The Truth of Turning off Wind Turbines

The Daily Telegraph recently published an article that stated Britain’s largest wind farm developers are paid to switch off wind turbines during periods of high wind. This is an initiative aimed at safeguarding the National Grid against power surges that would occur during these periods, when power supplied by wind turbines outstrips demand

While this statement is factually accurate, the implications and tone of the article are entirely misleading. The article heavily embellishes the truth and positions wind turbines as an unfeasible and expensive energy source. This is simply not the case. We feel it is important to provide a balanced overview of this initiative and its importance in advancing the renewable energy sector.   

The concept of paying energy companies to reduce the amount of electricity sent to the National Grid is not new. This system, or ‘balancing mechanism’, has been applied to older forms of energy generation, such as to coal and gas-fired power stations, for many years. This process is a vital in maintaining the National Grid’s infrastructure and keeping Britain’s homes and businesses supplied with power.  When demand on the Grid is low, such as during the Summer months when less energy is used to light homes in the evening, the amount of energy supplied has to be reduced in order to ensure catastrophic power surges do not occur.

The amounts paid to renewable energy suppliers are usually higher than those paid to coal and gas-fired suppliers. This is a deliberate tactic, aimed at reducing the amount of power supplied to the Grid from non-renewable sources. By charging the National Grid more to turn off renewable sources, such as wind farms, they are incentivised to turn off non-renewable sources instead.  

The misrepresentation and twisting of the facts in this article, and other articles on the topic, portray wind farms as costly alternatives to out-dated, non-renewable forms of energy generation. In order to ensure a sustainable energy future for Britain, it is vital such misrepresentations are not allowed to continue. If you’d like to support a wind farm in your area, click on our homepage and hit the pink button.  

We would encourage the National Grid to turn off wind turbines as a last resort only. In doing so, the environmental impact of energy generation will be reduced and ensure Britain is able to develop and maintain renewable energy sources now and in the future.

Source: The Daily Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/windpower/7840035/Firms-paid-to-shut-down-wind-farms-when-the-wind-is-blowing.html