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MCWAG - Meikle Carewe Windfarm Action Group
There has been a proposal submitted to construct a wind energy power station in the N.E. of Scotland near Stonehaven (south of Aberdeen). The development would consist of fourteen wind turbines, each reaching some 78m (256ft) above ground level.
The location, in rural Netherley, is situated on a prominent ridge over several hills including Meikle Carewe and Curlethney (grid ref. NO 828920 and 839918 respectively). The site would be in very close proximity to many houses and farms (the nearest house being only about 750m from a turbine!).
Our primary concerns include health & safety issues, damage to the environment, visual impact, noise disturbance and property devaluation.
McWAG, REPRESENTING THE CONCENSUS OF LOCAL OPINION, IS NOT AGAINST THE PRINCIPLE OF GENERATING ELECTRICITY FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES BUT FEEL THE NEED FOR STRICTER CONTROL RELATING TO THE SELECTION OF POTENTIAL SITES.
PROPOSED WINDFARM - SOME MORE BACKGROUND
A planning application has been submitted to build fourteen wind generators on Meikle
Carewe and Curlethney hills. RES, the developer, held an exhibition in Stonehaven last
year and ran workshops to promote their scheme.
These provided some information but further investigation has unearthed the following facts:-
WHY WIND FARMS?
- The government aims for 10% of electricity production in the UK to be from renewable
resources by the year 2010. These include water, wind and Solar energy.
- Part of our electricity bill includes a levy to fund developments of this kind.
- This Scottish Renewables Order (SRO) provides a guaranteed price to electricity
producers for fifteen years, which is why RES and other companies are keen to win
contracts.
WHY MEIKLE CAREWE?
- Because the wind speed is currently right.
- Because the landowner is understandably keen on the substantial annual rental.
- Because it is near to a road and power line, which minimises costs for the developer.
HEIGHT AND VISIBILITY
- Meikle Carewe is 800 feet above sea level and the Wind Farm site would cover nearly
2 miles right along the ridge.
- Each wind turbine would be 256 feet high , OVER 5 TIMES higher than Cookney Church
- Even the developer admits that the wind generators would be seen from well north of
the upper parts of Aberdeen city, and much of Deeside, Kincardine and the Mearns.
- Anyone who can see this hill from their house would see these towers sticking up
over 200 feet above the skyline.
PROXIMITY TO HOUSES
- Planning regulations indicate that wind generators must be at least 10 rotor
diameters away from housing i.e. 610 yds (560m).
- The nearest home will be only just over this, with a substantial number within
two miles.
- Consider this in comparison to existing and much smaller wind turbines at Hagshaw Hill
in Lanarkshire and Novar above Conon Bridge, which are far from any dwellings.
- In Wales very strict noise limits are to be set for all houses within 1 mile of a site,
as a result of past experience.
- Near one site, also in Wales, television reception was severely affected.
HOUSE VALUES
- Local surveyors state that radio masts and electricity pylons affect house prices
substantially and in England there is evidence that wind farms have had the same effect.
NOISE
- There is no established method of predicting noise levels, as there are many variables
to take into account.
- The noise is a penetrating low frequency sound with regular thumps, (rather like the bass
at a Disco) which could be present 24 hours a day, and which could start up at any time of
the day or night.
ELECTRICTY OUTPUT
- These fourteen generators (at an estimated efficiency of 30%) will produce 37 million-
kilowatt hours each year.
- RES state that this will supply Newtonhill, Portlethen, Stonehaven and Inverbervie,
BUT that would be HOUSES ONLY not a single shop, office, factory, hospital, street
light etc which could nearly treble the amount needed. Furthermore, wind generators
do not operate in calm conditions and are shut down in high winds, so our guaranteed
supply would still come from existing conventional power stations.
- In 1998 750 wind generators in the UK provided only 0.2% of our electricity supply,
so between 15,000 and 20,000 wind turbines of this size would be needed to produce 10%
of our electricity needs at present levels.
- Wind Farms will never replace large power stations, only supplement them in a very
small way.
- SCOTLAND ALREADY PRODUCES MORE POWER THAN IT NEEDS AND
CONTINUOUSLY EXPORTS POWER TO ENGLAND & WALES.
- Hydropower - a renewable - already accounts for about 18% of Scotland's electricity.
- PETERHEAD POWER STATION (MAINLY GAS FIRED) PRODUCES IN 3 ½ DAYS
WHAT THE PROPOSED WIND FARM MIGHT PRODUCE IN A YEAR.
SAVINGS IN INDUSTRIAL EMISSIONS
- RES estimate that this wind -farm would save about 31,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide per
year, comparing it to coal fired stations. (BUT gas fired power stations produce half the
emissions of coal fired).
- This amounts to a reduction of around 0.02% of total UK carbon dioxide emissions of 160
Million tonnes per year. On the other hand if each UK household replaced one ordinary
light bulb with a low energy one, 1.6 million tonnes per year would be saved.
LOCAL BENEFIT
- After construction one person will be employed for maintenance, with others visiting
(occasionally).
- This wind farm could not give a constant electricity supply.
- It would NOT reduce prices for local customers (or any others).
OVERSEAS
- Sweden, Holland and Germany - seen as 'green' nations - have either cut or eliminated
their subsidy for wind and renewable energy.
- Wind generators in Europe (and America) have been abandoned due to mechanical
failure, noise, cost of repairs etc.
WILDLIFE
- It is likely that there would be some displacement of deer, foxes, raptors etc.
from the site, and operating wind farms certainly kill birds in flight.
This sheet was produced by the Meikle Carewe Windfarm Action Group.
Information supplied by North Kincardineshire Rural Community Council, McWAG
members and others for whose assistance we are very grateful.