An Investigation into the Impact of Wind Turbines and ... - Regensw
An Investigation into the Impact of Wind Turbines and Larger Scale Solar Farms on the Mendip Area: Evidence from Friends of the Earth and Regen SW 1. Introduction We welcome Mendip District Council’s decision to hold this investigation. Large scale renewable installations are key to our achievement of energy and economic goals, but are surrounded by a great deal of misunderstanding. The approach of Mendip councillors in seeking to inform themselves before setting policy is to be commended. This evidence is presented jointly by Friends of the Earth South West and Regen SW. Regen SW is a leading centre of sustainable energy expertise and pioneering project delivery. We enable business, local authorities, community groups and other organisations to deliver renewable energy and energy efficiency and build a prosperous low-carbon economy in the south west of England. Friends of the Earth is a leading environment charity. For more than 40 years we’ve seen that the wellbeing of people and planet go hand in hand – and it’s been the inspiration for our campaigns. Together with thousands of people like you we’ve secured safer food and water, defended wildlife and natural habitats, championed the move to clean energy and acted to keep our climate stable. Wind and solar power are the most mature renewable sources of grid electricity. Costs have fallen markedly over the last decade and they are now among our most efficient and economic ways to generate electricity. For onshore wind, the price per kWh is likely to become comparable to gas powered generation within this decade1. Solar PV is also likely to achieve parity with gas by the end of the decade2. For both wind and solar power, the “fuel” is free and endless and each unit of electricity generated has far lower harmful emissions or wastes than from fossil fuels or nuclear power. They will play a significant part in our future electricity generation and can bring many local benefits to the area that hosts them. As with most electrical generating plant, large scale wind and solar can have significant local impacts, and so the siting and design of wind and solar power installations need careful consideration and the full engagement of local communities. This evidence summarises the potential benefits and impacts of solar and wind and highlights actions that Mendip District Council could take. 1
The case for and against onshore wind energy in the UK; Grantham Research Institute and Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, July 2012. http://www.cccep.ac.uk/Publications/Policy/docs/PB-onshore-windenergy-in-the-UK.pdf 2
Ernst & Young UK solar PV industry outlook http://www.solartrade.org.uk/media/Ernst&Young%20Report%20%20The%20UK%2050kW%20to%205%20MW%20solar%20PV%20market.pdf
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2. Recommendations Local authorities have a key role to play in supporting the transition to a low carbon economy. They can take a number of actions that can help to maximise the positive benefits and minimise the negative impacts of renewable energy. Regen SW and Friends of the Earth have a number of recommendations for Mendip District Council to consider. We recommend that Mendip District Council should:
consider resourcing pre-application discussions to a greater extent. instigate an ongoing programme of training on renewable energy for councillors and officers. consider developing an action plan to lead on and support the delivery of community-led renewable energy projects, including a target for community owned renewables. develop planning policy that is supportive of renewable energy where the impacts are or can be made acceptable and in particular policy to support community energy consider producing guidance as part of its intended Supplementary Planning Document that sets out the information that is required to accompany applications for each different scale of turbine, following the example of Cornwall Council. consider developing a local energy plan that could provide the evidence base for a renewable energy target and a renewable energy strategy or action plan.
3. Current installed capacity in Mendip and trends At present, renewable electricity projects in Mendip total around 24 MW for electricity projects and 4 MW for heat projects3. The trend has been for sharp growth in renewable electricity installations; in April 2011 there were just 125 renewable electricity projects installed in Mendip, compared to just over 1,700 projects currently. Over 95% of these projects are domestic solar PV projects. This growth reflects the trend across the south west, where installed capacity grew by 46% from April 2012 to April 2013. The growth in the main has been in domestic solar PV and in large scale solar, with a smaller rise in the installation rate of small and medium scale wind turbines. Growth was stimulated by the introduction of the Feed-in Tariff in April 2011. Although support for new projects through the Feed-in Tariff has been reduced, falling costs for solar PV have resulted in continued high levels of deployment. Solar parks tend to use the Renewables Obligation scheme rather than the Feed-in Tariff. Their widespread deployment will be limited by the capacity of the grid to cope with further connections. Support for wind projects through the Feed-in Tariff is due to be reduced significantly from April 2014 and as a result a decrease in the number of small and medium scale wind projects coming forward is expected. Large scale wind is supported through the Renewables Obligation. Widespread deployment of large wind is constrained by cumulative impacts, the availability of suitable sites and grid constraints. 3
Figures are based on Regen SW’s South West Renewable Energy Progress Report 2013 which has installed capacity up to April 2013. Updates have been made to solar PV and wind figures in December 2013. Figures will be produced in June 2014 that will be correct to April 2014.
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Across the South West, there were approximately 76,000 renewable energy projects in April 2013, totalling 852.2 MW of renewable electricity and 198 MW of renewable heat. Delivery has been concentrated in Cornwall and Devon. Somerset’s installed capacity for renewable electricity and heat projects (100 MW) is just a third of that of Devon or Cornwall. With abundant resources, there is the potential for greater numbers of installations in Mendip. The Council can play a key role in maximising the benefits of installations and minimising the impacts.
3.1 Wind projects In Mendip, there are 13 wind turbines installed, totalling 2.097 MW. 2 MW of this total is the single large-scale turbine owned by Ecotricity at Shooter’s Bottom. It is estimated that this single large turbine generates a fifth of the renewable electricity currently generated in Mendip, demonstrating how a single large project can have a far larger impact on renewable electricity generation than a great number of small projects. The remaining 12 turbines in Mendip are all small scale, totalling 97kW: 3 of these were 15 kW turbines, one 10 kW and the remainder are 6 kW or below. Figure 2 on page 11 of this document is a useful diagram from Cornwall Council for understanding the different scales of turbines. Cornwall Council defines the scale of turbines based on their tip height, with the following categories:
Domestic:
The case for and against onshore wind energy in the UK; Grantham Research Institute and Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, July 2012. http://www.cccep.ac.uk/Publications/Policy/docs/PB-onshore-windenergy-in-the-UK.pdf 2
Ernst & Young UK solar PV industry outlook http://www.solartrade.org.uk/media/Ernst&Young%20Report%20%20The%20UK%2050kW%20to%205%20MW%20solar%20PV%20market.pdf
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2. Recommendations Local authorities have a key role to play in supporting the transition to a low carbon economy. They can take a number of actions that can help to maximise the positive benefits and minimise the negative impacts of renewable energy. Regen SW and Friends of the Earth have a number of recommendations for Mendip District Council to consider. We recommend that Mendip District Council should:
consider resourcing pre-application discussions to a greater extent. instigate an ongoing programme of training on renewable energy for councillors and officers. consider developing an action plan to lead on and support the delivery of community-led renewable energy projects, including a target for community owned renewables. develop planning policy that is supportive of renewable energy where the impacts are or can be made acceptable and in particular policy to support community energy consider producing guidance as part of its intended Supplementary Planning Document that sets out the information that is required to accompany applications for each different scale of turbine, following the example of Cornwall Council. consider developing a local energy plan that could provide the evidence base for a renewable energy target and a renewable energy strategy or action plan.
3. Current installed capacity in Mendip and trends At present, renewable electricity projects in Mendip total around 24 MW for electricity projects and 4 MW for heat projects3. The trend has been for sharp growth in renewable electricity installations; in April 2011 there were just 125 renewable electricity projects installed in Mendip, compared to just over 1,700 projects currently. Over 95% of these projects are domestic solar PV projects. This growth reflects the trend across the south west, where installed capacity grew by 46% from April 2012 to April 2013. The growth in the main has been in domestic solar PV and in large scale solar, with a smaller rise in the installation rate of small and medium scale wind turbines. Growth was stimulated by the introduction of the Feed-in Tariff in April 2011. Although support for new projects through the Feed-in Tariff has been reduced, falling costs for solar PV have resulted in continued high levels of deployment. Solar parks tend to use the Renewables Obligation scheme rather than the Feed-in Tariff. Their widespread deployment will be limited by the capacity of the grid to cope with further connections. Support for wind projects through the Feed-in Tariff is due to be reduced significantly from April 2014 and as a result a decrease in the number of small and medium scale wind projects coming forward is expected. Large scale wind is supported through the Renewables Obligation. Widespread deployment of large wind is constrained by cumulative impacts, the availability of suitable sites and grid constraints. 3
Figures are based on Regen SW’s South West Renewable Energy Progress Report 2013 which has installed capacity up to April 2013. Updates have been made to solar PV and wind figures in December 2013. Figures will be produced in June 2014 that will be correct to April 2014.
2
Across the South West, there were approximately 76,000 renewable energy projects in April 2013, totalling 852.2 MW of renewable electricity and 198 MW of renewable heat. Delivery has been concentrated in Cornwall and Devon. Somerset’s installed capacity for renewable electricity and heat projects (100 MW) is just a third of that of Devon or Cornwall. With abundant resources, there is the potential for greater numbers of installations in Mendip. The Council can play a key role in maximising the benefits of installations and minimising the impacts.
3.1 Wind projects In Mendip, there are 13 wind turbines installed, totalling 2.097 MW. 2 MW of this total is the single large-scale turbine owned by Ecotricity at Shooter’s Bottom. It is estimated that this single large turbine generates a fifth of the renewable electricity currently generated in Mendip, demonstrating how a single large project can have a far larger impact on renewable electricity generation than a great number of small projects. The remaining 12 turbines in Mendip are all small scale, totalling 97kW: 3 of these were 15 kW turbines, one 10 kW and the remainder are 6 kW or below. Figure 2 on page 11 of this document is a useful diagram from Cornwall Council for understanding the different scales of turbines. Cornwall Council defines the scale of turbines based on their tip height, with the following categories:
Domestic:
