DECC - UK majority backs onshore wind

Newly published statistics from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) shows that renewables and on-shore wind still maintain majority support among  the UK population.

The figures show that a whopping 64% of  the population either support or strongly support on-shore wind with only 12% voicing opposition, strong or otherwise.

Additionally 91% express concern over the effects of Climate Change with 82% thinking that this is mainly as a result of human activity.

When asked about the greatest challenges facing Britain today, 22% said climate change while 31% said security of energy supply.

Meanwhile only 29% of those questioned offered any support for the extraction of shale gas (aka fracking) showing once again that the Tories are out of touch with public opinion.


CEBR - no negative impact on house prices

A newly published report by independent research firm CEBR finds no evidence of house prices being negatively impacted by wind farms within a 5km radius. The report  draws its conclusions from analysis of 82,000 transactions over the past 20 years.

RenewableUK chief executive Maria McCaffery said

"At last we have a detailed independent analysis into what actually happens to property prices before, during and after windfarms are constructed, over a period of nearly 20 years. This shows that claims that windfarms might have a negative effect on house prices are unfounded"

Previous reports from RICS said  there was no definitive evidence for negative impacts in the UK and minimal impacts in the US while the LSE claimed an average of 5-6% reduction for properties within 2km of a wind farm.

There still appears to be no evidence that a single community-scale turbine can cause a noticeable reduction and as ever prices will generally continue to move with more dominant issues of the economy and public confidence.

Meanwhile, building society Nationwide's latest house price index showed UK prices have increased by 10.9% in the past 12 months, to an average of £183,577. The monthly rate of growth picked up, with a rise of 1.2% following March's 0.5% increase and the annual rate of inflation is now the biggest rise since June 2007


2nd community payment from Rogershill

Distgen is pleased to announce that the second community reward payment from our Rogershill wind turbine will be £6,964.08.

This will bring the total reward payment for the residents of Bere Regis to over £10,000!

The parish council in Bere Regis are currently developing several schemes including a 'neighbourcar' service  to combat rural isolation (having lost their bus service to Poole), a trim trail and skate park and some pathways located centrally in the village to make the countryside more accessible for the less mobile elderly residents. These are all very worthy projects that we very happy to be able to help through our continued community rewards scheme!

UPDATE... we are now officially supporting both the Neigbhourcar and Lunchclub initiates within the local community with the distgen logo displayed prominently on various flyers and forms! Distgen staff recently met some of the volunteers who run the service and one of their clients to see first hand how much difference this makes combating the very real issue of rural isolation.


River Yeo Farm public exhibition

UPDATE – please note the format of this event is a drop-in exhibition so please come along at a time most convenient for you.

Distgen will be hosting a public consultation event for the proposed wind turbine at River Yeo Farm on Thursday 15th May, 2014 at East Brent Village Hall in Highbridge. The exhibition will be open from 3pm to 8pm to allow as many people to attend as possible.

The "drop in" event will feature large format display boards covering visual and acoustic impacts plus information about Distgen and our other sites, particularly Landmark Farm. Situated in nearby Wanstrow, public reaction to the wind turbine has been amazingly positive with a village walk planned for bank holiday Monday and a small feature in the April edition of the Mendip Times.

Members of staff will be on hand to answer questions about the proposal and attendees will be able to leave written comments on all aspects of the scheme.

Additional details of the meeting will be distributed to local parish councils and displayed in shops and post offices.


Hillbrow Farm public exhibition

UPDATE - please note the format of this event is a drop-in exhibition so please come along at a time most convenient for you.

Distgen will be hosting a public consultation event for the proposed wind turbine at Hillbrow Farm on Friday 16th May, 2014 at Palairet Hall in Norton St Philip. The exhibition will be open from 3pm to 8pm to allow as many people to attend as possible.

The "drop in" event will feature large format display boards covering visual and acoustic impacts plus information about Distgen and our other sites, particularly Landmark Farm. Situated in nearby Wanstrow, public reaction to the wind turbine has been amazingly positive with a village walk planned for bank holiday Monday and a small feature in the April edition of the Mendip Times.

Members of staff will be on hand to answer questions about the proposal and attendees will be able to leave written comments on all aspects of the scheme.

Additional details of the meeting will be distributed to local parish councils and displayed in shops and post offices.


Tories - "Get ready for shale"

Today's announcement by the Tories that they will do  everything in their power to stop any further  on-shore wind turbines has been labelled as "pandering to potential UKIP voters" by many. By announcing the future policy now, so far ahead of next years election they also hope to damage investor confidence which could in turn see bank lending for such projects dry up. A double whammy.. Go Dave!

But, look at what else you'll be getting should a majority Tory government be elected. Energy minister Nigel Fallon has been doing his best to promote fracking saying:

"The message is: get ready for shale"

Mr Fallon is urging communities around the country to "get behind fracking" touting the 65,000 jobs it will create. No mention of the same number currently working in the wind industry that would loose theirs. In December 2013 Mr Fallon said he wants to see 2/3'rds of England opened up for fracking.

In January the government rushed through pro-fracking planning reforms despite massive opposition in the Lords with the aim of making it harder for local planning authorities to block future shale gas developments. In today's announcement they plan to do exactly the opposite for wind energy development and make it much easier for plans to be blocked by local councils and the minority of vocal objectors.

Its clear that a majority Conservative government would be a disaster for UK plans to become self sufficient with renewable energy. Remember shale gas is not renewable and will continue to contribute towards climate change. On that very subject we forget at our peril the latest warnings from the IPCC:

"The impacts of global warming are likely to be severe, pervasive and irreversible"

Meanwhile energy experts the world over agree that on-shore wind energy is by far the cheapest and easiest large scale renewable technology. In trying to kill it in favour of shale gas the Tories are showing their true colours - and they 'aint green.

Much more expert reaction to the news can be found here.


Pickles in hot water after refusal

Communities secretary Eric Pickles faces legal action after overruling HM Government planning inspectors to refuse a wind farm development by Ecotricity. The proposed four turbine wind farm near Highbridge in Somerset had  been supported by both local planning officers and the Inspectorate who agreed that despite significant impact on the immediate landscape, it would be able to accommodate the development which would, at larger distances still appear quite small.

Mr Pickles agreed with with these points but decided [and this is key] without actually visiting the site himself that the intermediate landscape would be affected to a level that was not offset by the environmental benefits of the scheme.

A spokesman for Ecotricity said: "Following a review of the secretary of state’s decision to dismiss our appeal for four wind turbines at West Huntspill, and in particular aspects of the decision-making process relating to landscape and topography at the site, we have decided to challenge the decision."

The result of this high court action will likely set a precedent for this and other similar cases where Mr Pickles has overruled planning inspectors which appears to Ecotricity, to represent political interference in the planning system as summed up by Dale Vince, CEO of Ecotricity, who said

"Mr Pickles’ decision is a political intervention in the planning process - it's anti-wind posturing as all his interventions in the planning process have been, and par for the course from this government.

We've worked diligently through the entire planning process, passed every test, including a public enquiry - only to have our application refused by a man that knows nothing on the subject, and cares even less. What faith can anyone have in the planning process when this can happen, when the rules are thrown out of the window on a whim?

If the recent floods have taught us anything it is that climate change is real and we need to do all that we can to abate the carbon emissions that cause it. Our government doesn't seem to get that. It hasn't just cut flood defence spending, it's blocking the renewable energy schemes that can help tackle the cause of flooding."

 

 


PM tries to halt onshore wind

Today the Guardian newspaper reports that Nick Clegg has vetoed plans by David Cameron to put a cap on the number of wind turbines allowed on-shore. A Lib-Dem spokesperson said Tory claims to be green were now dead in the water.

It is unbelievable that in the same week as the latest IPCC report (which says impacts from global warming will be "severe, pervasive and irreversible") is published, the Tories are trying to kill off yet another renewable industry. You may remember that 50% cuts in the Feed-in-Tariff during 2012 saw thousands of workers in the solar industry loose their jobs.

This is yet further evidence, if any was needed, that should the Conservatives win a majority general election next year we will likely see a wholesale dismantling of the UKs renewable industries to be replaced with fracking or worse.

Let's leave the last words to climate-stupid climate-sceptic MP and Environment Secretary Owen Patterson who appears to sum up Government thinking on the subject saying "we should just accept that the climate has been changing for centuries" and "the temperature has not changed in the last seventeen years" and better still that global warming could actually be really quite nice adding that it "would also lead to longer growing seasons and you could extend growing a little further north into some of the colder areas".

Sadly this is no April fools-day joke.

 


South Glos says yes to amendment

Having won our planning appeal for permission to install a mid-size 500kW wind turbine at Talbot Farm last year we are delighted that our subsequent amendment to increase the size of the turbine has been passed by South Glos planning officers.

The revised permission sees the rotor size increase from 39m to 52m. As a result the expected annual electricity generation will almost double from approximately 1200MWh to 2000MWh per year.

The site at Talbot Farm lies close to the villages of Dyrham and Hinton and is designated both Green Belt and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Despite these designations both the planning inspectorate and now South Glos note that the effect of the M4 motorway is "colossal" and the additional harm a wind turbine would cause in this location is far short of significant.

View from the M4


Clean bill of health down under

Last week the Australian Medical Association (AMA) published results of their own research into the health effects of wind turbines. The report concludes:

"Infrasound levels in the vicinity of wind farms have been measured and compared to a number of urban and rural environments away from wind farms. The results of these measurements have shown that in rural residences both near to and far away from wind turbines, both indoor and outdoor infrasound levels are well below the perception threshold, and no greater than that experienced in other rural and urban environments.

Individuals residing in the vicinity of wind farms who do experience adverse health or well-being, may do so as a consequence of their heightened anxiety or negative perceptions regarding wind farm developments in their area. Individuals who experience heightened anxiety or diminished health and well-being in the context of local wind farms should seek medical advice."

The full release can be read here [LINK]