282 lines
8.3 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
282 lines
8.3 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
earth
|
|
3569875
|
|
-----
|
|
# Wind power targets unrealistic, say critics
|
|
|
|
## Claims in a Government-commissioned report that wind power can supply a
|
|
third of Britain's electricity have been condemned as wildly optimistic by
|
|
leading experts.
|
|
|
|
![Wind turbines near Liverpool][1]
|
|
|
|
Wind turbines near Liverpool Photo: GETTY
|
|
|
|
By Patrick Sawer 2:29PM GMT 06 Dec 2008
|
|
|
|
[Comments][2]
|
|
|
|
Researchers and parliamentarians warned that a heavy reliance on wind energy
|
|
would place Britain's energy supplies at risk.
|
|
|
|
A report by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), published last week,
|
|
maintained that wind farms could play a major role in helping Britain cut its
|
|
harmful carbon emissions by 34 per cent in 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050.
|
|
|
|
It stated: "Despite the inherent intermittency of wind power supply, wind
|
|
generation could make a significant contribution to total global electricity
|
|
generation and be a major source of electricity in the UK (eg 30 per cent by
|
|
2020 and more beyond)."
|
|
|
|
The CCC, chaired by Lord Turner, the former director general of the
|
|
Confederation of British Industry, said that new techniques of energy storage
|
|
would overcome the problem of maintaining a regular supply when the wind is
|
|
not blowing.
|
|
|
|
But sceptics say this is far too ambitious because experts have not yet been
|
|
able to devise effective ways of capturing and storing electricity generated
|
|
by wind. That means a backup system, in the form of nuclear or coal- or gas-
|
|
fired power stations, would always be needed.
|
|
|
|
## Related Articles
|
|
|
|
* [More wind farms can be built in UK without harming wildlife - RSPB][3]
|
|
|
|
24 Mar 2009
|
|
|
|
* [RSPB to build wind farms on its bird reserves][4]
|
|
|
|
06 Dec 2008
|
|
|
|
* [Wind farm 'would wreck Lake District views'][5]
|
|
|
|
06 Dec 2008
|
|
|
|
John Constable, director of policy and research at the Renewable Energy
|
|
Foundation, a think tank, said: "To generate 30 or 40 per cent of our
|
|
electrical energy from wind power would present unmanageable and unaffordable
|
|
difficulties at the present.
|
|
|
|
"The CCC's assertion to the contrary is simply out of step with the state of
|
|
theoretical and empirical knowledge in the field. Betting on very heavy
|
|
commitment to wind for carbon reduction is irrational and will result in the
|
|
inevitable failure of our climate change policy. Wind has a role, but this
|
|
role will be modest in scale."
|
|
|
|
A report by the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, published last
|
|
month, also cast doubt on the merits of wind turbines.
|
|
|
|
The committee, headed by Lord Vallance of Tummel, said the Government was
|
|
relying too heavily on wind to help it meet an EU target for the UK to
|
|
generate 15 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The
|
|
peers' report states: "An over-reliance on intermittent power generation, in
|
|
pursuit of the target, could prove both costly and risky."
|
|
|
|
Instead, the report favoured the expansion of nuclear power and the
|
|
development of carbon capture technology to allow "clean" coal fired power
|
|
stations.
|
|
|
|
Lord Vallance said: "The UK is most likely to adopt wind power as its main
|
|
means of producing more renewable electricity. This has an inherent weakness
|
|
in that it cannot be relied upon to generate electricity at the time it is
|
|
needed.
|
|
|
|
"Current policies would take the UK into uncharted territory, with a
|
|
dependence on intermittent supply unprecedented elsewhere in Europe. To guard
|
|
against power shortages, wind turbines would need to be backed up with
|
|
conventional generation.
|
|
|
|
"We are concerned that the dash to meet the EU's 2020 targets may draw
|
|
attention and investment away from cheaper and more reliable low-carbon
|
|
electricity generation - such as nuclear and potentially fossil fuels with
|
|
carbon capture and storage."
|
|
|
|
Ian Fells, emeritus professor of energy conversion at Newcastle University and
|
|
founding chairman of the New and Renewable Energy Centre, criticised the CCC
|
|
report as a wish list, lacking a basis in sound engineering principles.
|
|
|
|
"To say its ambitious is to put it mildly," said Professor Fells. "I just
|
|
don't see how it can be achieved."
|
|
|
|
He said that to meet the targets for the reduction in carbon emissions would
|
|
require an "extraordinary change in lifestyle" for most people.
|
|
|
|
Professor Fells said using wind power to generate electricity is almost twice
|
|
as expensive as coal or gas and could never be achieved without huge
|
|
taxpayers' subsidies. Instead, the professor said, the Government should give
|
|
the immediate go-ahead for the construction of the proposed Severn Barrage,
|
|
which could provide 5 per cent of Britain's electricity needs from regular,
|
|
uninterrupted tidal power.
|
|
|
|
"To emphasise offshore wind power as the mainstay of renewable energy is to
|
|
ignore the potential of marine technology and tidal stream systems," he said.
|
|
|
|
The CCC recommends a major programme of renewable energy production to replace
|
|
fossil fuels; increased energy efficiency at home and in the workplace; and
|
|
cutting transport emissions through the use of electric cars, biofuels and
|
|
more use of public transport.
|
|
|
|
Lord Turner, who was appointed to his post this year by Hilary Benn, the
|
|
environment secretary, said: "Climate change poses a grave threat to human
|
|
welfare, the environment and the economy. We need to act now, in the UK and as
|
|
part of a global agreement, to significantly reduce our emissions.
|
|
|
|
"The reductions required can be achieved at a very low cost to our economy.
|
|
The cost of not achieving the reductions will be far greater."
|
|
|
|
[X][6] Share & bookmark
|
|
|
|
Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
|
|
|
|
Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
|
|
|
|
[What are these?][7]
|
|
|
|
* Share: [Share][6] [ ][8] [ ][9]
|
|
|
|
[Tweet][10]
|
|
|
|
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/3569875/Wind-power-targets-unrealistic-say-
|
|
critics.html
|
|
|
|
Telegraph
|
|
|
|
## [Earth][11]
|
|
|
|
* ### [News »][12]
|
|
|
|
* ### [UK News »][13]
|
|
|
|
Related Partners
|
|
|
|
* [Stylish hemp bags, natural cosmetics and eco-friendly clothing at Sativa
|
|
Bags][14]
|
|
|
|
In earth
|
|
|
|
[![Animal pictures of the week: 27 May 2011][15] ][16]
|
|
|
|
### [Animal photos of the week][16]
|
|
|
|
[![Rock climbing with tents: climbers hang off the sides of vertical cliffs
|
|
sleeping in tents][17] ][18]
|
|
|
|
### [A tent with a view][18]
|
|
|
|
[![][19] ][20]
|
|
|
|
### [A bug's life][20]
|
|
|
|
[![Iceland volcano ash cloud and travel disruption in pictures][21] ][22]
|
|
|
|
### [Volcano travel disruption][22]
|
|
|
|
[![The Milky Way stretches across the night sky behind a rock arch in Arches
|
|
National Park, Utah. Bret Webster uses the night skies of the national parks
|
|
of his home state of Utah as his canvas to create images that highlight the
|
|
relative insignificance of the Earth in the cosmos.][23] ][24]
|
|
|
|
### [The Milky Way over the desert][24]
|
|
|
|
[X][6] Share & bookmark
|
|
|
|
Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
|
|
|
|
Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
|
|
|
|
[What are these?][7]
|
|
|
|
Share:
|
|
|
|
* [ ][6]
|
|
|
|
* [ ][8]
|
|
|
|
* [ ][9]
|
|
|
|
* [Tweet][10]
|
|
|
|
* Advertisement
|
|
|
|
![][25]
|
|
|
|
telegraphuk
|
|
|
|
Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][26] [blog
|
|
comments powered by Disqus][27]
|
|
|
|
Advertisement
|
|
|
|
sponsored features
|
|
|
|
Loading
|
|
|
|
Earth Most Viewed
|
|
|
|
* TODAY
|
|
|
|
* PAST WEEK
|
|
|
|
* PAST MONTH
|
|
|
|
1. [Hay Festival: For the greenest nation, look west][28]
|
|
|
|
2. [Blackpool hit by earthquake][29]
|
|
|
|
3. [Bronze Age shipwreck found off Devon coast][30]
|
|
|
|
4. [Giant spider eating a bird caught on camera][31]
|
|
|
|
5. [Country diary: When will the drought end?][32]
|
|
|
|
1. [Kate Humble receives threats over Lambing Live][33]
|
|
|
|
2. [Pilot whales at risk of being stranded on Scottish beach][34]
|
|
|
|
3. [Ban on washing cars this summer as new hosepipe bans come in][35]
|
|
|
|
4. [Giant spider eating a bird caught on camera][31]
|
|
|
|
5. [Electricity pylons to get makeover][36]
|
|
|
|
1. [Giant spider eating a bird caught on camera][31]
|
|
|
|
2. [Crops: drying a slow death][37]
|
|
|
|
3. [GM soy: The invisible ingredient 'poisoning' children][38]
|
|
|
|
4. [Swimmers take dip in 'global warming' pool][39]
|
|
|
|
5. [Fearsome beauty – lion is caught on camera in full charge][40]
|
|
|
|
[EDITOR'S CHOICE »][41]
|
|
|
|
### [Gil Scott-Heron: 'A voice for Shakespeare'][42]
|
|
|
|
[![Gil Scott-Heron][43]][42]
|
|
|
|
Composer, musician, poet and author whose writing provided a vivid commentary
|
|
on the black American experience.
|
|
|
|
### [Beekeeping diary: the new colonies arrive][44]
|
|
|
|
### [Spectacular light show dazzles Sydney][45]
|
|
|
|
### [WS Gilbert: a knight for our times][46]
|
|
|
|
### [The Telegraph's Matt is Hay Festival star][47]
|
|
|
|
Advertisement
|
|
|
|
Classified Advertising
|
|
|
|
* [RHS Chelsea][48]
|
|
|
|
* [UK Breaks][49]
|
|
|
|
* [Property][50]
|
|
|
|
Loading
|
|
|
|
var puffs_8120616 = new Array();
|
|
|