Harnessing Shetland's Natural Resources

1. Where are there similar machines in operation?

The turbines we would use are similar to those proposed for the extension to Whitelees wind farm in East Renfrewshire and there are many such turbines built and operating in mainland Europe. Similar models are also used in many off-shore wind farms.

2. What happens after 25 years when the planning permission runs out?

The wind farm is designed to operate for 25 years.  At the end of 25 years we could apply for permission to extend the life of the wind farm, by which time it is likely that the turbines would need to be replaced. 

If the wind farm was no longer required or if consent to continue was not granted, it would be decommissioned. The turbines would be removed and the bases could also be removed.  Alternatively, if it was felt to be better for the environment, the access tracks and foundations could be left in the ground and covered over, returning the site as close as possible to its original state.   

3. Will it damage the view of the Shetland landscape?

There is no doubt it will change the view of some parts of the Central Mainland of Shetland, but many people find wind turbines attractive and consider wind farms to be elegant and graceful.  It is widely considered that they are more attractive than their fossil fuel counterparts.

4. How strong does the wind have to be for the turbines to turn?

Wind turbines start to turn in a gentle breeze and reach their maximum output at a wind speed around 12 metres per second (27 miles per hour).  At wind speeds of about 60 miles per hour, most wind turbines shut down to avoid damage.

5. What happens when the wind doesn't blow?

There are days in Shetland when the wind doesn't blow although it doesn't happen very often.  When this happens electricity continues to be provided by other forms of generation - nuclear, coal, gas or oil. 

6. What happens if the wind is too fast?

Wind turbines are designed to shut down at speeds of around 60 miles per hour in order to prevent damage.

7. Why are wind turbines always white or light grey?

White or light grey are the colours which blend best into the landscape, bearing in mind all the possible weather conditions.   Most of the time turbines are seen with the sky as a backdrop. 

8. Can they be painted different colours?

In theory they could, but in practice planning authorities usually insist they are painted white or light grey.

9. How would power transported from the wind farm?

Most of the connections will be underground, although some small sections may transfer power on wooden poles, similar to those already seen in various places in Shetland. Any excess power remaining once Shetland has been powered would be transmitted to the UK mainland using a sub-sea cable.

10. Can't we have a smaller wind farm?

Possibly it could be smaller but the wind farm needs to be of a sufficient size to give an acceptable return on investment and to be able to afford the usage charges for the necessary sub-sea cable to the mainland. This will allow some of the electricity generated to be exported, once the Shetland grid has been supplied. Due to the limitations of Shetland's existing local electrical network, it is impossible to have a project sized only to match Shetland's local demand.

It should also be noted that for Shetland to be self-sufficient in overall energy consumption (including electricity, heating, transport and manufacturing) we would actually need a large-scale wind farm of roughly the size proposed by Viking Energy.

11. How does the size of the turbines compare with Burradale?

The turbines at Burradale have a 45m tower and a blade is 26m long, giving a total height to the tip of the blade of 71m. The turbines being considered for the Viking Energy development will be roughly double that height. The towers will be up to 90m in height and the blades will be up to 55m long, giving a maximum total height to tip of 145m.

12. Will the power produced by the wind farm be used in Shetland or exported elsewhere?

The power generated by the Viking wind farm would feed the Shetland grid first before exporting power to the Scottish Mainland. Shetland's peak electricity demand is just over 50 megawatts (MW) so there would be a large amount of surplus renewable electricity which would be exported elsewhere via a sub-sea interconnector cable. This clean surplus energy may be able to counterbalance Shetland's considerable remaining dependency on fossil fuels.

13. Why can the grid in Shetland not accept more electricity from renewables?

Shetland's islanded electrical system is quite old and was never designed to accommodate modern renewable energy projects. Applications for modest connections are already being turned down. It might be possible in the future for the grid to be redesigned to allow a little more local use of renewable energy but this is far from certain. The electrical strength and stability created by the introduction of a sub-sea interconnector linking Shetland to the national electrical grid would allow many more connections. In particular, marine energy initiatives would be encouraged.

14. Doesn't Scotland already produce a surplus of electricity - why does it need more?

Scotland does produce a surplus at the moment, but several major power stations are due to close in the next few years leaving an energy deficit. Increasingly, the UK's electricity supply relies on imported fossil fuels. By increasing the amount of indigenous renewable energy generated, we are reducing our dependence on these imports.

It should also be borne in mind that electricity usage is not equal to overall energy usage. People also burn fossil fuels in other aspects of their lives such as heating, transport and manufacturing. Viking Energy supports the idea that we ought to aim for overall energy sufficiency in Shetland, Scotland and beyond.

15. Is it true that wind farms cannot replace conventional power stations?

Not quite. Our electricity supply requires a mix of generation sources and the more that can be produced from renewable sources such as wind means the less that has to be produced using fossil fuels. Wind energy is intermittent, but the UK electrical system is designed to cope with this, as well as the instantaneous failure of transmission lines or the sudden shutdown of a nuclear, gas or coal-fired power plant. Every unit of electricity produced in a wind farm reduces the amount of electricity that has to be produced in a conventional power plant.

National Grid has published a report debunking the myth that planned increases in renewable energy installations will require a similar increase in fossil fuel-based backup capacity.

16. What is the difference between the capacity and the capacity factor of a wind farm?

The installed capacity (or "nameplate" capacity) is the maximum possible amount of energy a particular power station or wind farm can produce at a particular moment. Of course no power station or wind farm produces energy at the same level all of the time so we use capacity factor to represent the summation of the variable output over a period of time, usually a year.

17. Why don't we use marine energy instead?

We need to do this as well, not instead, although generating energy from waves or tidal currents is not yet commercially viable. It is likely to be some years before either wave or tidal technology reaches a stage where it would complement wind energy as a viable way of generating electricity.

Being at the forefront of on-shore wind will help to position Shetland as a leader in renewable technologies. Shetland will then be well placed in the future to capitalise on off-shore wind, then wave and tidal energy, using the skills and experience developed locally on what will be a pioneering on-shore wind farm.

18. Is investment in Viking not too big a financial risk for the Trust?

Shetland Charitable Trust wants to increase the income to the community funds to be in a better position to continue to provide the people of Shetland with the services, facilities and infrastructure currently paid for by the funds.

No investment is without risk and the existing funds are invested in various ways, with varying levels of risk. At all times the trustees have to make decisions where they balance the risks against the likely returns. Onshore wind energy is considered a sound investment and many banks will offer preferential borrowing rates for wind energy projects.

Even so, no decision would be made on whether or not to make an investment in the wind farm without detailed analysis and lengthy discussion and debate. This cannot really be concluded unless the wind farm has planning consent as the financial institutions will not enter into the most detailed discussions on possible financing options until that time. It is only at that stage that the Trust would be able to access sufficient financial information to be able to make a final decision. No recommendation will be made to the Trust regarding investment until binding contracts have been prepared and all pertinent information is available.

19. How much money will Shetland get from the wind farm?

The Shetland economy could benefit by as much as an estimated £37 million a year. Current projections indicate that an estimated £23 million a year may be paid to Shetland Charitable Trust in profits. To put this into context, the Trust currently spends around £1 million every month providing many services including support for the elderly, infirm and vulnerable people. as well as funding for culture, sport and environmental projects.

In our Environmental Statement it is estimated that Viking Energy will spend around £14 million on rentals to local landowners and crofting tenants, on wages, contracts for supplies, services and technical support and on community benefit and other payments.

It is standard practice for local communities near a wind farm to receive an annual payment from the wind farm company, known as Community Benefit. It is estimated this payment could be worth over £1 million a year. The local communities usually manage Community Benefit themselves.

We arrived at these figures by drawing on information from operating wind farms and utilising models used commonly by financial experts within the electricity generation industry. We have also taken advice from respected, independent analysts who have thoroughly researched the economics of the project and are confident that their figures are robust. All figures are based upon variable factors which could be subject to change such as the actual price paid for the electricity generated, the productivity of individual turbines and the assumption that the wind farm is built to the proposed scale.

20. Who pays for the cost of developing the project?

The development costs will be shared between the partners. The costs of developing the project - including expert reports on wildlife, birds and archaeology for the Environmental Impact Assessment - are likely to be around £4 million. This does not include the cost involved if there is a local public inquiry.

21. How will the project be funded?

The shareholders of the partners will all have to raise the proportionate amount of the total funds necessary in order to build the project.

22. What guarantee do you have that SSE will not take all the profits?

Simply, it is not actually possible for SSE to do so. As one of the equal partners, Scottish & Southern Energy will only receive half of the profits arising from the project. The partnership is under no obligation to sell the power from the wind farm through SSE so, while this is possible, it could only happen if the power is being sold at the demonstrable and benchmarked wholesale market rate. SSE's supply business may or may not thereafter make profit reselling that power at retail level but this is the same as any company would have made and does not come at the expense of wind farm profits. Similarly, one part of SSE's group business may gain revenue as an owner of the sub-sea interconnector. However, the charges paid by Viking Energy for the use of the interconnector are set by National Grid plc and approved by the regulator, Ofgem, so there's no opportunity for this part of SSE to influence wind farm profits.

23. Can we get free or cheaper electricity for Shetland from the wind farm?

Consumers in Shetland benefit from the deregulated market where the prices charged are separated from the cost of the local supply. The electricity supply in Shetland is heavily subsidised to maintain a level of fairness of price throughout the UK. But the same legislation that ensures Shetland is fairly protected from its high local generation costs make it difficult for Shetland to have a lower electricity price than the rest of the country.

Artificially low electricity prices would also discourage people from reducing their energy consumption, which is not the aim of a sustainable project such as the Viking Wind Farm. As an alternative, it is proposed that part of the community benefit could be used to make sure that all homes in Shetland are properly insulated, are operating at maximum efficiency and have access to micro-generation to reduce and keep energy bills low.

24. What is the position with peat slides?

Peat slides occur naturally all the time, so nobody can say they would never happen. There are clear signs around Shetland of peat slides which have taken place historically. By using sound construction practices and specific peat management plans it is possible to avoid increasing the naturally present risks. There are also measures identified to manage and react to any incidents that may occur during construction.

25. Is it safe to build on such deep peat?

Many wind farms across the country are built on deep peat. The turbine foundations themselves will be anchored to bedrock below the peat which makes the wind farm quite stable and safe.

There are particular issues that need to be addressed when constructing a wind farm on peat but the entire industry continues to work closely with the environmental agencies to understand the best techniques when building wind farms, in order to combat problems and prepare for any incidents.

26. What happens to the roads if they are wrecked by construction lorries?

Public road traffic related to the wind farm would be deliberately restricted to the main artery roads to protect the smaller, more fragile side roads. Some junctions are likely to be improved for visibility and safety as part of the project. Planning conditions would be in place to ensure that any damage to roads was repaired following construction.

27. If the wind farm doesn't generate the full 540 megawatts will we end up with more turbines to fill the "gap" on the interconnector?

The interconnector must always have the capacity to cope with the energy generated by the wind farm operating at peak levels. This means that the only "free space" on the interconnector would be what was available when the wind farm wasn't producing. The cable is expected to have some small space that we hope other renewable projects (not just wind energy) can utilise thus encouraging valuable research and development activity.