For those of you who are unable to listen to the podcast (perhaps you don’t have speakers) Wendy Varley has kindly transcribed some sections of the remaining podcasts of Steve Allen’s interview. Ed
Here’s a summary – not a word-for-word transcript – of what the rest of the interview covered, to complete the picture for VentnorBlog readers.
VB: Question has come up about subsidies from government. Are there subsidies for wind energy?
SA: All forms of energy generation are subsidised in one way or another. Renewables are no different.
There is a Renewables Obligation (set by government) to support all forms of renewable energy – includes wind, tidal”¦ Energy from landfill sites is the main beneficiary. Wind energy comes in 3rd. Unfairly picked on in this regard.
Eg of costs: Nuclear industry had a significant bail-out a few years ago in excess of £80 billion for a clean-up operation.
You can’t have redundant nuclear power stations.
Oil and gas is subsidised through tax breaks for research and development.
But wind is a clean source of energy.
So it’s not a direct subsidy. It’s a support mechanism for encouraging and developing all forms of renewable energy.
VB: Market support. How does that work?
SA: A small premium is placed on green electricity. It’s not a direct subsidy from government.
It’s always going to cost more to clean up after yourself (from a dirty industry), but this isn’t a legacy the wind industry will leave.
It’s clean and green. And in planning it we are required to remove and recycle the turbines afterwards.
VB. So for every megawatt you get paid more than for conventional.
SA: Yes
VB: So there are no other grants for wind turbines?
SA: No. This is environmentally and economically a sound form of energy.
VB: At the Shorwell meeting the point came up that you’ve got to have other forms of energy as back-up.
SA. Yes. But all forms of energy have to have back-up. Coal-fired power stations are backed up by nuclear and gas.
Eg A couple of years ago a nuclear power station went offline. 500MV power lost like that.
Coal and gas and wind backed it up.
No form works completely on its own. All have back-up.
It’s like the old saying, don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
But it doesn’t cause a problem either technically or environmentally to have wind as part of the mix.
VB: How many turbines would be needed to power the whole island?
SA. Very theoretical question. Can’t rely on any one source. Has to be a mixed source. Difficult to answer.
But the Cheverton turbines would power 4500 to 5000 homes annually.
VB: What other benefits are there, economic & otherwise?
Vestas research & development? Arguably they’d have that anyway?
SA. Key exporters for Vestas are China and US. In one day they could see the manufacture and the operational wind turbines all in one package [on the island].
VB: I can see it would be good for Vestas and maybe for the hotel trade. What else?
SA: Construction. Local contractors will be invited to tender for all areas of the construction process.
Also, there’s a community fund from CLP of £1000 per MW per annum paid to a charity to administer the fund. Could have match funding (doubling its value).
Can be applied for by anyone within a certain area of the development for either educational, renewable energy, or environmental projects.
Nature: CLP will be researching local environment eg via bat & bird surveys. Opportunities for habitat enhancement.
Education and research.
And it will place the Island as a world leader in renewable energy. Maybe with wave also in time.
But wave is not environmentally or economically available now.
We need to be producing electricity now.
Wind energy is available now.
Island has opportunity to be centre of excellence for renewable energy.
A lot of things can be sparked off this one-off investment.
Commitment of island leadership team to eco-island strategy.
Island needs to be self-sufficient.
A lot of young people are getting behind this proposal and saying yes to wind energy.
VB: Not sure whether the leadership is with it or not. David Pugh initially said yes to wind turbines. Now maybe less keen?
SA: My understanding is that they are supportive.
The island does need to take tough decisions and be forward thinking.
But to understand the unique sensitivities of the island, which is perfectly reasonable.
VB The community fund you mentioned. How much?
£1000 per MW per year = £9000 per year, which could be match funded potentially.
That’s a way for CL&P to put something back into the local community for educational, environmental and renewable projects.
VB: Lots of concern about noise?
SA: I would challenge anyone saying they’re noisy to visit a wind farm and stand underneath the moving blades. You can hold a conversation without having to raise your voice.
Most common comment when people visit is, I didn’t realise they were that quiet.
You hear a slight swish as the blade passes the tower. But what you hear tends to be the wind blowing through trees, or cars in the distance or other forms of noise.
Modern wind turbines are very very quiet.
R&D into wind turbines has improved things. Noise from generator has been eliminated.
VB Wonders if people from island could go and see them in action.
SA. Keen for people to see them.
Once a year BWEA (British Wind Energy Association) have a wind weekend when wind farms open doors to visitors. Always extremely well attended.
Questions submitted by VB readers:
Julie Day, Newport: Offshore wind turbines are more efficient? Why have you gone for onshore?
The environmental effects of offshore are quite significant. It’s not so easy to do surveys of effects on marine life.
Generally we’ll need both to meet targets for renewables.
Offshore can use larger machines. But installing is more difficult and cable connection to grid far longer.
And if people think there’s no visual or environmental effect with offshore, that’s not true. You can see them from the land.
And there’s potential disruption to shipping.
Balance has to be struck. Need to mix and match.
Charlie Willis of Carisbrooke
Carbon payback question (as covered in before in an earlier part of interview)
Emma from Wootton Bridge
Will there be a research facility on the downs?
SA: No. R&D is at Vestas.
Might for example test different surfaces on blades and research them in operation.
It won’t mean they are having to change blades every few months or anything like that.
Anonymous: When will the missing documents be added, eg photomontage.
SA: There aren’t any missing documents.
We were asked to do a tree survey, which we’ve done. We found a couple of bushes needed cutting back and a couple of branches need cutting.
Photomontages are available and can be viewed at planning office and online.
VB: Are these artists’ impressions?
SA. No. They are photomontages showing the existing, and the proposed scheme, done to agreed standards.
Subsidies question (again)
Clean green energy comes at a premium. Government has set targets to reduce CO2 emissions. As an incentive to meet targets a very slight premium is paid [for renewable energy].
VB: Documentation on council website is fractured. 20 or 30 pdfs on website. Hard to access.
SA: The environmental impact assessment alone is 3 volumes. It’s a large document. People can get it on disc for £10.
SA: I would urge people to submit their comments to the planning office.
VB: Thanks for talking to VentnorBlog.
