electricity consumers.

So if “it does not do what it says on the tin” can we get our money back?

CLARK CROSS

Springfield Road

Linlithgow