The Daily Mail Gets it Wrong on Wind – Your Chance to Dispel the Wind Energy Myths

The Daily Mail newspaper has published a letter by Michael Cole attacking wind power following Miriam Durantez, the wife of the deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, taking up a job in the renewables industry. Unfortunately for Mr Cole, his claims regarding wind power are fundamentally flawed and have little to do with reality.

One of his many inaccurate statements included the claim wind turbines can't run without power from the National Grid and need their own generator for a constant electricity supply. The truth is wind turbines use an induction generator, which could be considered a form of reversed electrical motor. When the wind turbines' blades are turning faster than the speed of the equivalent electrical motor, the generator produces power. When wind speed is low, a turbine might need a jump start, which some take directly from the grid.

Mr Cole also stated billions of pounds have been spent in Britain on more than 2,000 turbines - and yet they contribute barely one per cent of the electricity the country needs. This is simply wrong. Owing to wind's variability, wind turbines typically produce about 3 per cent of the country's electricity – and this figure is set to increase as more wind farms are approved and built.

Lastly, and yet importantly, Mr Cole blamed wind farms for killing bats and birds that accidentally fly into them. We recently spoke to bird enthusiast and television presenter Bill Oddie on this topic. Mr Oddie fully supports wind farms, and states the danger they pose to birds is minimised due to the considered approach to construction taken by wind farm developers. In fact, cats pose a much more significant threat to birds than wind turbines. See what Bill had to say by watching his video in our video section at embracemyplanet.com/videos.

We recognise the importance of engaging in constructive debate to address the necessity of implementing renewable energy. We also know it is important to ensure people who will be impacted by renewable energy projects, including wind farms, have the chance to have their say. Unfortunately, Mr Cole has not presented a constructive debate in his letter. We need your help to ensure Daily Mail does not publish further inaccurate information regarding wind energy. Visit the below page on our website and click on the button (if you've signed in) to write to the editor of the Daily Mail.

We've included a sample letter to urge him to fact check the material he publishes. http://www.embracemyplanet.com/campaigns/daily-mail-getting-it-wrong-wind