View Full Version : Bettyhill Windfarm
ywindythesecond
28-Mar-09, 23:26
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/5804/bettyhill2.jpg
Last week, the Rossshire Caithness and Sutherland Planning Committee passed the application for these two turbines at Bettyhill. The Community Council opposed it. The Council Landscape architect severely criticised the quality of the Environmental Statement and pointed out that it had not considered tourists in its assessment. The Planners complained that the images were substandard. The Councillors complained that the images were poor. Councillor Smith suggested moving the viewpoint so the turbines could not be seen from it - not joined-up thinking!
So they passed it. Didn't send it back for better information.
What sort of message is this. "Don't waste time getting it right, we'll let it through anyway.
If this view is not worth protecting, then where is?
And incidentally, the first proposal was for 58 turbines, and they applied for 2, but really big.
Forss was 2 to start with, then got 4 more and now are working on another 7. Turbines breed turbines.
The Planning Hearing for Shebster windfarm is set for 12th May.
Does anyone know why the layby is so big?
Does anyone know why the layby is so big?
Probably cater for all the tourists that will be stopping there to take in the wonderful views.....
Probably cater for all the tourists that will be stopping there to take in the wonderful views.....
Since windfarms have a national 80% approval rating then I would agree with you and a lovely view too, lovely photo thanks ywindy for sharing.;)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7959912.stm
Probably cater for all the tourists that will be stopping there to take in the wonderful views.....
It is a very busy lay by in the summer, many tourists stop there, and there are picnic tables .The views are spectacular.
Ooops, missed out the sarcasm tags in my post.......:rolleyes:
I always have an instinctive and suspicious reaction when politicians start to talk about "streamlining" anything from the planning process to jobs.
It's just another way of saying we're not going to listen to you anymore because we know best what is good for you and you'll probably have forgotten anyway when we meet you at the ballot box in three or four years from now.
Green_not_greed
30-Mar-09, 10:12
As far as I am aware the big difference between Bettyhill WF and most others in the area is that Bettyhill will benefit over 30 crofters. At least that's what I was told by one of them who works the land. So this appears to be a real "community" scheme rather than those which are touted as community schemes but benefit very few.
ywindythesecond
30-Mar-09, 17:00
As far as I am aware the big difference between Bettyhill WF and most others in the area is that Bettyhill will benefit over 30 crofters. At least that's what I was told by one of them who works the land. So this appears to be a real "community" scheme rather than those which are touted as community schemes but benefit very few.
I am afraid not GNG. It is an industrial developer who will be giving some crumbs to the Common Grazings Committee. He can well afford to do it:
BETTYHILL WINDFARM STATS
5 MEGAWATTS
X
24 HOURS A DAY
AT
30% LOAD FACTOR
X
365 DAYS A YEAR
AT
£50 PER RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATE*
=
£657,000 ANNUAL SUBSIDY PAID FOR BY US THROUGH OUR ELECTRICITY BILLS
+
ABOUT £350,000 FOR THE ELECTRICITY
*ROC value at 13/1/09- £51.75
http://www.e-roc.co.uk/trackrecord.htm (http://www.e-roc.co.uk/trackrecord.htm)
The sad thing is that if it had been a real community windfarm the size of the one in Gigha, http://www.hie.co.uk/Default.aspx.LocID-0finewl19.RefLocID-0fihiesv1009prk004.Lang-EN.htm (http://www.hie.co.uk/Default.aspx.LocID-0finewl19.RefLocID-0fihiesv1009prk004.Lang-EN.htm) then the community could have benefitted many times over and the turbines would have been virtually. invisible.
Instead you and I and everyone else who reads this are paying a huge price for a technology which is not self sustaining, and we will also be allowed to pay for the inevitable grid upgrades as more windfarms are built.
Beauly Denny-About £400M. Dounreay-Beauly- Say £400M. Denny-England –Maybe £600M?
Quite a price for a not community windfarm.
*ROC value at 13/1/09- £51.75
http://www.e-roc.co.uk/trackrecord.htm (http://www.e-roc.co.uk/trackrecord.htm)
Can you tell me what factors determine the market price of a ROC? :confused
ywindythesecond
30-Mar-09, 20:37
Can you tell me what factors determine the market price of a ROC? :confused
..................No
..................No
Is that because you can't or won't tell me?
Either way that really surprises me because I have this impression that you take a great deal of interest in this subject and you have been a prominent critic of the Renewable Obligation and you can't tell me what factors determine the price of each RO certificate.
ywindythesecond
31-Mar-09, 08:33
[quote=Rheghead;526210]Is that because you can't or won't tell me?
quote]
I am not answering because I want to stick to the subject and not be diverted by your very effective diversionary tactics.
Now back to the public cost of Bettyhill windfarm.
According to https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/uk.html (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/uk.html) there will be an estimated 61,113,205 people in UK in July 2009. Each one of those people will pay just over 1p extra in their annual electricity bill just to subsidise Bettyhill windfarm.
Not a lot of money?
If Baillie windfarm gets the nod, the same 61M people will have to fork out another 10.75p each.
It already costs them about 10p for the Causeymire, 1.5p for Forss, 3.25p for Buolfruich, 1p for Bilbster, and it will cost them about 12p for Camster, 1p for Achairn and 1p for Causeymire extension.
About £18 million.That is just the built or approved windfarms in Caithness.
Every man woman or child in the country already pays about 30p a year to subsidise Caithness windfarms and there are hundreds more already built and planned across the country.
If every man woman and child in Caithness today had to pay the present Caithness windfarm subsidy, it would cost them about £700 each every year.
And these are in planning, still to come, sorry if I have missed any
SpittalHill 15p
Stroupster 7p
Durran 3.5p
Another 7at Forss 1.5p
Westerdale 23p
Halsary 15p
Shebster 3p
Yarrows 7p
Dunbeath 15p
90p = another £55million.
Sorry, Baillie should be added at 10.75p, revised total is £61.5 million.
No existing fossil fuel or nuclear plant will ever be redundant because of wind power. They have to simmer away on the back burner ready to throw the switch when the wind drops and we pay for them standing by as well all the time the wind blows. When the wind stops, we get efficient generation ---till it blows again.
Just remembered Olgrinmore and Lybster. And Nottingham Mains and Toftingall.
OMG, I never use any electricity from the grid ever again. [disgust]
Now honestly, if you are so worried about the cost of wind farms, why don't you go off grid, make your own electricity and laugh at all the other people who pay for wind farms?
It's easily done these days and you never have to pay any company a penny once it's all set up. Just tell them to cut you off from the mains, job done.
I have however a very strange feeling that you might appreciate wind turbines a bit more if you did the above... ;)
Bettyhill is the usual 'foot in the door' tactic by big business. Originally put forward a huge scheme (50+ turbines I believe), statutory consultees throw a bit of a wobbly, so they put their heads together and come back with a scheme for two. How long will it be before there's another application in for a further five and so on and so on? Once the two are built the argument of unspoilt landscape is lost and its even easier to get more. If poor little old me can see what's going on why can't our councillors?
I am not answering because I want to stick to the subject and not be diverted by your very effective diversionary tactics.
Aw c'mon ywindy, this thread is about Bettyhill windfarm and you diverted it on to a discussion by using the Renewable Obligation as a subject in order to justify a stance against any wind farm, not just Bettyhill, it wasn't me that diverted the discussion.
Come on, tell me what factors determine the market price of ROCs. I know that you know the full answer but I want to hear it from your own words. But you know as well as me that if you did then it will completely undermine your whole arguement about using the Renewable Obligation against windfarms.
[quote=Rheghead;526210]Is that because you can't or won't tell me?quote]
I am not answering because I want to stick to the subject and not be diverted by your very effective diversionary tactics.
What a lame excuse.
You sound a bit like my son and his mates.... "I'm not telling you my girlfriend's number coz you gonna steal her off me..."
Withholding facts is not going to help your case, is it?
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