Shetland windfarm - Viking Energy

[ArabiaTerra]

Billy Fox and one of the other nimby's recently stated in the Shetland Times that "all you have to do to show your support for the windfarm is stay silent". While this might, technically, be true, I feel I should remind you all that every letter or e-mail of support will cancel out one objection letter or e-mail.

 

After all, if they get 500 objections and no supporting letters they will take notice. On the other hand, if they get 500 objections and 1000 supporting letters/e-mails it will look considerably different. The e-mail address for letters of support is as follows:

 

energyconsents@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

 

And if you wish to take the trouble of writing, the address is:

 

The Scottish Government

Energy Consents Unit

2nd Floor

Meridian Court

5 Cadogan Street

Glasgow, G2 6AT

 

Write now to give your children and grandchildren the same kind of prosperity you have enjoyed. Write now to help stop climate change and give Shetland a future as a community.

 

You have until the 28th of July to make your voice heard. Don't let the nimby's win.

 

Edit: If you are e-mailing, put "Developer: Viking Energy Partnership Windfarm" in the subject line.

[PJ of Hildisvik]

Bravo...Bravo..AT.

[ArabiaTerra]

^^^^ Just standing up for my principles, PJ, seeing it through to the end. I'm sure you'll understand that, even if you don't agree. ^^^^

[sassermaet]

I'd rather have a windfarm than a nuclear plant. A friend of mine lives in North Ayrshire, near both such sites, and says the nuclear plant is far more of an eyesore as well as more harmful to the environment.

[MuckleJoannie]

Tom Morton is hosting an extended Speakeasy on the subject of Viking Energy, tonight I think, at 6.10 pm on Radio Shetland 92.7 FM.

[cheryl.hughson]

I'd far rather see a little bit of everything being used/exercised.

 

Wind, Wave, Solar.

 

You dont have to base your other alternative choices on nuclear alone.

 

Keep on recycling, and keep your minds and hearts open.

[ArabiaTerra]

^^^^ The island of Eigg recently installed a mains electricity system powered by wind, solar and a diesel backup. The cost was approximately £10,000/person. To do this in Shetland would, therefore, cost around £230,000,000 for a system that would generate no more income than normal electricity bills. Poor value, I would say, compared to the VE proposal.

 

But, apparently, that's what "sustainable" Shetland want. Oh, and it would mean thousands of windmills (albeit, small ones) on all the hills of Shetland.

[cheryl.hughson]

^^^

 

Yet they are now totally self reliant, and once the debt has been paid off they won't have to answer to anyone, ever. It's definately a community project, and just what a community project should be.

 

Unlike with the windfarm which there has been talk -in the past, i'm not sure if this is still the case- that will be sold to outside companies, therefore making it all the more unlocal and out of our control. We wouldn't have our say in the matter (not that we already do mind you, or at least that's how it feels, since any opinion we have seems to be quashed by pushy folks like you)

 

So try to take a breather and let other people have their opinion without sniping on this forum the whole time.

[Carlos]

There's nothing easy, as there's 3 sides to the question; the visual/environmental impact, the financial costs/business model and then the community benefits/control.

Any different blend of proposal to benefit one area might come at costs in other areas, and the balance different people prefer varies, but you do have to choose, there is not really the option to get all 3.

 

If you prefer a low impact project, from mixed sources of energy generation, 100% owned by Shetland, then the costs necessarily go up. They might still be acceptable to some, depending on how they work out, but all sides need to be considered together.

 

If we look at scaling up something like the 5 turbine project proposed for Cullivoe, then if you roll that out on a wider scale you might end up with more, smaller turbines that the VE proposal, with lower efficiency, so less energy for your cash investment, but maybe more local control of the size/location of each of the small groups of turbines.

You would probably not get the inter-connector, in the short term at least, so again, like Cullivoe you might have to look at energy store schemes like local district heating, so more investment for that side of things, lower efficiency, and less cash returns on the investment.

 

Again those trade-offs might be considered preferable by some, but they need to be acknowledged as a part of that particular overall picture.

[ArabiaTerra]

^^^

Unlike with the windfarm which there has been talk -in the past, i'm not sure if this is still the case- that will be sold to outside companies, therefore making it all the more unlocal and out of our control. We wouldn't have our say in the matter (not that we already do mind you, or at least that's how it feels, since any opinion we have seems to be quashed by pushy folks like you)

This is one of the things that annoys me with the grapevine here. This whole thing about it being sold off was_a_lie spread by "sustainable" Shetland. And you've bought it and are spreading it here. How many other people have you told this to? Have you ever tried to check this rumour to see if there's any truth whatsoever in it?

So try to take a breather and let other people have their opinion without sniping on this forum the whole time.

I can't, not while people like PJ and the rest of the nimby's are spreading their lies and people like you are believing, or at least, not questioning them. I believe passionately in this windfarm. I think it's the one and only chance Shetland will get to replace the oil income and cushion the devastation of the fishing, fish farming and tourism that's likely to result from global warming and ocean acidification.

 

When people stop posting lies, distortion and rumour I will stop exposing them, until then you'll just have to put up with me.

[Malachy]

This is one of the things that annoys me with the grapevine here. This whole thing about it being sold off was_a_lie spread by "sustainable" Shetland.

 

You're rather stretching the definition of the word 'lie' here AT. All Sustainable Shetland have said, or at least all I've hear them say, is that the Charitable Trust might have to sell their share in the windfarm because of the colossal investment required. And, quite understandably, Bill Manson and co have confirmed that they can't rule that out, for the same reason. So I'm not entirely sure what this lie might be.

[crofter]

 

When people stop posting lies, distortion and rumour I will stop exposing them, until then you'll just have to put up with me.

 

What about your sig AT?

 

"Write now to give your children and grandchildren the same kind of prosperity you have enjoyed. Write now to help stop climate change and give Shetland a future as a community."

 

Tha windfarm is not guaranteed to bring prosperity. Perhaps the opposite!

 

It won't stop climate change...

 

Shetland has future whether it is built or not - "as a community" ???

 

 

[Muppet]

This whole thing about it being sold off was_a_lie spread by "sustainable" Shetland.

 

The first time I heard it mentioned was by Allan Wishart on Radio Shetland. He seemed to me to be suggesting that if we didn't do it, then some outside interests would come in and build it and we'd be stuck with it anyhow, but without the profit. Seems like it's not sustainable Shetland doing the scaremongering.

[crofter]

This whole thing about it being sold off was_a_lie spread by "sustainable" Shetland.

 

The first time I heard it mentioned was by Allan Wishart on Radio Shetland. He seemed to me to be suggesting that if we didn't do it, then some outside interests would come in and build it and we'd be stuck with it anyhow, but without the profit. Seems like it's not sustainable Shetland doing the scaremongering.

 

Think Tavish Scott said much the same...

[ArabiaTerra]

You're rather stretching the definition of the word 'lie' here AT. All Sustainable Shetland have said, or at least all I've hear them say, is that the Charitable Trust might have to sell their share in the windfarm because of the colossal investment required. And, quite understandably, Bill Manson and co have confirmed that they can't rule that out, for the same reason. So I'm not entirely sure what this lie might be.

The first time I heard this "lie" was months ago, maybe more than a year. Nothing like it had been said by any of those involved in the project, it was simply a claim made by, one of the "sustainable" Shetland representatives in a letter to the Times or Shetland News. They definitely repeated this when I was talking to them at the VE roadshow thingy in Islesburgh. Before this it had never been mentioned by anyone. They just made it up. That pretty well fits my definition of a lie.

What about your sig AT?

 

"Write now to give your children and grandchildren the same kind of prosperity you have enjoyed. Write now to help stop climate change and give Shetland a future as a community."

 

Tha windfarm is not guaranteed to bring prosperity. Perhaps the opposite!

 

It won't stop climate change...

 

Shetland has future whether it is built or not - "as a community" ???

 

When the oil, fishing, fish farming and tourism are gone, how much community will be left? How long will the oil money last? I believe these things are more likely to happen than not the way the world is going.

 

You say the windfarm won't help against climate change, yet you offer no evidence to back up this claim which I disagree with anyway. I'm just pushing the things I believe in, just like "sustainable" Shetland. I'm not asking you to believe everything I say, but I am asking you to look for yourself, make up your own mind. If you still disagree with me after examining the evidence, then fair enough. But don't just take what one side says as gospel, look for yourself, and judge for yourself.

 

Every side in this debate has an agenda. Look past that, examine every claim, for or against. Make up your own mind.

 

Edit: Removed names of individuals, sorry if I offended anyone.