Saturday 9 May 2009

The missing link

I was amazed to read that windfarm applications in the Western Isles could not be fast tracked, because they were not linked to the mainland national electricity grid. That is to say, by a cable with sufficient capacity to take all that power across. There is a big long article on Hebrides News on that subject, and I'll leave it to my readers to peruse it at their leisure. I just wonder why this tiny inconvenience was overlooked. I mean, if the entire link-up to the National Grid fails to materialise - and that is possible - the Western Isles windfarms will also fail to materialise. I have previously pointed out that there is a public inquiry into the Beauly to Denny powerline upgrade, with no guarantee of a positive outcome. Oh yes, we could lay a cable all the way down to Hunterston in Ayrshire. Dream on, Macduff.

5 comments:

  1. Sounds like someone not only got the cart before the horse, but also forgot to release the brakes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for link..article worth a read. However, I am still unsure as to whether the Beauly-Denny link can/will proceed. Without a facility to export to Mainland, the approved Inter-Connector and subset at Eishken are surely unviable and huge follies,even on paper........I am just stunned at so little joined up thinking in the whole idea of Renewables........RJG

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mindy, Soapladys dog9 May 2009 at 23:46

    I reckon I could've done it better ... and much cheaper too ...

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a hoot. Egg-on-face-job for some official methinks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I still have a feeling that a lot of these schemes are going to get in through the back door. I suspect that simply by constructing these giant windfarms, developers, land owners, those on the take in various public sector outfits and power companies (this list is not exhaustive) will benefit from various subsidies. The energy produced is of little importance to these people and quite frankly they are no more interested in carbon foot prints than I am in championship snooker. As I plough through various sources of information I am convinced that we will soon be looking at 145m turbines from Ness to breakfast time, be they connected to the grid or not. It doesn't make sense but neither do wind turbines. If am wrong I'll travel cross the Minch by ferry without taking any queasy Kwells.

    ReplyDelete