September 2004
The following article was submitted by Crispin Aubrey, Nether Stowey resident and editor of Wind Directions, the magazine of the European Wind Energy Association. The views expressed do not necessarily represent our own. We are also happy to publish articles from the opposite standpoint. There is also a full discussion of some of the issues involved on our forum
Help Save Our Planet – Support the Wind Farm
Everyone who cares about the future of our planet should support the building of a wind farm in the fields stretching from above Shurton Bars across to Hinkley Point. The greatest environmental threat we face at present comes from increasing climate change. We are already seeing the effects of rising temperatures and volatile weather patterns around the world, with melting ice caps, severe storms and the threat of coastal flooding. Shurton Bars itself could eventually disappear under the encroaching sea.
Wind energy produces no carbon dioxide during its operation, unlike the coal and gas power stations on which we currently depend for 70% of our electricity. Carbon dioxide is the main gas contributing to the greenhouse effect, the underlying cause of climate change. A wind farm will also produce no acid rain to damage our lakes and forests and no long-lived nuclear waste.
Alongside the bulk of the existing Hinkley Point buildings, and set in a landscape of comparatively large, wide open arable fields, the 12 wind turbines proposed will be an exhilarating addition to the view. Modern wind turbines are elegant, aerodynamic examples of 21st century engineering expertise - not the black motionless objects on the skyline portrayed in opposition leaflets. For much of the time their blades will be turning, providing a gently rhythmic reminder that these are not just structures in the landscape, but producing electricity for our homes and services. The company planning to build the wind farm, Your Energy, estimates that they will easily produce enough power to supply all the homes in West Somerset.
The site near Hinkley Point was carefully chosen because it is not in an area designated for special protection, like the Quantocks, and not in a nature reserve, like Steart Flats, where migrating birds congregate. Consultants’ reports included in the planning application stress that the risk of birds colliding with the wind turbines is very low and that any noise the turbines produce will fall within agreed limits. Once the wind farm is up and running, tractors will be able to plough the fields right up to their bases, and no public footpaths will be closed. Where wind farms have been built in rural locations elsewhere in the country, many of those who were opposed in advance have found that their fears were not justified by the reality.
The government’s target is for 10% of our electricity to come from renewable energy sources by the end of this decade. That is why it is giving financial support to a whole range of small generating systems fuelled by everything from agricultural wastes to the power of the waves to solar panels on our roofs. But many of these are not as technically advanced as wind power and currently much more expensive. We also live in the windiest country in Europe. It would be criminal to waste such a valuable natural resource.
A wind farm near Hinkley Point would be an important part of Somerset’s contribution to the battle against climate change, and show that we really care about the environment we will leave to future generations. If you feel the same, please write to West Somerset District Council in support of Your Energy’s planning application.
Crispin Aubrey
(Nether Stowey resident and editor of Wind Directions,
the magazine of the European Wind Energy Association)
