Wind energy investment must stop

There is a groundswell of anxiety about pylons and wind turbines in the country and many are

increasingly fearful, unhappy or angry at yet another announcement that some foreign company is intending to build a number of huge turbines in what has previously been seen as unspoilt and inviolable local landscape.

Essential reading for those who doubt if the Government has been and is putting in place a sustainable, affordable, secure electricity system is the submission by the Irish Academy of Engineers to the energy green paper.

The academy is concerned that Irish energy policy is following the EU approach which has already caused serious economic and technical problems for several European countries leading to mothballing of low GHG emitting gas plants.

Wind energy poses a further major problem in that when a large proportion of electricity is generated from wind there must be a backup system at all times ready to kick in if the wind falls too low to generate electricity or blows too hard for the transmission system to cope with and has to be “spilled”; what a waste of conventional fossil fuel plant. At the same time we import cheaper (fossil fuel-generated) electricity from the UK. We have more electricity available than we need, or are likely to need for many years, so why are we still investing in an electricity system which has more than adequate capacity?.

We have already reached 16% of our renewable energy target and there are alternatives to wind to bring this proportion to our 20% commitment by 2020. However a country-wide investment in smart grid with smart meter technology as indeed suggested in the 2014 energy green paper would be likely to reduce demand.

Anne Baily

Kilnoracey

Ballyneale

Carrick-on-Suir

Co Tipperary