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Myth: Tens of thousands of wind turbines will be cluttering the British countryside
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Fact: Getting 10% of our energy from wind would require less than 0.5% of our land.
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To obtain 10% of our electricity from the wind would require constructing around 12,000 MW of wind energy capacity. Depending on the size of the turbines, they would extend over 80,000 to 120,000 hectares (0.3% to 0.5% of the UK land area). Less than 1% of this (800 to 1,200 hectares) would be used for foundations and access roads, the other 99% could still be used for productive farming. For comparison, between 288,000 to 360,000 hectares (1.2-1.5% of the UK land area) is covered by roads and some 18.5 million hectares (77%) are used for agriculture.
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Myth: Building a wind farm takes more energy than it ever makes
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Fact: Wind turbines pay back the energy used in their construction in at most eight months.
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The comparison of energy used in manufacture with the energy produced by a power station is known as the 'energy balance'. It can be expressed in terms of energy 'pay-back' time, i.e. as the time needed to generate the equivalent amount of energy used in manufacturing the wind turbine or power station.
The average wind farm in the UK will pay back the energy used in its manufacture within six to eight months. This compares favourably with coal or nuclear power stations, which take about six months.Source: Vestas Wind Turbine Life Cycle Assessment
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Myth: Wind farms are inefficient. They are only operational 30% of the time
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Fact: Wind turbines produce electricity 70-85% of the time.
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A modern wind turbine generates different amounts of electricity depending on wind speed. Over the course of a year, it will typically generate from about 20% to more than 30% of its theoretical maximum output, depending on location. This is known as its load factor. The load factor of conventional power stations is on average 50%. A modern wind turbine will generate enough to meet the electricity demands of more than a thousand homes over the course of a year.Source: "Wind power and variability" - RenewableUK briefing sheet
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Myth:Wind energy require fossil fuel plants for back-up
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Fact: We can't afford fossil fuel plants without wind power.
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All forms of power generation require back-up and no energy technology can be relied upon 100%. The UK's transmission system already operates with enough back-up to manage the instantaneous loss of a large power station. National Grid have developed a system of short-term operating reserve generation to handle this - and even with large amounts of wind on our grid, this reserve would only need to increase from 5% of our total generation to 8%. If we don't go for wind, we'll need much more expensive imported gas - which could increase our bills by over half, compared to 20% for wind and gas. Sources: "Operating in 2020" - National Grid, "Project Discovery" - Ofgem
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Myth: Wind power is expensive
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Fact: Onshore wind energy is one of the cheapest low carbon energy technologies.
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Wind is competitive with new clean coal fired power stations and cheaper than new nuclear power. Offshore wind is currently more expensive than onshore owing to the complications of building in a marine environment. The Government has invested £30 million into reducing its costs, which should come down with large-scale department.Source: "UK Generation Costs Update" - Mott Macdonald for DECC
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Myth: The UK should invest in other renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency instead of wind power
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Myth: Wind farms harm property prices
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Fact: There is currently no evidence in the UK showing that wind farms impact house prices. However, there is evidence following a comprehensive study by the Scottish Executive that those living nearest to wind farms are their strongest advocates. Source: "Public Attitudes to Windfarms" - Scottish Government
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Myth: Wind farms kill birds
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Fact: The RSPB stated in its 2004 information leaflet Wind farms and birds, that "in the UK, we have not so far witnessed any major adverse effects on birds associated with wind farms". However, elsewhere in the world badly-sited wind farms have had a negative impact on avian populations, and so wind farms in the UK are always subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment. RenewableUK members follow best practice guidelines and work closely with organisations such as English Nature and the RSPB to ensure that wind farm design and layout does not interfere with sensitive species or wildlife designated sites. Furthermore, a 2004 report published in the journal Nature confirmed that the greatest threat to bird populations in the UK is climate change.
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Critique of 'The Wind Farm Scam'
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A key text for anti-wind campaigners, 'The Wind Farm Scam' contains many objections to wind power – the majority of which have little grounding. Professor John Twidell has produced a thorough critique of this work, discussing in technical detail the issues raised.
