Scottish plans for cheap, green, renewable energy are being stymied by growing armies of 'NIMBYs'.
While 48% of the scottish population believe that Scotland's energy should only come from renewable sources, the number of groups objecting to plans for wind farms, wave turbines and waste-to-energy plants is projecting a different image.
There are more than 12 separate pressure groups protesting against the development of renewable energy sources across Scotland and that number rises to over 100 throughout the whole of the UK. Opposition groups claim potential developments on their doorstep will detract from the natural beauty of the landscape and harm local economies driven by tourism.
"I don't believe nimbyism has anything to do with it," said Gillian Bishop, a spokesperson for the pressure group 'Views of Scotland'. "Opposition to wind power comes from the feeling that it doesn't provide enough electricity and doesn't stop enough emissions from coal-fired power stations to justify damaging the environment. Getting 50% of our power from renewable sources is a ludicrous target - real pie-in-the-sky stuff."
Despite landfill taxes rising by £8 per tonne per year to encourage alternative solutions, numerous groups have sprung up against the burning of waste to create cheap energy.
"Opposition to wind farms and waste-to-energy plants is in danger of undermining what are ambitious government targets for renewable energy," said Professor Andrew Wheatley, of Loughborough University. "If we were to rely on wind power alone something like three new windfarms a day would have to be built. Waste-to-energy plants definitely have their part to play in the provision of renewable energy, but there's a lot of education to be done in terms of letting the public know how they operate."
Later this year proposals for a state-of-the-art recycling village, incorporating the latest waste-to-energy technology, are to be unveiled for a new development south of Glasgow in East Renfrewshire. The developers claim the site would be among the most modern and efficient in Europe, create numerous jobs and could provide enough cheap power for thousands of surrounding homes and businesses. Although full details have yet to be released, opponents have already started attacking the idea.
The Westminster government is so concerned about the scale of opposition to renewable energy developments that, in the wake of The Energy White Paper and the Energy Review of 2006 which pledged to increase the development of renewable energy technologies to provide 20% of total electricity supply by 2020, they have started a major national programme to examine the fears of objectors.
The Beyond Nimbyism project is funded by the Government's Economic and Social Research Council and is a multi-disciplinary investigation into the public's views. "Generally, objectors would say they were all for renewable energy but that 'this is the wrong place'. It might sound like a nimby response but there are often genuine concerns about viability. They honestly didn't think it was the best place," said Judith Parks, research associate with the Sustainable Cities Institute of Northumbria University, who has studied several protests.
And Green MSP Patrick Harvie said waste-to-energy plants, along with wave and solar power, had a key role to play in the future. "We should be thinking about waste material as a resource rather than a problem to be got rid of," he said. "No matter how you dispose of it there will be some sort of environmental impact so the key to the argument is about reducing the amount of material that goes through the product chain. What can be recycled should be recycled and we should try and extract the maximum benefit from what's left."
Projects that have been thwarted by protest :
Peterhead, Aberdeenshire
Proposals for a waste-to-energy plant to power 10,000 homes and businesses have attracted 5,000 objections.
Pairc, south-east Lewis
Plans to build 26 turbines to power 115,000 homes have been opposed by groups such as Moorland without Turbines.
Ardnamurchan and Morvern, Lochaber
Edinburgh-based Wind Energy dropped a scheme to build up to 500 turbines after resistance from campaign group Fairwind.
Perth
Around 250 residents of Perth have signed a petition against a £100m waste-to-heat plant aimed at turning 90,000 tonnes of rubbish a year into power for up to 5,500 homes.
Auchtermuchty, Fife
Plans to build five turbines to power 5,000 homes were abandoned after complaints from local campaigners.
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British are "bored" with Climate Change
A new energy report suggests that British people are less environmentally conscious than they were five years ago.
4 out of 10 britons take no action at all to reduce their household carbon emissions, and twice as many people are now "bored" by talk of climate change as in 2005. Experts warn that green fatigue is one of the major reasons as to why there are more cars on the roads, more planes in the sky and no reductions in the mountain of packaging waste. The report reveals that too few people are making an effort to reduce their household CO2 emissions and environmentalists believe the recession is further undermining public commitment.
The report, by market researchers Mintel, shows that many of Britain's 26 million homes fail to make simple adjustments such as switching off lights, turning down thermostats, and switching off appliances rather than leaving them on standby. The findings also reveal that people are less willing to spend money on energy-efficient appliances than they were five years ago. Analysts believe the recession together with a backlash against "extreme" environmentalist pressure has reduced people's enthusiasm to combat climate change.
The report also found that resistance to saving the planet was greater among men; one in four said they think there is too much concern over the environment, compared with one in six women.
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More information on the 2016 definition of "Zero Carbon".
Housing Minister, Grant Shapps announced additional information about the new definition of "Zero Carbon".
The Government plans to investigate setting up a community energy fund which will be used to pay for district heating and renewable energy schemes.
Developers who pay into the fund will not have to install onsite renewables or microgeneration equipment. Many developers have welcomed the flexibility of paying into a fund rather than grappling with renewables on each site.
However, the full definition of 'zero-carbon' has once again been delayed. This is despite a pre-election promise to get the definition of zero carbon finalised “within weeks” of getting into office.
The new Government Housing Minister has recently announced that the coalition will review the level of on-site renewables required - before publishing the final definition of the standard, which all new homes will have to reach after 2016.
In the announcement, the Minister also re-affirmed his commitment to all new homes being zero-carbon from 2016 and confirmed the introduction of the ‘Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard' which requires a minimum standard in relation to insulation levels and air tightness and thermal bridging in buildings.
Zero carbon is required of all Code for Sustainable Homes level six homes. Clarification of what zero carbon will mean is still to be decided.
If you require assistance with your Code for Sustainable Homes level requirements, contact Ecowise - we are a fully accredited Code for Sustainable Homes assessment organisation.
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Pilot Tidal Energy Scheme for North Wales Coast
Conwy County Borough Council has backed plans for a pilot tidal energy scheme off the North Wales Coast.
The £150 million scheme at Llanddulas in North Wales would provide a testing facility for turbine designers and manufacturers, and assess the environmental impact of turbines.
The project was given approval by the council as part of a strategic regeneration strategy for the Conwy coast, prepared by consultant Capita Symonds.
Paul Terry, Capita Symonds, said: "Tidal power will play a key role in providing a sustainable energy source for future generations. The North Wales coast is an ideal place for such a scheme as it’s blessed with a good tidal range and suitable ocean depth." He added that the project could also help protect the coast from rising sea levels, storm surges and coastal erosion.
The regeneration strategy also calls for seven new visitor centres costing £30m should be built at key locations stretching from Conwy to Rhuddlan. But North Wales Tourism chairman Chris Jackson raised doubts over whether the proposals could realistically be funded in the current economic climate. The council’s approval now means that Capita Symonds will seek funding for feasibility studies and investigations to develop a business case for the scheme.
