Nick Barrett, Chief Executive of the Ramblers’ Association (RA), today called for the government to massively reduce the financial support given to large scale onshore windfarm developments.
Speaking as the RA released its submission to the government on the Renewables Obligation consultation, Nick Barrett said:
“The Renewables Obligation has become a huge cash cow, milked by the energy industry, as they spread their huge windturbines across our finest landscapes. We need radical reform of the Renewables Obligation, not minor tinkering as suggested by the Department of Trade and Industry.
The Renewables Obligation must be changed so that more support is given to small scale, community led schemes and more encouragement given to offshore windfarm development and alternative sustainable technologies. We recognise that a finite number of industrial sized onshore wind farms are part of the solution but it is lunancy for them to become the only solution”.
Nick Barrett noted that there are now over 400 sites under investigation in Scotland for renewable energy development, with many developments involving giant wind turbines around 100 metres or more to the vertical blade tip. He concluded:
“We must pull the financial carpet from under the wind factories. This is a crazy way to meet our obligations to tackle climate change. Keeping the multinational energy companies living in the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed seems to be more important to the government than helping individuals and communites to cut down on energy use. Energy conservation combined with new renewable energy sources which are truly sensitive to the environment must be the way forward.”
