I intend if this new topic is allowed to first post the letter elicited on my behalf, by my MP, from the Energy Minister at that time, Malcolm Wicks
The reason is that I asked on several occasions to be allowed to correct these errors and recived no reply
I pointed out the Minister must rely on his advisors and they had simply 'got it wrong'
Therefore I wish to post both my request and response on webcameron
May I add that the issue of placing this in the public domain I have cleared with my MP
Thank you

Now accepted I will continue with this tonight

13/07/2007 Refs:SD3105
MMA/563840
The Rt Hon Aan Milburn MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Dear Alan
Thank you for your letter of 13 June, enclosing correspondence from your constituent Ms Elizabeth Mann
of xx xxxxxxx xxxxx Darlington xxxxxx,about wind turbines

Ms Mann refers to the DTI commissioned noise study to
update ETSU-R-97 in December 2004. In January 2004 an article in the National press alleged low frequency
noise LFN emissions from wind turbines, at a Cornish
wind farm ,had given rise to health effects to
neighbours of three wind farms in Cumbria ,North Wales
and Cornwall, As a result the DTI commissioned an independent study to investigate noise levels and effects
of infrasound and LFN on the residents of dwellings neighbouring these three wind farm

The independent study by Hayes McKenzie, discovered in
the neighbouring dwellings of the three wind farms that:
Infrasound associated with modern wind turbines is not a source which will result in the noise levels which may be injurious to the health of a wind farm neighbour
Low frequency noise is measurable but below the DEFRA
Night Time Noise Criterion. Wind turbine noise may result
in internal noise levels within a dwelling that is just above the threshold of audibility, however at all sites
it was always lower than that of local road traffic noise

A copy of the study by Hayes McKenzie is available from DTI’s website: http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sources/renewables/
publications/pubs/page31267.html
The answer to your constituent’s second question about
the real state of play for onshore wind is that the technology is doing very well and making major
contribution towards our target.We currently have
123 operational onshore wind farms producing
1,694 MW energy.

The North East has 10 operational wind farms producing
37.8 MW energy Thus far there have not been any major problems with these projects

Finally in answer to Ms Mann’s third question, the
offshore wind is a important part of the UK’s future
energy mix. The Government believes that a diverse
portfolio of renewable energy sources including onshore
wind farms ,is essential if we are to make progress
towards the Government’s10% renewables target/ It is expected that wind will make the a major contribution towards our 2010 target ,with significant expansion of
both onshore and offshore wind

As of now we have 4 large offshore wind farms in
operation producing 214MW energy and another 83
projects of 2.552 MW waiting to be built
The Department of Trade and Industry has received the
first application for development consent for a round 2 project. If consented and built, the London Array development will be the largest offshore wind farm in
the world-supplying 1% of the UK’s electricity demand

xxxx wishes
MALCOLM WICKS

After receiving the letter I requested several times that I be allowed to make more detailed comments.....


Thank you for the letter sent to Alan Milburn and which he forwarded to me recently. May I thank you for your prompt reply, However as it appears to contain unsupported statements and misleading information,
I feel it unfair to involve Alan further and will therefore need to pursue these sensitive issues alone. I trust you will allow me to make more detailed comments.
I blame no one but myself for not ensuring certain facts were available to your advisors on whom you must rely as the Prime Minister must rely on his Ministers.


This was also sent by snail mail and resent by email with a copy to Robert Lilly. DTI However I received no reply and a few weeks later Wicks was given a Science and Innovation brief. After he returned as Energy Minister I tried again but still received no reply

Hence these postings..... the letter, the requests
The next post on this thread will contain the details I had tried to convey to the Minister at the time

I'm a Mac

And I'm a PC

http://www.apple.com/uk/getamac/ads/

Sorry couldnt resist it. I dont use a mac though but the ads are funny.

here are the anti mac (pro pc) spoof ads

http://www.youtube.com/user/AndreiMagu

Chulcoop
Mac PC whatever,M Wicks is an Energy minister and as such should have advisors who know the facts
was the title I would really have liked to use
Perhaps with the current scandals re funding it would have been more appropriate since the ROC 'subsidy' must surely be one of the greatest financial scams of all time.
Further details as promised I will post later.will look at the links when I have time.Thank you for your response

Met a lady some years ago who said she had been a 'typewriter' in Paris, so Mac.PC or Typewriter there's room for all!

Wicks says "Thus far there have not been any major problem with these projects"

He may fool some but not those who live in the North East of England.
To have blades come off,struck by lightning, catching fire and months ,even years (in some instances) of not operating must surely constitute a major problem. Added to this is the fact that only two of the ten wind 'farms' mentioned are operating at the 30% load factor, predicted at the time the applications received planning approval. What about the green energy promised and the carbon emission reductions predicted to help combat climate change?


I apologise for having to use several postings to explain where the letter appears to give misinformation and misleading figures as I am unable to type for long due to a recently torn muscle in my side

For David Read only
The introduction to PPS22 Companion Guide

For convenience I have copied below the abridged introduction and the unabridged paragraph from which the introduction was taken:

The Abridged version as used in the introduction to PPS 22 Companion Guide



Unabridged version as in Select Committee on Science and Technology Fourth Report July 2004 Chapter 2 at 2.8 unabridged



Note the important 'missing words' and the mesage thus conveyed
Note the supervisory/advisory groups and the project team*
PPS22 companion Guide was produced by Ove Arup and Partners The project was supervised by officials from ODPM and DTI and supported by an advisory group, comprising representatives of:
British Wind Energy Association
Renewable Power Association
British Biogen
Royal Town Planning Institute
Scottish Natural Heritage/The Landscape Institute
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Government Office for the South West
Government Office for the North West
London Borough of Merton
DTI
Defra
The project team comprised representatives of Arup, TNEI Services Ltd and Dulas Ltd.

Note ASA ruling re CBI abridged speech used elsewhere I need to post later

"I fail to see why an abridged version in PPS22 Companion Guide can be accepted parricularly in the light of the ASA adjucation on abridged quotes
Extracts
RWE npower plc npower referred to an ASA adjudication from
December 2005. ... was an abridged quote taken from a speech given by Tony Blair to the CBI in May 2006.


.
On this point, the ad breached CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation) and 7.1 (Truthfulness)

. . the claim "'By 2025, if current policy is unchanged... we will become 80/90% dependent on foreign (gas) imports.' - Prime Minister Tony Blair in speech to CBI" was misleading, because it did not appear in the speech it was attributed

to;npower said the quote was taken from a speech by Tony Blair to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) on 16 May 2006 and sent a transcript of the speech from the Downing Street website. They said they had abridged the quote and sent the full text, which stated " ... By 2025, if current policy is unchanged, there will be a dramatic gap on our targets to reduce CO2 emissions; we will become heavily dependent on gas; and at the same time move from being 80/90%, self-reliant in gas to 80/90% dependent on foreign imports, mostly from the Middle East and Africa and Russia ..."
On this point, the ad breached CAP Code clauses 3.1 (Substantiation) and 7.1 (Truthfulness).
Full report Feb 2st 2007
http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/TF_ADJ_42239.htm

Please access the Microsoft excel worksheet on the home page of http://www.wind-farm.co.ukThe CLICK HERE in the box will give you the Load Factors of the ten Wind Farms in the North East,monthly for 2004 AND 2005.
2006 has been no better

2007 results, Jan - Dec will not be available till March 2008 as they are accredited by OFGEM, three months in arrears

Just a 'cut and paste' from a recent debate in the House

Kali Mountford (Colne Valley) (Lab): While we let the hot air settle, may I tell my right hon. Friend that wind farms are enormously popular in my constituency, with 80 per cent. of people responding to a survey saying that they think they are attractive, produce clean energy and tackle global warming? —[HON. MEMBERS: “Hoorah!]—or will we get a wind farm?
The Prime Minister: I hope that all parties in this House will support the development of wind turbines, both offshore and onshore. That is the only way to meet our target for renewable resources, if it is going to be as high as the European Commission proposes it to be. I believe that there is a duty on all parties in all areas of the country to consider the development of wind turbines.
Hope by tonight I will be able to type the rest of my comments to to Wicks letter the information is here but still having problems H ow could an Energy Minister get it so wrong

The letter posted on the 27th Nov from Wicks simply got it wrong
Incidently the statement '10 operational wind farms producing 37.8 MW energy' must be a typimg error as no Energy Minister should surely make the mistake of confusing units. MW is a unit of power and energy is expressed as MWh 37.8 MW is Installed Capacity (IC) and you would thus expect the North Eastturbines if operating at the 30% load factor to produce and average power output annually of 11MW

However it needs only the load factors for the North East for 'Operational' Wind Farms to illustrate that these wind farms are not doing what was promised when planning permission was given
I will list all starting with those at Blyth

]A full year is needed due to the variablilty of the wind. Thus it can take up to 26 months to get a full year's rsults as they are accredited 3months in arrears
ONE
Blyth Offshore Wind Generator 1
2003 16.2%
2004 26.5%
2005 8.8%
2006 2.1%
2007 to August Zero

Blyth Offshore Wind Generator 2
2002/2003/2004/2005/2006 and to August 2007 Zero
TWO
Blyth Harbour on-shore
2003 12%
2004 11.6%
2005 13.2%
2006 10.5%
THREE
Great Eppleton Farm
2003 11.2%
2004 15%
2005/2006 Zero
FOUR
Kirkheaton
2003 25.3%
2004 26.8%
2005 23.2%
2006 27.6%
FIVE
Tow Law
2003 26.2%
2004 31.7
2005 30.8
SIX
Hedley Hope
2003 27.4
2004 32.2
2005 33.8
2006 28.6
SEVEN
Barnard Castle GSK
2005 8.9%
2006 8.2
EIGHT
Holmside
2005 19.1
2006 14.2
Holmside NFFO
2005 19.8
2006 16.2
NINE
Hare Hill
2005 14.6
2006 16.2
Hare Hill NFFO
2005 18.3
2006 21.1
TEN
High Volts
2004 15.7
2005 18.4
2006 15.5
High Volts NFFO
2004 30.1
2005 20.1
2006 6.6
I do feel there are problems with the NFFO accreditations


The figs were compiled from the ofgem website ROCs monthly accreditaions.They are in agreement with figures published on other websites

Visit to High Volts Wind Farm Hosted by E.ON UK Renewables, project developers and operators Commissioned only in December last year, High Volts displays some of the most advanced technology across its three majestic turbines.
Note the load Factors for High Volts posted on the last entry

They got a lot wrong in particular whether these wind turbines are doing what ws expected Now what will happen