Letter: Renewable energy is best for our future

Bob Graham (Letters, 21 December) continues to peddle age-old myths about wind energy. According to government figures, renewables provided more than a fifth of our electricity demand last year; around half of this generation was from wind energy.

The proportion of our supply from renewables is set to rise substantially over the next few years as new projects come on line, with a third of our electricity to come from renewables by next year.

The Neta website to which Mr Graham refers only provides a snapshot in time (a 24-hour period), and forecasts only 43 wind farms across the UK. There are more than 100 wind farms now operational in Scotland alone, so the data referred to doesn't provide the full picture.

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By taking the year-long data from the Scottish Government website, a more meaningful picture of renewables' contribution to our energy can be derived. The independent regulator Ofgem has clearly identified a balanced energy portfolio with a growing proportion of renewables as the optimal medium to long-term scenario for consumers, in terms of both cost and energy security, due to the rising costs of traditional sources of power and uncertainty over future gas supplies.

Although most forms of renewable energy rely on variable, yet highly predictable, natural resources, all forms of energy generation are intermittent, with sharp impacts on the network when a large power plant suddenly comes offline. The more renewable energy generating, the less conventional fuels are used, thereby displacing carbon emissions.

If we are to be the global leaders in renewables and realise the tens of thousands of jobs and massive economic prize it presents, we have to maintain our commitment to secure, sustainable energy as well as the economic, environmental and moral imperative to reduce carbon emissions.

Rosie Vetter

Scottish Renewables

Bath Street

Glasgow

The present spell of extremely cold, stable, windless weather has exposed for once and for all the inane vacuity of the SNP energy policy.

The heavily subsidised and brutish windmills which now deface so much of our beautiful Scottish landscape revolve only slowly, if at all, while chilling temperatures boost energy demand in our homes, schools, hospitals and workplaces.

Who will say now, while looking the Scottish people in the eye, that we can avoid an honest and informed debate about nuclear power?

What are we to do when Torness and other nuclear installations are decommissioned?

Of course, Alex Salmond and his cohorts will have passed into obscurity when the approaching crisis emerges, but their current anti-nuclear dogma constitutes a real, if Luddite, threat to the well-being of future Scottish generations.

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We should all look to, and learn from, the ever-pragmatic French, whose nuclear power stations have operated safely for decades, steadfastly reducing dependency on unpredictable sources.We owe it to our descendants to do so.

Donald R MacLeod

Hermitage Drive

Edinburgh

Trevor Rigg (Letters, 20 December) suggests that the new government is at fault for the lack of gritting and snow ploughs when he must know very well the plans for this winter were put in place by existing councils and the previous administration.

The real reason for the chaos lies in a blind obedience to the cult of global warming which has led our leaders to plan for warm winters without any understanding of the complexities of climate change.

Our energy policy (wind farms etc) is being driven by the same lack of understanding and the problems on our roads will pale into insignificance when our lights start to go out in a few years' time.

Alan Black

Camus Avenue

Edinburgh