wind power wins!

"Yes to Wind"

Newark and Sherwood Planning Committee has granted planning permission to n-power renewables Ltd. (NRL) to build Nottinghamshire's first wind-farm, on certain conditions. The plans were finally approved by Newark and Sherwood Planning Committee at 5 p.m on Tuesday 19th September. The vote was 8 yes to wind and 3 against the proposal, with several absentees. Those who spoke out against Lindhurst Windfarm were logically inconsistent, claiming to be in favour of electricity generation from wind, but only on the local colliery instead, Cllr Bingly in favour of nuclear energy instead, and they even made speculations about drivers on the two nearby roads possibly crashing whilst their gaze was attracted to these enormous machines. When the first wind farms were built in Ireland they were a huge tourist attraction. The 5 wind turbines, one of which will be in Nottingham's Green belt, will measure 112 metres from the ground to the blade-tip and generate about 10 Megawatts to the national grid. They need to be as tall as possible if they are to catch the best wind, though that morning the planning committee observed that the Lindhurst farm site was not about to run out of wind any time soon. Boots will be disappointed that they are unlikely to host Nottingham's first wind farm on their enormous campus.
The "alternative" given was to site the wind-farm on an old colliery. But I doubt the applicant, n-Power renewables Ltd, or the landowners British Coal who were represented in the audience, would have been very happy with rejecting Lindhurst wind farm on that basis. The area is also home to Sherwood Energy Village and Hockerton Housing Project.

The planning debate could prove an embarrassment for local MPs especially Tipping who contributed to the government's report on renewables, but don't want a wind farm in their own constituency.

The renewables obligation requires that all electricity companies on the national grid generate a growing percentage of their electricity from non-fossil sources such as water and wind turbines. In order to keep the steam in the cooling towers, this will require a massive increase in electricity consumption, and a large amount of wind turbines popping up very soon up and down the country.

Lindhurst wind farm will generate 5-15 Mega-Watts and have its own substation and connection to the national grid. If excessive power consumption remains at its current level, the new wind farm will generate on average enough power to the national grid to supply an estimated 5,000 homes (or 14,000 - 43,000 Playstation 3 games consoles if you prefer). Progress has previously been slow with local villagers of Rainworth and MPs objecting on the spurious grounds of visual impact and even noise. The 3,000 neighbours affected have been promised various conditions under the plan. Not only will they be provided with free blinds, as the Labour NIMBY councillor put it), but n-power will actually have to turn the wind turbines off when the sun is low enough to cause shadow flicker. Shadow flicker, said the white-bearded, red-faced Labour councillor, is similar to going past a metal fence in your car, though of course this horror can only be experienced to be truly known.

In an odd way, the Green Party may have contributed to the councillor's vote. A local Green polled 211 votes in the council election. Presumably these Green votes could have otherwise gone to the Tory-controlled councillors. At about 16:15 some more wind power supporters arrived, requiring extra chairs to be brought in.
Some NIMBYs came too, making a lot of noise. Two anti-wind speakers were given 5 minutes to put their arguments, which they cited from the Daily Mail and Shell. They seemed quite angry. One lady then stood up from the audience (who are not allowed to speak) and asked why nobody is invited to put the case for wind and if they had been invited. The chairman admitted they had not. Just what everyone was thinking.

The audience ranged from the young children chanting "We Want Windmills! We Want Windmills!", to a handful of elderly tutting ladies, though some of them may have been gentlemen. The NIMBYs may not be pleased with the decision but their children's children will be thankful. Afterwards, I was questioned heavily based on the fact that I was "not from Rainworth village", assuming that I would not be having a wind farm built near my home. True, most students "go back" to the leafy suburbs of London once they've had their collonial-style tax-free studies in the regions. Maybe they have a point but I insist there could be turbines all along the M25 within a few years.

The Sustainable Energy Alliance (SE-Alliance) has brought together energy producers and consumers and facilitated stalls for groups such as the University of Nottingham's notorious Young Greens Society, who's stall gained the visual impact of a real micro-turbine borrowed from V3 Power Cooperative, who actually run courses on how to build your own wind turbine from scratch. Thanks to numerous voluntary efforts, thousands of signatures and addresses were collected on paper and electronic letters explaining the benefits of modern wind power and the threat of environmental destruction and fossil fuel depletion. Indeed one councillor thought it was an historic first, having more letters of support than NIMBY letters. These grey and white-haired councillors who supported wind power with their votes deserve our thanks. They knew from personal experience on holiday in Belgium that wind power is modern, popular, and generates very little mechanical noise. Like pylons, you tend not to notice it after a bit. But most of our thanks goes to the planning officer who compiled a detailed report on the e-planning website. If you have a look at it you could soon have your own unlimited power supply in future. The report went through all of the stakeholders from the MoD to t-mobile and documents how they were convinced that it is time to start building wind farms.

So what next for John of the Sustainable Energy Alliance? "It's a great day" He said.
"If Lindhurst had not succeeded I would have given up wind." And that is saying something about the movement's open-mindedness because John is now a full-time wind campaigner. A company has offered to print a new banner which will be bigger than ever before, simply reading "Yes to Wind".

The applicant Npower Renewables Limited has also been talking to the guys at the criminally inefficient coal-fired-powerstation owned by the parent company. "I was surprised to find out that even some of the workers admit that coal is dirty." Cooling towers do not only represent climate change and the camp for climate action but they are a waste of energy. That steam could be powering industry, or piped to homes to provide free heating. The only reason they are building these wind farms is the EC renewables obligation. Business leaders often ask government for this sort of regulation because unfettered capitalism is rediculous.

So this is history. Comments welcome.

Declaration of interest: nPower Renewables Ltd bought us a drink. But I guess we saved them a few grand by not having to lodge an appeal. Thanks and good luck!

Further Reading: Reccomended for anyone trying to get a local wind farm

 http://www.yes2wind.com/

The amazing e-planning Newark and Sherwood document

 http://www.nsdc.info/eplanning/ViewDoc.aspx?Search=271&Hit=59128&Page=1&Type=pdf&DocType=Supporting%20

Information about the campaign
 http://www.se-alliance.org.uk/news.shtml