posted Dec 10, 2011 3:29 AM by Admin Admin
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updated Dec 10, 2011 3:38 AM
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A wind turbine exploded in flames after it was struck by hurricane-force winds at Ardrossan Wind Farm, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The $3 million, 328-foot-tall, wind turbine was spinning so fast it caught fire. Local photographer Stuart McMahon captured the incident in a series of photographsvideo |
posted Dec 10, 2011 3:19 AM by Admin Admin
The Telegraph
Pictures of the day: 9
December 2011
A wind turbine that was blown over near Coldingham in the Scottish borders |
posted Dec 7, 2011 2:25 PM by Admin Admin
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updated Dec 8, 2011 4:05 AM
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Tuesday 29 November 2011 Milngavie Herald Link
AN ACTION group fighting plans to build a windfarm
on farmland north-east of Drymen has slammed a telephone survey which
was carried out by the developers.
Hamilton-based Banks Renewables say they are
taking into account feedback they have received from the local
communities.
However, Endrick Valley Action Group (EVAG), which
was formed to fight this new proposal to build at Ard Ghaoth after it
successfully fought off plans to build a windfarm at Ballindalloch,
believes that Banks Renewables survey is flawed.
Mary Young, a spokesperson for EVAG, which has
studied the survey with help from a professional market researcher,
said: “It seems to be an exercise designed to influence people,
borne out by the coding of responses into a framework, and responses
on community benefit/investment being garnered at this time without
fact to assist in a decision, and by asking whether the respondent
would be prepared to sign a letter of support or a petition.
“The report, poorly prepared without care for
the area, contained some flawed questions and flawed percentages.
“The survey was based on ludicrously small
numbers, a paltry 3.4 per cent of rural residents and 0.3 per cent of
those living in Stirling.
“The report itself warns of low base sizes.
“Why Stirling? The windfarm would be visible on
a good day from the Wallace Monument but would have a far bigger
impact on many of the settlements within the Loch Lomond and
Trossachs National Park, many villages outwith the park, and all its
key gateway routes to the south and east including the A809 from
Bearsden and the A81 from Glasgow.
“Banks state that they are taking into account
feedback from local communities. It is EVAG’s view that proper
consultation should be taking place with as many people as possible
who would be impacted by the industrialisation of an area containing
so many iconic viewpoints.”
The site is currently at scoping stage with
Stirling Council.
Banks Renewables says it could accommodate up to
20 turbines, with an installed capacity of up to 40MW, which would
meet the power requirements of up to 22,000 homes.
Banks Renewables say 39 per cent of those surveyed
in the wider Stirling area supported the scheme, with 34 per cent
neutral and 23 per cent opposed.
In the communities closest to the proposed site,
34 per cent currently support it and 35 per cent oppose the wind
farm, with just over a quarter of respondents holding no opinion.
Colin Anderson, director of Banks Renewables,
said: “The survey has shown a good degree of support for a windfarm
in this area before we have finalised the proposals and fully
promoted the extensive local benefits that will be delivered should
the site be approved.
“Now we will review the design for the site,
taking on board all the feedback, as well as the technical and
environmental assessments, and consult once again with the
communities, giving them the opportunity to comment on the finalised
proposal, ahead of the planning application.
“The survey showed that 42 per cent of
respondents do not believe that wind energy is viable and clearly
this is affecting people’s views about the site.
“Wind is one of the cheapest ways of producing
renewable electricity and is vitally important if Scotland is to
avoid spiralling energy costs in the future and a reliance on nuclear
power or non-indigenous gas reserves.”
Banks hopes to submit the planning application in
spring 2012.
Anyone with queries about the Ard Ghaoth scheme
can contact the Banks Renewables’ community relations team on 0191
378 6100 or via enquiries@banksgroup.co.uk.
To contact EVAG, go to www.evag.co.uk or phone
01360 441068.
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posted Dec 7, 2011 2:18 PM by Admin Admin
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updated Dec 8, 2011 4:08 AM
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 For those who weren't at Holyrood, or who didn't catch the debate online, these are links. Scroll down to 4292 If you have problems you can get it on communitiesagainstturbinesscotland and in the Scotsman
Taken from Communitiesagainstturbinesscotland: Wind Farms (Impact on Communities)
The Deputy
Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith):
The final item of business is a
member’s business debate on motion S4M-01284, in the name of Neil
Findlay, on community benefit and the cumulative impact of wind farm
developments in communities.
The debate will be concluded without any question
being put.
Motion debated:
That the Parliament notes the
contribution that renewable energy plays and will play in providing
for Scotland and the UK’s energy needs; recognises that the
Scottish Government’s route map for renewable energy sets a target
of 100% of electricity demand equivalent from renewables by 2020;
notes concerns about the ability of communities, such as Harburn in
West Lothian and other communities across the southern border of West
Lothian, to resist overconcentration and raise the issue of
cumulative development in specific locations; expresses concern at
the lack of genuine community and cooperative ownership and the
increasing role of multinationals and venture capital firms in
securing the profits from onshore wind projects, and would welcome a
wider community benefit and lower cumulative impact of windfarm
developments in communities.
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posted Dec 7, 2011 2:07 PM by Admin Admin
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updated Dec 8, 2011 4:10 AM
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Nov 25 2011 by Kaiya Marjoribanks, Stirling Observer Link
PROTESTERS fighting to stop developers creating a
new windfarm near Drymen have rubbished the findings of a survey
which has been conducted by the company.
EVAG say that, with the assistance of a
professional market researcher, they have studied the telephone
survey report commissioned for Banks Renewables, which hope to
install up to 20 turbines at Ard Ghaoth/Craigievern.
While the developers say there is only 23 per cent
opposition to the plans – with 39 per cent support and 34 per cent
neutral – the protesters beg to differ with these figures.
An EVAG spokesperson said: “The survey seems to
be an exercise designed to influence people, borne out by the coding
of responses into a framework, responses on community
benefit/investment being garnered at this time without fact to assist
in a decision, and by the survey asking whether the respondent would
be prepared to sign a letter of support or a petition.
“The report was poorly prepared and did not show
care for the area.
“It doesn't take much to check place names and
yet the report contains such errors as Balfrom; Bucklyvie; Crief;
Calander.
“It makes continued mention of the Loch Lomond
National Park. A little research would credit the Loch Lomond and
Trossachs National Park with its full title.”
EVAG also claim the survey was based on
“ludicrously small numbers” – 458 from the rural area and 101
from people living in Stirling.
The spokesperson added: “These figures represent
a paltry 3.4 per cent of the estimated current rural population, and
0.3 per cent of those in Stirling. The report also warns of low base
sizes.
“Why Stirling? Yes, the windfarm would be
visible on clear day from as far as the Wallace Monument, and people
from Stirling visit the National Park, which would be adjacent to the
windfarm. But Stirling is hardly local to the site.
“Taking into account only those villages within
the Stirling Council area which would be impacted upon by the
windfarm, there are 13 community council areas involved.
“Surely some of those residents should have been
given the opportunity to comment?
“An example of a flawed question is that
relating to community benefit/investment which asks respondents to
grade town centre development/regeneration. Which town?
“Some of the response gathering is also flawed.
For example, 18 per cent of respondents living in Stirling stated
they lived in the National Park; 79 per cent of people living in
Drymen and 82 per cent of those living in Gartmore stated that they
lived in the National Park. Drymen and Gartmore are both within the
National Park.
“The market research company have stated in
their report that those who fall into the 'Don't know'/Don't care'
category should be included with those in favour of the proposal.
“If one disregards the expression 'don't care'
which was not a separate option in the question, then essentially the
people who answered that they had no real opinion were answering
accurately as there is no firm proposal on the table.
“Banks have stated that they are in the process
of reviewing the design for the site.
“EVAG ask an analogous question: do electoral
polls automatically include a substantial percentage of 'don't knows'
into one political camp because it suits the purpose?”
Banks Renewables contend the survey has shown “a
good degree of support for a windfarm in this area even before the
proposals have been finalised and fully promoted”.
They also say that “extensive local benefits”
will be delivered should the site be approved, including a long-term
community partnering and investment proposal.
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posted Dec 7, 2011 2:00 PM by Admin Admin
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updated Dec 7, 2011 2:01 PM
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Nov 25 2011 by Jean Pedder, Stirling Observer Link Dear Editor – It gives me a warm glow to read that ever caring developer, Banks Renewables has carried out a market research phone survey about their proposed development. The site “Ard Ghaoth” – no you won’t find this name on Ordnance Survey maps – is between Drymen and Gartmore, adjacent to The Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. If the 20 100m turbines are built on this site they will be clearly visible from every beauty spot in the district including The Queens View, Loch Lomond and Ben Lomond. How unusual that Banks has canvassed the opinions of people living 18 miles away in Stirling. They are fortunate they will probably only see the turbines if they ascend the Wallace Monument and they certainly won’t hear them. What about the numerous householders who live within 2km. of the proposed site ?. Our opinions are disregarded and our basic human rights ignored. We do not live in the villages whose councils will be offered financial inducements for turning a blind eye to the visual blight. We are the people who live in rural outlying areas who will suffer greatly from noise nuisance at the time of construction and from the turbines if they are built. |
posted Nov 13, 2011 10:14 AM by Admin Admin
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updated Nov 13, 2011 10:16 AM
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04-11-2011 by Kaiya Marjoribanks Link Stirling Council planners had warned that wind turbines could become the dominant feature of Stirling’s scenic Carse if even one was given the go-ahead. But the council’s planning panel rejected the four separate applications, each for a single 50m turbine (73.5 metres blade to tip) at Braes of Boquhapple Farm, during a special hearing.
Three of the turbine proposals were submitted by Energy Merchants (Boquhapple) Ltd, Droineach Ltd and Baile A Phuill.
However, the fourth had been lodged by Thornhill Community Trust, seeking to cash in on Government feed-in tariff cash to spend on community projects. All four were recommended for refusal by Stirling Council planners on grounds of their height being unsuitable for the location, adverse effect on features of scenic value through cumulative impact, scale and unacceptable intrusion on the landscape and neighbours.
The planners also said the applications are contrary to the Stirling Windfarm Capacity Study in 2007.
The panel was told that it had to apply the same tests of acceptability to the application by Thornhill Community Trust as to commercial applications. Trust director Jelle Muylle said a public meeting last October had seen overwhelming support for the community venture, with only five out of 50 people objecting to the proposal.
He said the project would enable the village to achieve Government targets on renewable energy.
The panel heard the trust had been offered a lease of land on which it could own and operate the fourth turbine. |
posted Sep 19, 2011 2:10 AM by Admin Admin
17-09-2011 By Frank Urquhart Link A SCOTTISH renewable energy company went into receivership with the loss of 55 jobs yesterday as hundreds of wind-turbine owners were warned to shut down the company's machines amid fears that the blades could fly off. An estimated 500 people in Scotland, mainly farmers, are believed to operate the small wind turbine, manufactured by Ayrshire-based company Proven Energy, which is at the centre of the major safety alert. And engineers have warned that the potentially catastrophic shaft defect could cause built-in braking systems to fail and the turbine blades to fly off in a worst case scenario. Proven Energy had already suspended all sales of the wind turbine earlier this week. Yesterday, it was announced that liquidation experts KPMG had been called in by the directors of the financially troubled company. The move comes the day after Pelamis, another Scottish renewable energy firm, announced it was ready to seek financial backing to manufacture commercial- scale wave farms off the coast of Scotland. A spokesman for KPMG said: "Blair Nimmo and Tony Friar of KPMG have been appointed joint receivers of Proven Energy at the request of the company's directors. "The company recently suffered a significant setback following the identification of a defect in its P35-2 model, which although management believes is minor and can be repaired, resulted in advising customers to temporarily cease using it. As a result of the product issue and the inability to obtain necessary additional funding, the directors had no option but to cease trading." The company has a manufacturing facility in Stewarton and an administration and design office in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, and employs 75 staff across both sites. Mr Nimmo the head of restructuring for KPMG in Scotland, said: "Unfortunately, with limited manufacturing taking place, 55 staff have been made redundant with immediate effect. We have retained 20 employees to assist us and prepare the business for sale." Mr Nimmo added: "Proven Energy is a well-known brand in the small wind sector having been established for more than 30 years. Although Proven has achieved substantial turnover growth in recent years, the company has made significant losses as it focused on product development, making it difficult for the business to cope financially with the cost of the product failure "We are hopeful that a sale of all or parts of the business and assets can be achieved and would encourage any interested parties to contact us as soon as possible. We are working with government agencies to ensure the redundant employees obtain as much assistance as possible." |
posted Sep 19, 2011 1:50 AM by Admin Admin
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updated Sep 19, 2011 2:21 AM
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19-08-2011 by Kaiya Marjoribanks link A COMMUNITY wind turbine bid which could generate £5million for Thornhill could end up embroiled in concerns about an increase number of turbine proposals in and around the area. The 640-strong village is involved in a venture which is said to potentially provide locals with lower electricity bills for up to 25 years as well as delivering income for a range of potential community projects including a cafe, cinemaclub, all-weather sports pitch and education bursaries for local students. The community is seeking planning consent for a 500kw turbine that would be located at the Braes of Boquhapple farm, overlooking the village. It would be sited alongside three others owned, respectively by the owner of the land, external investors and Glasgow-based renewables company EML Group. Participation in the scheme was approved by members of the Thornhill Community Trust, a body established in 2004 to set up local projects, last September and later by a village meeting convened by the community council.
Trust treasurer Jelle Muylle, said it was a novel and imaginative way of using renewable energy to benefit the local community, adding: “People in the village are really excited about the possibilities that this project can provide. Community “As everyone knows, accessing public fundingfor community projects is becoming much tougher in the current economic climate. If our community becomes less financially dependent on public funding for its projects, then there will be more public funding left for those communities that perhaps need it more than us.” Energy produced by the four 50m turbines wouldbe enough to power around 1000 homes. Every home in the village couldhave electricity at a reduced price for up to 25 years with the excess being sold by EML on the commercial market. The community has access to 100 per cent finance for the purchase of its turbine, meaning that it is not obliged to provide any up-front funding and could receive an estimated annual windfall of up to £150,000 for the first 15 years of the 25 year project with income increasing thereafter. George Murray, owner of Braes of Boquhapple farm said he had the option of seeking planning consent for a purely commercial wind farm on his land but was determined to pursue an option which would engage the community and provided it with an income. “This unique ownership and management model benefits mutually all of the stakeholders and creates a more certain future for the village.” Alan Powell, CEO of the EML Group, said: “The benefits of this scheme to the local community cannot be overestimated. As well as creating a sustainable community, it removes reliance on local authority grants and other hand-outs. “It will also help to tackle fuel poverty, increase wealth in the area and keep the local landowner's business in the area by making it self-sustaining beyond typical income streams.” However, with several proposals for more than a dozen turbines on and around the Carse currently waiting for a decision – and increasing concerns about the cumulative effect of all the applications – some locals are already concerned that allowing one project could open the floodgates to many more. Expectation One local said: “The numbers are increasing on a fortnightly basis, with the expectation that once one is given the go ahead to be built then the floodgates will open. “ If it’s not checked, then by April 2013 the Carse will have one wind turbine in every square kilometre. Is that the legacy that we want to allow as a community? “When it comes to the four applications for the wind turbines at the “Braes of Boquhapple”, what community wouldn’t jump at the chance of money like that. But let’s not forget that this money does not come to us for free. It comes with risks and responsibilities for the whole community.” |
posted Sep 19, 2011 1:39 AM by Admin Admin
16-09-11 by Kaiya MarjoribanksDEVELOPERS hoping to create a windfarm of up to 20 turbines near Drymen have been given a flavour of the issues they will have to address to have a chance of getting the go-ahead. Banks Renewables want to erect the turbines, each “in the order of 100 metres to tip height” at Ard Ghaoth, north-east of Craigievern, around four kilometres north-east of Drymen and a similar distance north-west of Balfron. The site extends to the boundary with the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park but is entirely within the Stirling Council area. While a planning application is yet to be submitted, the company has submitted a draft scoping report to Stirling Council planners, outlining which issues it proposes to cover and address in an Environmental Impact Assessment of the project as part of the planning process.
The council and other consultees such as Scottish Natural Heritage, SEPA, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, Historic Scotland and Scottish Water, have now made their recommendations as to whether any aspects have been omitted so far or need to be emphasised. While the agencies’ comments are not meant as an indication of their approval or objection to any future planning application for the windfarm, they already highlight a number of concerns for which they are seeking reassurances. Common threads for many of the bodies consulted include cumulative impact with other existing and potential windfarms and turbines across the Stirling and national park area, visual impact on local monuments and protected areas, and impact on rare wildlife, potential noise and other effects on nearby villages and properties. Council planners have also pointed out that the developers must justify a claim in the draft scoping report that the proposed site “does not lie within” an exclusion zone for windfarms. The planners add that while it may be within an “area of search” indicated in council policy, the particular area of search is limited to windfarms with turbines of 50 metres or less in height therefore 100 metre high turbines would need to be “justified”. Stirling Council planners said: “It is clear from the council’s adopted planning policy and the consultees comments that this is an environmentally sensitive location in which to develop a wind energy scheme. “Both Scottish Natural Heritage and the National Park emphasise this in their general comments. “SNH ‘have significant concerns regarding the landscape and visual impacts of a major development in this location, and the potential to mitigate for these’. “The national park officers have stated ‘the prospect of a windfarm at this location is of significant concern. Specifically the site is considered to be particularly sensitive to development because of its prominent location at a key gateway to the national park. Fundamentally it is difficult to see how it can accommodate development of the scale proposed without having a significant adverse visual impact on the landscape setting of the national park and a number of its principal gateways’. “While the site is at some distance from any village, there are rural residential properties within and close to the site boundary. The direct and indirect impacts upon residential amenity such as noise, and the additional impacts of on and off-site activity during the construction period, will also require consideration. “The general area around the proposed site has local, regional and national importance for recreation including car touring, cycling and walking. The nearby fringe of the national park has a particular concentration of recreational opportunity. Speaking of the impact on nearby features such as the West Highland Way, the planners added: “Landscape backdrop is a significant factor in the enjoyment of this and other countryside recreation activities and possible adverse impacts from the intrusion of large turbines into the scene must be assessed. “Conversely, wind turbines may be regarded by some as points of interest in the landscape and the proposed access track system may add options in terms of walking and cycling opportunities.” |
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EVAG 
