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Archive for November 18th, 2012

Nov 18

Bryan Ferry warns wind farms ‘scarring’ British countryside

Bryan Ferry, the British rock star, has hit out at wind farms that are spoiling Britain’s countryside, warning that “enough is enough”.

The Telegraph — November 18, 2012

In an outspoken attack, the 67 year-old, said he was left angry at the “scarring” of “breathtaking” views after he took a flight over Yorkshire.

“I absolutely hate them,” said the father-of-four adult children, whose current wife Amanda is 36 years his junior.

“I was in a plane a while ago and I was flying over Yorkshire.

“It is possibly one of the most beautiful landscapes in this country and I looked down from the window and all you could see were wind farms scarring this gorgeous, breathtaking countryside. Enough is enough, when is this going to stop?”

His comments in the Mail on Sunday’s Live magazine came amid a new debate over the role of wind farms in Britain.

Last week a Conservative minister defied Liberal Democrat Energy secretary Ed Davey to insist no more onshore wind farms would be built beyond those already planned.

(To continue reading, click here)

Nov 18

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Europe — Green energy producers cheating with coal

Die Tageszeitung — November 16, 2012

“Green energy providers wants to make coal,” leadsTageszeitung, punning on the German word for “coal”, which also means “money”. The Berlin daily, always fretting about environmental issues, reveals that the three biggest renewable electricity distributors in Germany – Lichtblick, Greenpeace Energy and Naturstrom – may soon be going for coal. In fact, all three buy electricity from the Austrian company Verbund AG, which since 2011 has been building a coal-fired plant in Turkey, while continuing to proclaim that its power remains “100% hydroelectric”.

This is highly embarrassing for the three German companies, notesTageszeitung, citing studies that find that “the emissions from the Turkish plant exceed the limit values defined by the EU and the World Health Organisation.” For the TAZ, it’s time to act –

Whoever wants to remain credible as a green energy supplier should not be signing contracts with such companies – especially when the business plan of the entire company is based on positioning oneself as a moral leader.

The production of energy from renewable sources in Germany is also worrying its neighbours: “The Czech Republic intends to prevent the collapse of its electricity network and protect against surplus green energy production caused by erratic wind farms in the north of Germany,” writesLidové Noviny. Because of the weakness of the German power grid, the Prague daily explains, wind farm energy produced in Germany’s north and destined for the south is routed via the Czech grid, putting its capacity under strain. To protect against power surges, ČEPS, which operates the Czech network –

… has decided to build a giant transformer near the border. It will not let more current onto the Czech power grid than the grid can support and [...] will enter service by 2017.

Nov 18

Germany Invests Heavily In Alternative Energy Production

Germany’s Massive Renewable Energy System Puts Out Only 7% Of It’s Rated Capacity in November!

P. Gosselin — No Tricks Zone — November 16, 2012

Germany has spent money on renewable energy, like wind and solar power, like few others in the world. So far the country has invested hundreds of billions. How’s the return on investment? Pretty lousy, especially this November.

The European Institute for Climate and Energy (EIKE) today has a story on how wind parks and solar panels are performing: Germany’s renewable energy in November! Only 7 % of the installed feed-in capacity was fed in.

When Germany exports some energy to France, the media hypes it up everywhere in the evening news…proof that Germany’s energy transition to renewable energy is paying off!

But that, it turns out, is a rare event.

(To continue reading, click here)

Nov 18

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The Myth of Denmark as a Corruption-free Country

Hat tip to Central Bruce Wind

Peter Rardam — The Copenhagen Post — November 16, 2012

It’s a widely held conception that Denmark is one of the world’s least corrupt countries. The message is always warmly received, but this isn’t the same as saying that Denmark is free of corruption.

I’m not qualified to speak about corruption in general, but there is one area in which I do have an in-depth knowledge: wind power – which is an industry that has managed to thoroughly corrupt the political system.

The law approving construction of a test centre of large land-based wind turbines near the Jutland town of Østerild was forced through parliament despite warnings about the effects it would have on the natural environment in the area and its impact on residents. The bill was able to make its way through parliament thanks to a complete manipulation of the facts – both by keeping some information under wraps, and by directly misinforming people.

But it wasn’t parliament that was misled. Members of parliament that voted for the law were fully aware of the truth, yet they turned a blind eye so the law could be passed. It was, in fact, voters who were tricked into thinking that they had been told the whole truth.

The only thing that matters for wind turbine makers is money. You can wonder why law makers would play along with their game, but as soon as they threatened to move jobs abroad they did as they were told.

(To continue reading, click here)