Why Wind Energy?
SCOTLAND IS WINDY - WITH 25% OF EUROPE’S WIND RESOURCE . WIND IS A FREE AND RENEWABLE SOURCE OF ENERGY.
Climate Change
Climate change is the single biggest environmental threat facing the planet. Based on our current pattern of greenhouse gas emissions a 4°C increase in temperature is predicted to occur over the next 80 years, and a larger rise cannot be ruled out.*
Such a change will result in glaciers melting, sea levels rising and the alteration of climactic patterns such as the Gulf Stream. Climate change is a real threat, causing unpredictable and severe weather patterns with potentially catastrophic effects on agriculture, wildlife, human health and the economy.
Evidence of climate change is being witnessed every day.
- Twenty three of the 24 warmest years since records began in 1850 have occurred since 1980.
- Sea levels have risen by an average of 3.1mm per year over the period from 1993 to 2003
- The incidence of major floods, the number of wildfires, average wind speeds and the frequency of cyclones have all risen in the past two decades
- More locally, the effects of global warming area causing adverse changes to the habitats and species in the Highlands, with predictions by the Moray Firth Partnership that rising sea levels and the increased number and strength of storms will adversely affect the inter-tidal areas and ecology of the Moray Firth.
Climate change can be arrested through a reduction in our carbon emissions.
- Windfarms can help reduce the threat of climate change.
- Wind farms generate carbon-free electricity directly replacing generation by coal and gas power stations and reducing CO2 emissions. Conventional power stations are the largest contributor to UK carbon emissions, producing 170 million tonnes of CO2 each year.
- A single modern wind turbine will save over 5000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
*source: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, February 2007
Security of Our Energy Supply
Ensuring a secure and reliable electricity supply is essential for the UK. As our fossil fuel resources such as the North Sea are depleted, reliance on imported fuels is increasing. Consequently, wind energy is becoming an increasingly important contributor to the diversification and security of the UK’s energy supply. Scotland is a windy country, with one quarter of Europe’s wind resource.
Wind is an indigenous, safe, clean and plentiful source of energy and modern wind turbines with an average capacity of 2.5MW produce enough power to meet the typical annual needs of 1,400 homes.
Currently in the UK there are:
- over 1,866 wind turbines
- producing enough electricity for over 1,200,000 households
Wind is one of the most cost-effective and advanced renewable generation technologies available in the UK.
Government Targets
The UK has a legally binding obligation to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 12.5% by 2012 set out in Kyoto Protocol. The Government’s long-term aim for a 60% cut in carbon dioxide by 2050 (vs. 1990 levels) is an ambitious target. It was announced recently that the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions have risen for the fourth successive year:
- The UK has a target to meet 10% of our electricity supply from renewable sources by 2010 and 15.4% by 2015. There is a further aspiration to meet 20% of our electricity from renewables by 2020
- The Scottish Government has set a target of meeting 31% of its electricity consumption through renewable energy sources by 2010 and a target of 50% by 2020
- The Highland Council’s Renewable Energy Strategy states that ”Highland has particularly abundant renewable energy resources..” and that “within the Highland Council Structure Plan there is a clear commitment to support renewable energy developments where they are shown to be appropriate”
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