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Wind Power: Your Questions Answered Wind power: your questions answered Proven Energy Proven Getty Getty DID YOU KNOW? Many environmental organisations recognise the importance of wind power as an essential component of our strategy to fight climate change, including Natural England, the RSPB and WWF. Renewable UK has worked with these organisations to provide guidance on designated areas and wind developments. See page 19 for contact details. Global warming: time for action Climate change is the biggest and most urgent environmental threat we face. The greenhouse gases responsible are caused by human activity. The most important is carbon dioxide (CO2) which is produced when we burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas for energy. Rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are causing increases in global temperatures, leading to more severe weather patterns such as floods, droughts and storms, rising sea levels and threats to entire ecosystems. To avoid catastrophic climate change we must curb rising global emissions within the next 10 years. This means we need to About Friends of the Earth switch to forms of energy that do not produce CO2. In the UK around a third of our emissions of CO2 come from power stations which are producing electricity. Other emissions from these stations pollute the air we breathe and For more than 40 years we’ve seen that the contribute to acid rain which threatens wildlife. Our demand well-being of people and planet go hand for energy is higher than ever. Even if we make massive in hand – and it’s been the inspiration for improvements in energy efficiency, it’s vital that we find our campaigns. Together with thousands of cheap and clean ways of generating electricity to replace the people like you we’ve secured safer food and polluting forms of energy we currently use. water, defended wildlife and natural habitats, championed the move to clean energy and The time for action is now. We are already witnessing acted to keep our climate stable. Be a Friend changes to our climate. We have to cut emissions of CO2 of the Earth – see things differently. to avert catastrophe. We can achieve this by harnessing the natural, clean and inexhaustible energy sources Come and find out more atwww.foe.co.uk around us: the sun, wind and waves. 2 3 A modern 2.5MW turbine at a reasonable site will generate 6.5 million units of electricity each year, enough to meet the annual needs of more than 1,400 households. Friends of the Earth supports the development of wind power in the UK. We must invest in renewable energy like wind power to offset the threat of climate change and to help avoid new nuclear power stations, both of which threaten huge environmental problems for the generations that succeed us. We want to encourage wind farms which are appropriately sited, well designed and locally supported. Friends of the Earth believes the debate about wind power must be balanced and informed. This booklet answers some common questions about wind power and puts into perspective the arguments often used to oppose wind developments. Image Source Good Energy Wind power as a source of DID YOU KNOW? There is no safe level of exposure to nuclear renewable energy radiation. Highly radioactive toxic waste Electricity generation from the wind is the best-developed of from nuclear reactors will the newer renewable energy technologies and it is available last for tens of thousands now. Wind power relies on relatively simple mechanical of years, and nobody knows how to store it processes, once built the running costs are very low, and it safely. Nuclear power has benefited from recent technological advances in the plants are also potentially aeronautics industry. The fuel is free and inexhaustible and catastrophic terrorist there are no waste products. This means it can compete with targets. Friends of the Earth believes nuclear the cost of energy based on conventional fossil fuels. And power is not the solution as oil and gas prices continue to rise, wind power can only to cutting CO2 emissions. become more competitive. As well as the urgent environmental need for The UK has the greatest potential for wind power in Europe, clean energy, wind power but we have been slow to exploit it. Germany and Denmark has many social and lead the way. Wind energy could be providing almost a economic benefits. Wind quarter of our electricity needs by 2020. As the UK is now a power creates new jobs, often in areas of high net importer of oil and gas, wind offers additional benefits in unemployment. terms of secure energy supplies. 4 5 Your questions answered DID YOU KNOW? Isn’t wind power expensive DID YOU KNOW? The Committee on Climate and heavily subsidised? The UK is the windiest Change concluded that country in Europe but the best way for the UK to No. The cost of generating electricity from the wind has lags behind many of our Will building wind farms reduce its carbon emissions fallen dramatically over the past few years. Wind power European neighbours in on the scale needed is to can now produce electricity at a cheaper price than nuclear developing this resource. help prevent global warming? make electricity generation By the end of 2011 virtually carbon-free by power in the UK. Energy from the wind will become even Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important of the Germany had installed 2030. But overall electricty cheaper in the future as greater experience is gained in more than 29 GW capacity greenhouse gases which are changing our climate. demand is likely to rise, as manufacturing and developing this relatively new technology. of wind power, and Spain If we are to avoid dangerous levels of climate change we it is used more for heating more than 21 GW. The UK must cut our CO2 emissions by 80-90 per cent by 2050. and transport. Electric When the full costs of the environmental damage caused was well behind with only vehicles are a useful form by fossil fuels and nuclear power are taken into account, 6.5 GW. Wind power is a clean, renewable form of energy, which of energy storage, as wind power is an even better buy. For example, it has been Other countries generate during operation produces virtually no carbon dioxide. It batteries can be charged at night when other estimated that if the cost of environmental damage were a far higher proportion of also emits no sulphur dioxide, the cause of acid rain. While demands on the grid are included, the price of electricity from coal would be three their electricity from wind. Denmark leads the way some emissions of these gases will take place during the low but wind turbines are times higher than electricity from the wind. The full costs design, manufacture, transport and erection of wind turbines, still generating. with almost 26 per cent of nuclear power, including dealing with highly-radioactive of its annual electricity enough electricity is generated from a wind farm within a waste and decommissioning of old plants, are still not consumption coming few months to compensate for these emissions. When wind included in the price of electricity after decades of operating from wind power, with Spain and Portugal each farms are dismantled (usually after 20 years of operation) stations in the UK, and the nuclear industry is still dependent they leave no legacy of pollution for future generations. approaching 16 per cent of on massive Government subsidy. annual consumption from this source. The cost to the consumer of supporting the initial Can wind farms produce development of wind power in the UK has been very small. But after a slow start the UK is beginning to take its wind significant amounts of electricity? The Non-Fossil Fuel Levy, set up at the time of electricity resource more seriously; privatisation, supported all non-fossil fuel sources of electricity generated from Although there are vast quantities of wind energy available, electricity: nuclear power and renewable energy. However, the wind rose by more than harnessing the wind involves capturing energy that is half in 2011, to just over 4 almost 90 per cent of that subsidy went to the nuclear per cent. relatively diffuse in the environment. Critics claim large, Getty industry. The Government has replaced this arrangement centralised power stations are more efficient, and that wind with the Renewables Obligation, which requires electricity power will never be able to replace them. suppliers to provide up to 20 per cent of their electricity An individual turbine might not contribute much on a from a variety of renewable sources by 2020. The cost of national scale, but together many can make a huge the Renewables Obligation made up about 1 per cent of our difference. The UK Government calculates that onshore wind household energy bills in 2010. could theoretically meet 80 per cent of our current electricity demand, and that the offshore resource could supply 10 times this amount. More conservative estimates, taking into account things like land availability, suggest an achievable figure of about 70 per cent of current electricity generation from on- and offshore wind by 2030. 6 7 Is electricity from the wind reliable? DID YOU KNOW? If we saved more energy, we It’s true that wind turbines only operate when the wind Wind energy coincides wouldn’t need wind power, would we? blows. However, the UK is the windiest country in Europe well with periods of However much we improve the way we use energy, we are so we have a large resource waiting to be used. Less windy peak electricity demand.
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