YOUR VIEWS: Renewables might pay off for Highlands, wind power unreliability and 20mph zones
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Renewables might pay off for Highlanders
Renewables have long been hailed as the saviour of the Highland economy, with one SNP minister declaring that Scotland would become the Saudi Arabia of renewables. This has looked unlikely with the turbines being made in Denmark, Germany or USA and wind farms often being owned by offshore infrastructure funds and utilities.
In 2014, the Scottish Government gave ‘guidance’ that five per cent plus inflationary increases should be paid to communities, the majority of wind farm developers have paid some if not the five per cent.
A plethora of wind farms have sprouted with more to come. Wind farms and their transmission lines needed to take the electricity from rural Scotland to the cities where it is needed are controversial. A major swelling of rebellion against the industrialisation has swung the mood. Highland councillors, perhaps sensing this at a November planning committee meeting voted against transmission lines having been supportive of them at a previous meeting in the spring.
SSEN had indicated that there would be substantial community benefit from transmission lines, but wouldn’t commit how much until the planning process had successfully concluded. This is rather like accepting an offer when selling your house without knowing how much for. Local anti groups and Highland councillors can agitate but the Scottish Government has the last say on whether to allow turbines and transmission lines to go ahead regardless of public will.
In the Autumn Statement, there was an announcement that changed the game. The offer for communities as regards transmission lines has now got interesting. A lot needs to be done to firm up the details but the headline figures are... a one-off community compensation of £200,000 per kilometre of line and £200,000 per substation, plus £1000 per year off energy bills for houses near a pylon. SSEN also plan to build houses for the workforce building the line and pass them over to the community when the work is complete.
A year ago I had a motion at the Highland Council passed calling for five per cent of revenue from new renewable energy projects to be paid as community benefits, a multiple of what is currently paid. I went to meet the Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack in London and asked him that if Jamie Stone the Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross added an amendment to the Energy Bill going through Parliament legislating that five per cent, would the Conservatives support it. That amendment has remained on the bill so far. Energy policy is reserved to Westminster, planning is devolved to Holyrood.
Not widely known beyond Lochaber is the exploratory work being conducted by SSE to build one of the biggest engineering projects in the Highlands, the Coire Glas £1.5 billion pound 1500MW pump storage power station, that could power three million houses, between Spean Bridge and Invergarry.
The Autumn Statement didn’t refer to the five per cent of revenue from wind turbines and pump storage, but I am optimistic that this will come. The net result could be large regional funds that could make a real difference to the financial wellbeing of the Highlands.
I am not making a case for or against the transmission lines, turbines etc, I have been fighting to make sure that there will be a really substantial financial incentive for Highlanders if they do go ahead. The decision should be made by those who are impacted. Until now these projects were likely to go ahead with crumbs for affected communities, at least we now have something serious to consider.
Angus MacDonald, Highland councillor and Liberal Democrat Westminster candidate
Wind power is only reliable for its unreliability
The recent period of cold windless weather, a ‘dunkelflaute’ (a German word referring to a period of winter weather with low light and little to no wind), should serve as a lesson to energy policy makers.
Temperatures plummeted right across the UK and the thousands of on and offshore turbines struggled to meet two per cent of demand.
These dunkelflautes are not uncommon during the winter months and as it gets colder and wind fails we pay extortionate amounts to keep the lights on as reliable generation has to step in.
Our governments’ solution? To triple on and offshore wind so we can watch in disbelief as treble the amount of turbines we have now are generating nothing, probably drawing from the grid to keep their oils fluid or running their own diesel generators as the temperature drops and the costs per MWh soars for the consumer.
The only reliable thing about wind power is its unreliability. We can only hope our elected representatives wake up to the folly of relying on the weather, which by their own admission is becoming more unpredictable, for our energy requirements before rural Scotland is needlessly engulfed in concrete and steel.
Lyndsey Ward
Spokeswoman for Communities B4 Power Companies
Thoughts on 20mph zones?
"The 20mph is too slow, it now takes a third longer to get anywhere, schools and areas that needed it already had 20mph zones. Making everywhere 20mph means more time looking around not on the road. It’s OK for councillors – they’ve passed their driving test, newbies have to pay and wait a third more before sitting a test as they’re travelling a third less distance." – Scott, Inverness
"Given the fact that cars are now safer for both driver and pedestrian; I just ask why the Highland Council is spending vast amounts of money to lower speed limits by 10mph? The cost of the physical road signs, and the cost to pay a workforce to remove and replace said signs; surely this money could benefit all by being spent on other projects. Why not spend the money improving our roads?" – Peter Harwood
"Scrap all other than schools and children’s play areas." – William Strang, Kiltarlity
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