One of many banners around Haworth campaigning against the proposed Calderdale Energy Park – a huge wind farm – which would wreck the famous moorland landscape. Photo Workers.
The reality behind the uncontrolled drive for solar and wind energy is the destruction of productive farmland and damaging valuable moors. And consumer bills will rise to pay for this.
On 10 February, energy secretary Ed Miliband awarded subsidies to 134 new solar farms across England, including the huge West Burton on the border between Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. He also approved 23 others in Wales and Scotland. These solar farms would cover a total of over 40 square miles, mainly like West Burton on good farmland.
Miliband also approved 28 large wind farms, including the Imerys Wind Farm in Cornwall, England’s largest onshore wind project in a decade. (He removed the de facto ban soon after taking up office.).
But at 20MW, Imerys is small by comparison to others planned in the Pennines – like Scout Moor 2 (100MW) and Walshaw Moor (302MW). But Miliband isn’t getting it all his own way. Active campaign groups are fighting hard against the proposals on several grounds.
Opponents of Scout Moor point out that developments only happen if there’s a substantial profit – and that’s not the best way to plan energy supply. The objectors to Walshaw emphasise that the installation will damage deep peatlands, a valuable carbon sink.
And turbines up to 200 metres high will destroy the wildness of the moors made famous by the Brontë sisters’ novels. Walshaw (now renamed Calderdale Energy Park) has been scaled back – for now. The campaign group is not giving up the fight though.
Calling these installations “farms” or “parks” cannot disguise that they are industrial installations. Rosie Pearson, chair of the Community Planning Alliance, said solar production “represents further destruction of countryside and best farmland while warehouse roofs, car parks and houses sit empty of solar panels”.
• A longer version of this article is on the web at www.cpbml.org.uk