Letters / Why build more wind farms when the ones there are not performing?
Stoura Offshore Wind Farm Exhibition on Thursday – I am against this project as Scottish folk especially Shetlanders pay the highest electricity rates in GB.
Why do we need more farms when current ones already installed are not even performing to their potential use data from GB Renewables Map
Honestly, I’m baffled. Why are we talking about building more wind farms when we haven’t even figured out how to make the ones we’ve got actually work?
It’s like buying a new car because your old one won’t start… but you never bothered to check if it just needed petrol. Seriously, people in Scotland (especially Shetland) are paying electricity bills that look like phone numbers.
Why throw cash at more wind farms when the ones spinning away out there are underperforming harder than my houseplants in winter? The GB Renewables Map is practically waving red flags!
And don’t forget, the government’s wallet is basically a tumbleweed right now. Shouldn’t we maybe, just maybe, sort out what we’ve already got before building shiny new things?
Ofgem says the energy bills up here are some of the highest in the UK—and if you compare them to England and Wales, well, you’ll start wondering if we’re being charged for the Northern Lights too.
Plus, if the wind farms built in the last five years are already letting us down (yep, check the GB Renewables Map and Ofgem’s 2022 report!), why repeat the same mistake? Come on, let’s have a good look at what’s standing before building any more wind-powered monuments to disappointment.
But wait—there’s more! These offshore wind farms aren’t just annoying us on land; they’re giving the fishing industry a headache too. Research shows building them messes with fishing grounds, spooks the fish, and is basically like throwing an underwater house party that nobody (except maybe the crabs) wants.
Marine Scotland and the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation agree: fewer fish, tricky navigation, and more stress for everyone. Some folks have even watched their catches shrink faster than my enthusiasm for paying these energy bills.
And if you think the fish have it bad, spare a thought for the local sea life. Turns out, all that underwater noise is like blasting bagpipes at a library—nobody’s getting any peace!
Studies have caught cod, herring, seals, and porpoises giving wind farms a wide berth, and even the little critters on the seabed seem to pack their bags when the turbines switch on. Noise pollution isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a real sea-life bother.
So let me say it again (because apparently, we need reminding): before we break out the concrete and steel for new wind farms, can we please just fix the ones we already have?
Let’s get serious about looking at what’s already there, make it work, then—and only then—think about building more.
Local folks have been saying this for ages in public meetings and to the Scottish Parliament. Let’s listen before we end up with more expensive, underperforming, fish-scaring windmills!
Gina Irvine
Whalsay
