Harnessing Shetland's Natural Resources

1. Wind power is expensive.

Many statistics quoted about the cost of wind power are out of date.  The cost of generating electricity from wind has fallen dramatically in comparison with other forms of generation over the past few years and continues to do so.  We can now produce electricity more cheaply from wind than from nuclear, and sometimes cheaper than fossil fuels, depending on the price of oil. 

The Government's 2002 PIU Report predicts that on-shore wind will be the cheapest form of electricity generation by 2020.

2. Turbines are noisy.

The evolution of wind farm technology over the past decade has rendered
mechanical noise from turbines relatively undetectable with the main sound being the aerodynamic swoosh of the blades passing the tower.

There is no doubt that some of the earlier models of wind turbines were noisy, particularly when they were not well situated. Many of the stories of turbine noise refer to these older wind farms or wind turbines that have been badly located. Advances in design, both in terms of turbines and in terms of our understanding of suitable locations, mean turbines should cause very little disturbance to nearby residents. Any noise they make is likely to be drowned out by the natural noise of the wind itself.

There are strict guidelines on wind turbines and noise to protect nearby residents. These guidelines are available from the UK Government Department for Energy and Climate Change.

Our Environmental Statement concludes that operational noise levels at all occupied properties near Viking Energy's proposed wind farm are consistent with these guidelines.

3. The wind farm will cause the release of more carbon emissions than it will save.

The manufacture, construction activity and soil disturbance associated with a wind farm results in emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. However, the generation of electricity by a wind farm does not emit carbon dioxide. This means that wind farms provide a source of green energy which otherwise would have to be produced using fossil fuels, causing carbon emissions. Over time this reduces the nation-wide output of carbon dioxide and these reductions will balance, or ‘pay back', the original emissions involved in developing a wind farm.

Our Environmental Statement discusses the carbon payback period for the Viking Energy wind farm. Our carbon payback was calculated using a model devised by the Macaulay Land Institute that is recognised as current best practice.  The Environmental Statement describes three different scenarios for carbon payback - best, intermediate and worst case scenario. The carbon payback for these scenarios is calculated to be 2.3 years, 3.7 years and 14.9 years. 

There is a drafting mistake in the Environmental Statement which mentions a carbon payback figure of 48 years.  This information has been corrected with, and accepted by, the various statutory consultees. 

4. Wind farms have a very low productivity level.

Modern wind turbines operate for around 98% of the time and produce electricity around 70-85% of the time, although they will produce different amounts depending on the wind speed.   

Average performing wind turbines on the UK Mainland generate less than a third of their potential maximum output over a year.  This figure is known as the load capacity factor. All power generators have such a capacity factor.  Fossil fuel power stations have an average capacity factor of about 70%; over a year they only produce around seven tenths of their theoretical maximum output.

It is expected that the Viking Energy wind farm would be among the most efficient wind farms in Europe due to Shetland's wind resource.  The capacity factor is likely to be much higher than average and comparable with fossil fuel power stations.  Currently, the Burradale wind farm is thought to be the most efficient wind farm in the world and has achieved an average annual load factor of up to 57%  - higher than some conventional power stations.

5. The wind farm will destroy the peat on site, which is a natural carbon sink.

In our Environmental Impact Assessment we demonstrate that the majority of the peat in the proposed Viking Energy site is actually in poor condition, resulting in the Central Mainland of Shetland already being a net carbon emitter.

We plan to concentrate the development in the areas of poorest quality peatland whilst preserving and restoring the good quality peat which stores carbon.

We have included a habitat management plan as part of our proposals  that would help prevent further decline in the peat and try to restore it and the wildlife in this area.

6. Wind turbines kill lots of birds.

For every 10,000 birds killed by human activities, it is reckoned there is less than one death as the result of a wind turbine.  Properly sited wind farms should have no significant effect on bird populations.  Many of the scare stories, or photographs, of dead birds who have collided with turbines come from wind farms abroad where less attention has been paid to appropriate siting.

The RSPB acknowledges that the greatest threat to bird populations is climate change.  Some of the bird populations in Shetland are already in decline because of climate change and other human-related activity. 

We have devised a habitat management plan which we believe could enhance the local environment for a number of declining bird populations in Shetland, as well as minimise any impact on other species.

7. Wind turbines frighten livestock.

The land surrounding turbines is used for growing crops and grazing livestock on many wind farms all over the country. A number of sheep graze around the hills at Burradale.

8. Wind farms deter tourists.

There is no evidence to suggest they do.  In a number of places, the opposite has happened and many wind farms have visitor centres. The tracks to the turbines have also helped open up access for walkers, riders and mountain bikers. We plan to include a visitor centre and provisions for walkers and cyclists as part of the Viking wind farm.

We feel (and the evidence concurs) that Shetland has more to offer our visitors than just views of the Central Mainland. The evidence is clear that the people, the infrastructure, the music, the archaeology, the sailing, the seascapes and a list of other attractions provide inspiration for visits to Shetland.

To suggest that this would all be threatened by the existence of a wind farm perhaps underestimates what we have to offer. A more realistic threat to tourism in Shetland is fossil fuel price volatility and this is something Viking Energy is trying to address directly. Indeed, visitors rate the current cost of travel, which is unlikely to remain stable, as one of the highest priorities for improvement in visits to Shetland.

9. The narrow, winding roads in Shetland can't handle the large structures.

The vehicles used to transport turbine parts are surprisingly flexible and can negotiate round bends more easily than most people assume would be possible.  Most of the wind farms in Scotland have been built in areas where it has been necessary to transport turbines on narrow, winding rural roads. A thorough assessment of the road network has identified some minor junction upgrading that would be necessary.  Improvements to roads, including straightening some difficult corners and bends, is seen by many communities as one of the benefits of having a wind farm nearby.

10. It's a done deal.

Absolutely not. There are many stages to the process before any final decisions would or could be made. Firstly there is the planning process. The proposed interconnector needs to be sanctioned by the regulator and contracts needs to be agreed in detail (although not signed) for the supply and building of the project and for the sale of the electricity. Only then will there be a decision-making process for the project partners on whether the project is a sound financial investment. That decision can only be discussed properly once consent had been granted and the various financial institutions are prepared to discuss any potential involvement in detail.

11. The wind farm will cover one fifth of Shetland's Central Mainland.

This is simply not true. We state in our Environmental Statement that one fifth of the Central Mainland was surveyed for our bird studies. We are happy to clarify that this does not represent the area needed for the development. In reality, the area of the Central Mainland which the Viking wind farm will cover is much smaller.

12. The Scottish Government says wind turbines should not be erected within 2km of houses because this is unsafe.

The Scottish Government require that local authorities should identify broad areas of search for wind farm proposals and recommend these start 2km from the edges of cities, towns and villages.

This recommendation is not an exclusion zone nor a hard-and-fast rule and the Government emphasises that constraints such as these "should not, in themselves, lead to blanket restrictions on development."

Our wind farm proposals have been based on actual assessments of impacts at houses rather than rules-of-thumb.

Provided they are properly sited, wind turbines that are within 2km of houses are not unsafe or hazardous. There are a few countries that do apply a legal minimum distance.  In Germany this distance is only 500 metres.

13. Half of the power generated by the wind farm will be lost in the interconnector.

The proposed interconnector cable is similar to several existing high voltage direct current connections around the world.  These existing connection projects have measured electrical losses of up to 4%. 

All electrical transmission has losses with the bulk of losses happening at transformers and junctions rather than over the length of individual cables.  The overall losses between the point of generation and the point of use will not change much for power from this project. The losses from the high voltage direct current sub-sea cable will be similar to the losses on local lower voltage alternating current cables used for normal connections.  The sub-sea losses are not additional but instead replace those from other shorter connections that would normally exist.