Wind Farms and the Glenkens
Are you aware of what is happening in the Glenkens?
Before long, every hilltop between Dalmellington in the northwest, Sanquhar in the northeast and Parton in the south will be covered with giant wind turbines.
The approach of the Scottish government to planning permission for onshore wind farms in the area is relentless. Even on those occasions when the Dumfries & Galloway Council has the resources to address developers’ applications, the government rides roughshod over them.
Although almost everyone would agree that it is crucial to cut carbon emissions and to strive one way or another for net zero, a balance has to be struck between that and other interests, such as tourism on which the fragile economy of Dumfries & Galloway depends.
Our landscape and environment are important to all of us. Dumfries & Galloway has already done far more than its fair share towards green energy, indeed to such an extent that it is a massive exporter of power from the region, largely to England where demand is greatest. By contrast, onshore wind farm development in England depends on the consent of the local communities affected: consent which is almost never forthcoming.
There is no need for this headlong rush to cover the hills with wind farms. Even now the grid lacks the capacity to transmit all of the power produced by those which are operational, let alone those which are planned, and ends up having to make huge constraint payments to the wind farm operators. Moreover, back-up is required for times when the wind does not blow; with the government currently setting its face against fossil fuels and conventional nuclear power, some alternative is still needed.
Before onshore development proceeds further, there needs to be a comprehensive investigation of the relative merits of other sources of green energy, particularly offshore wind and small nuclear reactors (SMRs – classified as green by the EU), and of the damage which onshore wind farms do to our livelihoods, particularly to tourism. The problem is that once built, an onshore wind farm will almost certainly never be dismantled: the damage is irreversible.
In the meantime, it is essential that the voice of local communities in the areas affected is heard.
If you want your voice to be heard, contact Save Our Hills Dumfries & Galloway through at www.saveourhillsdumfriesandgalloway.co.uk or find us on Facebook.
Iain Milligan, Chairman, Save Our Hills Dumfries & Galloway