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The Bradworthy Wind Turbines
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Local Action - Renewable Energy - Winkleigh Biomass
Members & supporters of the North Devon Green Party often involve themselves deeply with local issues, putting personal time and energy into making the green voice heard, when all other voices muddy into brown.
This area documents some of those campaigns.
A speech in support of the WINBEG planning application by Jon Hooper, March 2006
We are here today, considering a planning application for a Biomass electricity generator, which has come about because of two issues that are beginning to deeply affect all our lives: Climate Change and Energy Security.
Climate Change is a threat without precedent in human history and it’s being caused by us, a by-product of the lifestyles of everyone in this room. Every time we use electricity or gas, travel by car, eat some food or buy a product which has been manufactured and transported, we’re responsible for releasing yet more Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere, a Greenhouse Gas which will last for a hundred years.
Rising sea levels will be one of the most inevitable effects of Climate Change. Melting ice sheets in Greenland alone could raise sea levels by seven metres (1), and the Arctic is already melting quicker than ever predicted – icebergs the size of Wales are breaking off and floating away. Seven metres of sea level rise is more than enough to put most of the world’s major cities underwater – the Guardian newspaper predicts a flood of up to fifty million environmental refugees by the end of the decade (2), and that will only be the start.
Less predicable is exactly how much warmer or cooler, wetter or dryer it will become here in Devon. However, it is likely that our entire countryside will change. If it becomes warmer and dryer, native species such as the Oak and Beech will die out (3), agricultural yields will drop, and new weeds will take over. We know that Climate Change can also occur naturally in cycles lasting hundreds or thousands of years. At one point in History, the British isles was a dry savannah like Africa and at another, it was buried under a mile of ice. The real problem is the speed at which the climate is now changing; the last time it changed as rapidly as it is now, 95% of species on Earth became extinct, because they didn’t have time to evolve and adapt (4).
To avert the worst effects of Climate Change, we need to reduce our emissions now. We need to take responsibility at a global, national, local and personal level. WINBEG will produce enough renewable energy for 23,000 homes – that’s nearly all the homes in Torridge (5). Of course we also need to reduce emissions from transport and save energy in our homes and businesses, but no combination of energy efficiency and reduction measures within Torridge would come close to matching WINBEG in tackling Climate Change. It would probably take more than twenty 100m wind turbines (6), or more small domestic wind turbines that there are homes in Torridge (7) to match WINBEG. Electricity from WINBEG will be ten times cleaner – in terms of Greenhouse gas emissions – than the electricity from fossil fuels that it will be replacing. We must do our bit to tackle Climate Change here in Torridge; only then can we expect other areas and other Countries to do the same.
Our energy bills have recently risen by a massive 20%. Every year forty thousand people die in Britain from cold related causes, half of them because they can’t afford to heat their homes (8). On top of rising energy bills, we’re facing a massive energy gap in the next few years – and we’ll risk widespread power cuts unless we develop new sources of energy and learn to use energy more economically. We’re running out of North Sea gas, and most of our nuclear power stations will soon come to the end of their twenty-five year lives and be decommissioned – at a cost of £70bn to us taxpayers (9). It’s widely acknowledged that the world’s demand for oil and gas is about to outstrip the rate at which they can be produced; we’ve already used up half the world’s oil, and competition for what remains will cause prices to continue to rise. I fear we will see more wars and international conflict over oil – continuing to waste the lives of our soldiers and innocent civilians in the Middle East.
I believe it is vitally important, if we don’t want to be totally reliant on ever more expensive fuels from foreign countries in an unstable world, that we build local, renewable sources of electricity such as WINBEG.
Devon relies almost entirely on electricity from outside the county. For us to get our power at the flick of a switch, other people have to live beside hulking great nuclear, coal and gas power stations, tolerating the fumes, the pollution, the cancer risks. For us in Devon, these power stations are out of sight and out of mind. It’s time to take back responsibility for producing what we need, to stop being a burden on other communities. It’s time for a scheme like WINBEG, to produce local electricity for local consumption in Torridge.
Devon’s planning authorities have got one of the most pitiful records in the country for failing to approve renewable energy schemes, yet we’re blessed with some of the best renewable energy resources in the whole of Europe. It’s time to turn that record around. WINBEG is the product of ten years hard work from a local man. We haven’t got another ten years to start tackling Climate Change – I urge you to take action now and support WINBEG.
References:
(1) nature.com, 2004, “Greenland's climate: A rising tide” http://www.nature.com/news/2004/040308/pf/428114a_pf.html
(2) guardian.co.uk, 12th Oct 2005, “50m environmental refugees by end of decade, UN warns”, http://www.guardian.co.uk/naturaldisasters/story/0,7369,1589899,00.html
(3) guardian.co.uk, 26th Jan 2006, “Germany's oaks 'could die out'”, http://www.guardian.co.uk/conservation/story/0,,1694975,00.html
(4) Mark Lynas, 7th March 2005, “High Tide: News From a Warming World”, http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/scienceandnature/0,,1445787,00.html
(5) http://www.peninsulapower.co.uk/project.htm, http://www.devon.gov.uk/dff_house_council_tax
(6) “One 1.8 MW wind turbine at a reasonable site would… meet the annual needs of over 1,000 households” (http://www.bwea.com/ref/faq.html#howmuch)
(7) http://www.windsave.com/FAQ_technical.htm#10, http://www.bwea.com/small/faq.html
(8) http://www.warmerhouses.org.uk/
(9) news.bbc.co.uk, March 20th 2006, “Nuclear clean-up 'to cost £70bn'”, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4859980.stm
NDGP Press Release in support of the Winbeg Biomass Generator
January 2005, from the campaign office of North Devon PPC, Ricky Knight
Over the next century, the most serious threat to millions of lives around the globe, not to mention millions of homes, will be climate change, which is why securing clean energy from renewable sources has been high on the Green Party agenda for many years. New technologies always take time to mature before full use can be made of them. Wind turbines have been in widespread use around the world for several decades, which is why we are now seeing a new generation of wind turbines that are quieter, more efficient, and produce cheaper electricity than ever before.
Energy from Biomass is hardly a modern concept. Today, Biomass energy has the potential to supply a significant portion of the UK’s energy needs, as well as providing a much needed boost to rural farmers. The manner in which farmers grow, harvest and transport energy crops such as Miscanthus (similar in appearance to Maize) is almost identical to existing farming practices. The only new technology is really the gasifier, which releases the energy from the crops in a much cleaner and more efficient way than a traditional wood fire. The result is ash, water vapour (which will usually be invisible), an amount of carbon dioxide and a great deal of energy! The farming and transporting of energy crops uses diesel, which means Biomass energy isn’t perfectly clean like wind energy, but it’s still ten times cleaner than the energy produced by the burning of fossil fuels. North Devon Green Party PPC, Ricky Knight, maintains it’s a double bonus: “It will regenerate the liveliehoods of a number of local farmers and affiliated businesses and it will produce lots of clean, renewable energy”.
In Devon, the one significant local Biomass project, “WINBEG” , has met with suspicion and hostility by a strongly opinionated group of protestors. Officers of the North Devon Green Party have invested much time and effort over the last nine months in establishing their own standpoint on WINBEG. On balance, considering the present and future needs of our communities, the local economy and the environment, they now feel able to support the project. All members were consulted and 71% of them were in support of the project.
Mr Knight adds: “We hope that the residents and decision-makers of Devon will be able to find the time to do sufficient independent research to form their own opinions on WINBEG and not just a pressured response to protestations from the opponents of the scheme. I have every sympathy for the Planning Committee of the Torridge District Council, who are having to consider a massive 1000-page application, whilst retaining their objectivity and sanity. Climate Change is a scientific fact however and every community is going to have to make responsible if painful decisions as to how we are going to generate energy in the future. We can not afford any more delays.”
From the Officers of the North Devon Green Party
A letter to the Journal from Jon Hooper, 8th Feb 2005
In expressing their support for the WINBEG project, the North Devon Green Party are asking people to consider the most pressing imperative behind Renewable Energy projects: Climate Change.
There is a strong economic case for Renewable Energy, as it decreases our reliance on fossil energy sources, which are already becoming more expensive and starting to run out.
There is also a strong moral case for Renewable Energy: while we in North Devon will certainly be seeing more severe extremes of weather, a rising sea level and frequent flooding, the real victims of Climate Change are the millions in the developing countries who, as we’ve recently seen, are hit much harder by floods and droughts. North Devon’s electricity comes mainly from Nuclear and Fossil fuel power stations elsewhere in the UK, where local people continue to suffer from the pollution those types of power station create. It is time to take responsibility for creating our own power, and not just take electricity for granted at the expense of other communities.
There is a clear obligation for local authorities to support renewable energy, as they have been asked to produce 11-15% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2010. This Government target means that here in Devon we need to build the equivalent of eighty large wind turbines, or seven WINBEGs, all within the next five years. What's more, the Green Party says that this target should be doubled if we want to be serious about combating Climate Change. In meeting these targets we will inevitably see changes in the North Devon countryside, but let’s put these in perspective: over the decades we have constantly changed the landscape to meet our changing needs, and I for one will be proud to see my home County pulling it’s weight. These times require responsible leadership, with an understanding of Devon’s past and a strong vision for Devon’s future.
The case for tackling Climate Change is rarely mentioned in the WINBEG debate, yet it is the most urgent reason for the project’s existence. In supporting Biomass and Wind Power projects, the North Devon Green Party wish to bring the focus back onto the really important issues. Renewable energy is vital for our future, and compromises urgently need to be made.
Jon Hooper, North Devon Green Party member
A letter to the DTI from Jon Hooper, December 2004
Hello,
I am writing to express my views in support of the proposed Biomass Electricity Generator on Winkleigh airfield, Planning Application number 1/2149/2004.
We have few, if any, existing Biomass schemes in the South West. As we have no direct experience of them, it is understandable that the proposal for Winkleigh has been met with suspicion and fear by many local residents. I initially shared some of their fears, but after reading several independent reports on Biomass my fears have been replaced with an appreciation of the benefits of this project.
I have come to see the Winkleigh Biomass scheme as two things:
- Firstly, it’s a renewable energy project to provide clean reliable power to 23,000 of the 25,000 homes in Torridge (1)
- Secondly, it’s a rural agricultural business, with buildings much like farm buildings and silos, and relying on the traditional tractors, lorries, and rural road network to grow crops and transport them. I see very little difference between the Biomass business and the long established dairy, arable and meat industries which we have in Devon. The industries are so similar that many local farmers will be able to easily diversify to Biomass crops, if they so wish.
The scheme is well-sited in the centre of Devon, in the middle of the area where energy crops can be grown, so as to minimise the transport distance.
The scheme is to be built on an area of land designated for this type of use.
The scheme’s buildings have been designed to look like any normal agricultural buildings, except the highest part of the structure which is translucent, clad in a special material which will take on the changing colours of the sky and land, helping it to merge into the landscape. The buildings will mostly be hidden by trees and landscaping, and will be no more noticeable from a distance than a village church. The airfield is lower than Winkleigh itself, and lower than many other areas of nearby land. I do not believe the scheme will have any significant impact of the character of the Winkleigh area.
The traffic impact is comparable to that of many other medium-sized agricultural businesses, with an estimated 1% increase in traffic on Winkleigh roads.
There will be no significant emissions from the scheme, and water vapour will only be visible on the 5% of days when the air is already moist and humid, and probably misty.
The local economic and employment benefits of Biomass are probably better than for any other type of Renewable Energy.
The urgent need for renewable energy is widely understood, and here are some of the key reasons:
- Oil and Gas are running out, already leading to increased fuel and energy prices and to “fuel poverty” for the less affluent. Renewable energy decreases our usage of these finite resources, and guarantees a secure energy supply in the future.
- Fossil fuel power stations are the main culprit, alongside traffic, for greenhouse gases such as Carbon Dioxide which lead to climate change. Climate disasters are said to be responsible for 99 of every 100 deaths in developing nations, and here in the UK we are seeing more extreme weather conditions leading to increased deaths (2). Renewable Energy schemes reduce the usage of Fossil fuels.
- Nuclear power is not a significant solution: even if we were to double our nuclear capacity, we would only reduce UK Carbon Dioxide emissions by 8% (2). Renewable Energy can be cheaper than nuclear power, and does not have the long-term problem of nuclear waste and health risks of radioactive pollution.
The Government’s regional targets for Renewable Energy are expected to be met, in part, by Biomass energy, with RegenSW’s targets requiring several schemes as significant as the Winkleigh biomass generator in the South West. The Winkleigh scheme will help to establish a ready supply of Biomass crops, making other biomass developments such as small-scale Combined-Heat-and-Power schemes more feasible.
References:
1) (2001 census: 24880 households in Torridge) (RegenSW: 1 MW of generation capacity is roughly adequate to supply 1,000 homes)
2) stated by Tony Juniper, director of Friends Of The Earth
Biomass, the Green community and the Winkleigh proposal
A report by Jon Hooper, August 2004
I have been interested in the proposed biomass development at Winkleigh ever since I realised how much it has divided the local green community. I've followed the debate and witnessed how passionately people are arguing for and against the project, people who are otherwise united in wishing to create a green, sustainable future.
The Winkleigh biomass energy project [WINBEG] has been criticised by prominent locals and Greens in many ways. For me, the project departs from basic Green ideology in that it isn't a local initiative that has grown out of the community, that it doesn't directly benefit the local community enough, and that many would claim it's not "small enough to be beautiful." Green ideology might be seen as a blueprint for a better world, but my view is that we can achieve the most at present by accepting compromise and "nudging" government policy and decision-making in the right direction. Personally, I've come to see WINBEG as having the potential to become a step in the right direction.
Biomass energy is supported by the Green Party as an important part of our energy strategy for the future, alongside other renewable sources and of course the reduction of energy use.
Wind power, some types of solar power and some types of biomass already have forms, which can be, and are being, commercialised. We need to pay attention to creating the conditions that will allow most rapid and appropriate commercialisation for these technologies. 1To be Green is to embrace "Real Progress", involving widespread changes that will affect us all. But the prospect of change does worry many people, particularly those who are fortunate enough to live in beautiful surroundings. But beauty is an aesthetic judgement, and change can bring new beauty:
The English landscape is not constant; it has been in a state of change for centuries as humans have changed the use to which they put the land. 2All energy sources come with environmental penalties. but these impacts must be balanced against the necessity of developing low-carbon sources that are both economically viable and also secure. 2I wish to briefly address some of the common worries raised by anti-WINBEG campaigners and explain why Biomass energy in general is supported by Environmentalists before raising a few criticisms of my own and suggesting some solutions.
Even taking pollution from farm machinery & lorry transport into account, electricity from Biomass produces less than a fifth of the Carbon Dioxide produced by Gas, and less than a thirteenth of the Carbon Dioxide produced by Coal 2. Thus the argument in local newspapers that lorry traffic negates the environmental benefits of Biomass is, looking at the figures, unfounded. Further, the assertion by PPL that such lorry traffic will be no more than is currently generated by Devon farms, and thus wear and tear on Devon roads will be no greater overall, seems sensible enough, though obviously Winkleigh airfield will become more of a focal point for this existing traffic.
The biomass crops, Short Rotation Coppiced willow [SRC] and Miscanthus have significant environmental benefits compared to conventional arable crops such as wheat in that they require far less agrochemicals and can support much greater biodiversity. (Note: if biomass crops are grown on the relatively few areas of wild set-aside land, it is likely that there will be a reduction in biodiversity in these areas.)
.biodiversity may be enhanced if energy crops are grown in place of monoculture arable crops or pasture, with the additional benefit of providing wildlife corridors between woodland habitats. 2It has been claimed that Biomass crops would be unsuitable for growing in Devon, in particular because heavy harvesting machinery designed for frozen Swedish soils would become mired in mud in our wet winters. Certainly, appropriate technology has to be chosen for the climate:
A UK willow growers' group has gone some way towards solving this problem by using an imported sugar cane harvester. There is no need for frozen soil during harvesting as the mat-like roots of the willow plants adequately support the lighter machinery. 2Green Policy promotes local food production, and thankfully Biomass crops won't be competing with food crops: half of the land in England is seen as too poor for growing food crops, and it is recommended that SRC and Miscanthus be grown only on this land.2 (indeed it would not be profitable for farmers to switch to energy crops on richer soils.)
Biomass crops are not to be confused with Biofuel crops which are distilled to produce ethanol to power vehicles. The Green Party has a clear policy against Biofuel crops, for good reasons. In particular, they take a lot of energy to manufacture, and there are better recycled alternatives, such as used cooking oil.
WINBEG aims to be a pioneer of Gasification technology. Critics point to the failed ARBRE plant in Yorkshire and condemn the use of new technology. However, ARBRE was never brought into full operation as investors were unable to underwrite the costs of completing the start-up programme 2, and surely there has to be a place for innovation. The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution calls on the government to properly fund such pioneer projects, in the same way as they did and continue to do with nuclear power:
We recommend that the government underwrite the cost of at least one, but preferably several schemes to demonstrate the commercial viability of medium-scale biomass energy projects. 2Biomass energy is well established in several countries around the world - the technology is proven and the benefits demonstrated; but so far, uptake in the UK has been extremely limited. 2To support Biomass in principle does not necessarily mean we have to support the WINBEG proposal as it stands. Biomass energy installations come in many flavours and sizes. Peninsula Power has designed its installation to conform exactly to Government policy on Biomass. The RCEP criticises one particular aspect of this policy:
. unlike most other renewable sources, biomass offers potential as a source of heat as well as electricity, offering high conversion efficiencies. This potential appears to have been overlooked in government policies to promote biomass, which have concentrated on electricity generation. 2
Exploiting this heat will require the growth of heat networks and a shift from very large, all-electricity plant towards smaller and more numerous combined heat and power plants. 2
Climate change policy, not speculative export possibilities, should be the primary driver for developing the biomass sector in the UK. 2
Simply put, for every one unit of electrical energy generated by a typical biomass plant, there are three units of heat energy produced. In an electricity-only plant such as WINBEG this heat is going to waste. I would like to see Peninsula Power revise their plans to address this.
Biomass has the potential to be our most significant supply of renewable energy in the short to medium term3. Offshore wind and wave technology is the renewable energy source most eagerly anticipated by the Green Party but estimates for when it will even begin to become ready for deployment vary from ten to twenty years, clearly too long to wait.
WINBEG currently looks set to benefit the local community by providing forty jobs and an alternative income for farmers. I support the view that the local community should receive more direct benefits from a local project: reduced electricity bills, and piped district heating for the several hundred residents within a reasonable radius of the site.
A lesson from the experience of NFFO (Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation) projects over the last ten years is that the renewable energy industry needs to pay more attention to the local benefits its developments can realise. The global environmental imperative cannot be relied upon to win hearts and minds at the local level. 4
I suggest that rather than rejecting WINBEG outright Green campaigners and locals should instead petition Peninsula Power and the local authorities to revise and improve the WINBEG proposal. Reduced electricity bills, community heating, and guaranteed income for farmers are all local benefits which could and should be achieved. I would like to see those in the local community use their power to shape such a significant project for their own good and the good of the planet.
References:
1 The Green Party (2003). The Green Party's Alternative Energy Review
2 Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (2004). Biomass as a Renewable Energy Source
3 Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (2004). Energy - The Changing Climate
4 Government Office for the South West (2001). Renewable energy assessment and targets for the South West
Useful Links:
Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution: http://www.rcep.org.uk
Regen South West: http://www.regensw.co.uk
Department of Trade and Industry: http://www.dti.gov.uk/renewable/
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs: www.defra.gov.uk
Green Party Alternative Energy Review 2003: http://www.greenparty.org.uk/files/reports/2003/aer_2003.pdf
Green Party Manifesto: http://policy.greenparty.org.uk/mfss/
Website designed by Jon Hooper
Published and promoted by Jon Hooper, 3 Elizabeth Court, Well Street, Torrington EX38 8EP on behalf of the North Devon Green Party, 1 Taw View Terrace, Bishops Tawton, EX32 0AW
PLEASE NOTE: Not all of the material presented on this site is necessarily Green Party Policy or endorsed by The Green Party.