The World Context

Access to abundant and instantly available energy underlies our entire way of life, yet its impact on the environment is growing. Sustainable energy policies must be formulated to protect the interest of generations to come.

All energy supplies have substantial effects on the environment. Some have impacts on human health and they all change the natural word to some extent. Damaging air pollutants from fossil fuels, radioactive emissions from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and large, intrusive wind power stations in our uplands are well known examples of these concerns.

Fossil fuels are finite but the effects of the cumulative emissions of gases, especially Carbon Dioxide over centuries of use, are sure to contribute to climate warming, with unknown consequences. This will continue and, at present, 20% of the world's population consume 80% of the world energy and the USA, with 5% of the world's population, emits 25% of the world's C02.

Two major culprits, as far as C02 production is concerned, are transport and the electricity supply industry. 

In the UK a 50-70% increase in cars by 2020 is anticipated. Electricity demand is increasing at between 2-3% per annum but C02, emissions have reduced pro rata because of the 'rush to gas'. More reduction in future will depend on a mix of renewable and, possibly, nuclear energy.

• Worldwide some 19% of world energy is renewable with biomass (mainly wood) featuring as the main source. 
  
• In the UK, two thirds of the renewable energy produced comes from biomass. 
  
• Wind energy only supplies 0.2% of our electricity in the UK (over 2% in Wales)
  
•  All the wind farms in the world could only supply 5% of the UK's electricity demand.

There are alternatives, all with their problems, some more than others.

 One of the most concentrated forms of renewable energy is wave energy. One metre length of wave on the North Sea averages about 50 kilowatts of power. The energy from the oceans is largely untapped. The Gulf Stream, for example, has a flow rate of 18 million m 3of water per second.

The UK has the second best site in the world for a tidal power station - the Severn. A barrage could produce 8,000 megawatts of power at peak and it could provide 7% of the electricity . Tidal pools are being proposed off Rhyl which could provide one seventh of Wales' power needs and would also contribute to coast flood protection.

Photovoltaic electricity is a source for the future.

 Presently it costs between 30-40p per unit (cf. standard costs of approx. 2-3p per unit) but prices are coming down. Photovoltaic converters can be built into new buildings.

However, to address the problem by supply alone is not sufficient.

 Unless energy demand is curbed to a significant degree, making substantial reduction in UK emissions would require a massive and environmentally intrusive contribution from renewable energy augmented, either by nuclear power or by fossil power stations with large-scale capture and isolation of carbon dioxide. (C02 would have to be absorbed or encapsulated.)

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Wales and the UK

The fact of the matter is that wind turbine technology is the simplest and the easiest to develop and so its growth is due to convenience rather than as a serious contributor to the renewable energy supply mix. Its development has been stimulated by what has been called the Non Fossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO).

The Non Fossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO) was introduced following the privatisation of electricity with the Electricity Act 1989. It was a market device that guaranteed a price and a market for a set number of years for renewable energy projects. Contracts awarded were based purely on a competitive basis and did not take site and location into consideration. This was left to be decided through the Land Use Planning System. The competitive elements of NFFO are completely at odds with the protective factors in the planning system and hence the conflict. There have been five rounds of NFFO and many contracts awarded under the different rounds are at some stage of the planning process.(A new mechanism has come into place in 2000).

• At present there are 57 wind power stations in the UK, with a total capacity of 383MW. 
  
• 14 of these are in Wales, with a capacity of 149MW. They comprise 357 turbines but there are considerably greater numbers in the planning process and with NFFO contracts awarded.
  
•  To reach the Government target of 10% of electricity needs met by renewable energy by 2010 could mean, according to the DTI, some 10,000 X 1.2MW turbines (60% of the 10% overall target).

In 1998, less than 3% of the electricity generated in the UK was from renewables and, of that small percentage, over half was contributed by large-scale hydro projects (54%). These were all in place before the NFFO initiative.

Wind turbines are getting bigger:

• in 1992 a 300 KW machine was 40m high; 
  
• in 1996 600 KW models were 60m 
  
• but by 2000 we are looking at 1.5 MW turbines of some 80 - 100 m. overall height.

Wind energy's intermittent nature requires a constant back up system with the result that equivalent existing generating power cannot be closed down.

Because of the small output, electricity from wind turbines it can be fed into the local rather than she national grid - this is called embedded generation. This means less loss of power over distances. but it also means that the national suppliers i.e. conventional fossil fuel stations have to maintain their supply, therefore there is not a direct link between units supplied by wind and units reduced in a conventional station.

The only realistic prospect for a significant contribution from wind is from off-shore installations which are forecast to become the major form by 2010. Questions of acceptability in terms of intrusiveness remain and there are other considerations. Locations need to be identified with care.

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www.cprw.org.uk/windl/windfact.htm 19/6/00