The case for the use of wind farms in the UK

They’re needed

We live in an age where we now understand that the way we generate our electricity represents a clear threat to our environment. Climate change is the biggest danger our species will ever face.

Wind power in the UK generates electricity at some of the lowest prices in Europe, from a fuel that will never run out.

They reduce carbon dioxide emissions

Every unit of electricity generated from a wind turbine displaces one that would otherwise be generated from fossil fuels, reducing the emission of greenhouse gases.

Wind turbines in the UK currently prevent the emission of over 4m tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. The average wind turbine runs for 70-85% of the time and will pay back the energy used in its manufacture in 6-8 months.

They’re good for the local economy

Wind energy brings employment and local revitalisation as well as much-needed income for farmers and landowners. A well-sited 2mW turbine will provide £7-10,000 annual rental for the landowner. It could also herald the revival of the UK as a leading player in the green industrial revolution. After all, we do live in the windiest country in Europe.

The changes to our landscape are necessary ones

Wind energy, like all renewable sources of power, represents a big change in how this country will be powered, and how it will look in the future. But claims about TV interference, noise levels, dangers to bird life and falling house prices, to name but a few, have been greatly overstated.

It’s not a disaster when the wind stops blowing!

National Grid, like all power distribution networks, is used to balancing its power supplies on a minute-by-minute basis to ensure that the lights stay on in our homes. It is happy to accommodate wind energy as part of that. In fact it’s possible to have up to 10% of total energy needs coming from intermittent sources like wind farms without having to make significant changes to the system.

Yes, not everyone likes the look of them

Certainly, some people don’t like the look of wind turbines, but the majority of them still agree on the need for wind turbines to help meet current and future energy needs for the UK. Increasingly, though, people think wind turbines are elegant structures in their own right.

They’re supported by most people

Wind energy has a consistently high level of support in the UK, both in theory as ‘a good thing’ and in practice at local wind farms. On average, four out of five people are in favour.

Change is not only desirable, but in this case necessary. We have to make decisions now about where our energy comes from in future. Wind energy produces no harmful emissions or waste products and requires no extraction, pipelines or refining.

It’s not the sole solution but it’s an important part of the mix of technologies that will give us security of supply and energy independence, meet rising demand and mitigate climate change. It’s a fuel that will never run out. What would you choose?

• Alison Hill is head of communications at the BWEA, an organisation that promotes the use of wind and marine renewable energy.

What are your thoughts on this contentious issue:

• Read the case against wind turbines
  
• Vote on our FWi Poll
  
• Make your voice heard on our forums
  
• Read Farmers Weekly staff opinions on our new ‘Food for Thought’ blog