Wind farm pain

Published on 27/12/2012 00:00

David Bell should show his true colours (Letters, 18 December). As the planning director of a large commercial agency, he makes a living from the wind farm industry, supporting its subsidy-dependent existence. He doesn’t tell us that.

Feeding voraciously at the breast of an energy regime which depends – almost entirely – on public support, and provides no known benefit, wind farms spread like pale intruders across our land, for no known return.

While it is true that the up-
dated Routemap 2020 contains unwavering support for more and more renewables deployment, it doesn’t tell us what we are to gain. Targets themselves are meaningless unless they provide some return for the severe pain that extensive wind energy deployment causes across the land. Much has been written about this already.

Local authorities – whom we elect to do right by us – invariably know best, yet they are bullied up hill and down dale by the Stalinist apparatchiks of the Scottish Government to weaken the criteria they apply when sites are proposed. Westminster has at last seen the light: phase out the public subsidy, and let the energy industry find its feet in the commercial world.

Why, exactly, should we in Scotland subsidise it when not a gram of carbon or other poisonous pollutant has been “saved”?

Mrs L Ward

Beauly,

Inverness-shire