WITH reference to Gerry Braiden's report on the Whitelees windfarm (September 7), no urban area is ever going to be powered entirely by wind power. As Star Trek engineer Scotty might say: "Ye cannae change the laws o' physics." As a source of electricity, wind power is only ever going to be marginal owing to the extreme variability of the wind.
Claims that wind power will provide green energy to this area or that are also fallacious as all electricity generated commercially is fed into the national grid which serves the whole country. ScottishPower is quoted as saying: "Whitelees gives Scotland the perfect opportunity to lead the world in renewable energy." So, where is the benefit to Scotland from this windfarm? The turbines are made in Denmark, the whole thing will be controlled centrally by a handful of engineers and maintenance will be done by a small specialist team.
Are these jobs worth allowing 35 square miles of Scotland's landscape to be industrialised and 100 miles of roads carved out of the moor? I think not. Why are we forced by government policy to subsidise this destruction while serious doubts still remain about the efficacy of windfarms?
Andrew Mitchell, 4 Glenpark Avenue, Prestwick.
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