Wind power: so much hot air?

The Lewis islanders up in arms against the 181 wind turbines planned for their little slice of Hebrides have many aesthetic reasons to object. Environmentalists are torn between the green windmills, and their supposed threat to the island’s ecology/wildlife. The MoD fears that turbines block radar signals, creating “holes” in the national defence network. But the most powerful argument against wind power comes from Scared to Death, the recent book by Richard North and Christopher Booker.

 

Their study of the UK’s 165 wind farms shows they are not significantly cleaner, nor cheaper – and they drain the pockets of the consumer and taxpayer. Their gist: wind is unreliable – sometimes it blows, and sometimes it just doesn’t. So sometimes wind farms produce a surfeit of electricity, other times next-to-nothing. This means they require a contingency plan – usually, coal-fired power stations kept running in the background, ready to step into the breach at a moment’s notice.

 

Now, the best bit.