“Valleyboy, sorry that is wrong. Efficiency and load factor are two different things but often mis-quoted.

As we agree though, the load factor for a 'typical' power station is around 50% compared to 30% for a wind farm.

Sorry to disappoint, I dont go in for the Auld (not old) enemy rubbish as only a minority of Scots really have a chip on the shoulder about the English.

Just out of interest, have you heard of SCOTTISH Power (not English) or SCOTTISH and Southern Energy? The former is part of a Spanish owned multi national. Please dont try and cloud the debate with silly anti English comments.”

“For all the "doubting Thomas's" out there.
Steve, Swansea. Yes, wind turbines can break. We don't need any more in Wales. We have enough electricity here as it is. Not many people in Wales know that, we in Wales produce more electricity than we can consume, and we therefore export electricity "abroad", to England, (we generate 8.7%, and consume 6.7% of all electricity generated in the UK). Making electricity in Wales is not really that efficient. It should be generated, if possible, where it's needed. Electricity, like some wines, doesn't travel very well. Line resistance robs the power. The old C.E.G.B. used to say a loss of about 7% over a long distance.
Jeff, Neath. You mention "what about the workers". Did you know that the payback time for windturbines can be as little as 3-5 months (yes, months) the World Steel Association reckons it's nearer 12 months. It's the landowners and sellers of the electricity who are coining it in, not the workers.
Greg Jenkins, Edinburgh. Scotland too, produces more electricity than it can consume. How does it feel to have "the old enemy's" wind turbines blotting your landscape, whilst they reap the benefit of electricity at arms length. With regard to efficiency Greg, check out www.windenergy.com and they confirm windturbines at 30% efficiency. The turbines don't spin all the time, it's the wind you know ! Off shore wind turbines are about 35% efficient, nuclear power stations are about 50% efficient, a Severn Barrage would only be about 36% ( I bet that surprises some people), whereas Tidal Lagoons can be 60%, yes 60% efficient, and the wading birds don't have to fly any further down the Severn Estuary. We even have more than enough ballast readily available in the slate quarries of North Wales, to provide the in-fill material required to make tidal lagoons. So there you have it. Oh, last point, all that dosh the landowners and electricity sellers make via the government Renewable Obligation Certificate, is paid for, not by the government, but by me and you, in our electric bills !”

“Is there any point when the UK only produces 2% of the world's CO2 emissions?? We could do an Atlantis and make no difference.”

“Hi Philip, I am pro renewables but I disagree about there being no need for infrastructure.

When they are sighted, there is often a need to put in additional roads and tracks as you cannot transport them across a field or moorland.

Power transmission often needs upgrading. In Scotland we have had the Beauly to Denny power lines upgraded which was a major undertaking. In the case of the site we are talking about, it is only 19 turbines (this is very small) so infrastructure would be comparatively minimal.

On a seperate note, I would love to see the Welsh Assembly follow the lead of the Scottish Government and look to develop businesses and jobs in the renewable industries, especially in their manufacturing.

Valleyboy, I have looked up the figures and I think rather than efficiency of wind farms the 30% figure you quote is actually the load factor - This is the amount it will generate over the course of a year compared to the theoretical max. You can compare this to power stations which have a load factor of 50% (not the 100% some assume).

I checked these last figures on the British Wind Energy Association website.”

“Wind turbines aren't the answer to our energy needs. No-one can say they are. They're not reliable, they're not controllable.

BUT, they are easy to erect and easy to remove. They are the perfect short-term answer to our energy problems. There's no infrastructure required and the worst thing left behind is a lamp of concrete that won't be noticed beneath the surface.

And that is why we need wind turbines NOW.”

“Mike Clarke, Clydach Road, Craigcefnparc - I will be at the public inquiry to show my support for this project.

You say that the only beneficiaries of this are the manufacturers and developers of these massive turbines and the owners of the land on which they are sited.

Well what about the workers who make these? They benefit. And what about the contractors who out the turbines on site? They benefit. And what about the local companies that provide food and accommodation to these workers? They benefit. And what about people who want to live in a cleaner environment? They benefit.

Oh dear, you haven't thought this through very well have you?”

“Valleyboy, The Valleys - so a wind turbine broke. big deal. Do you want to ban cars, trains and airplanes are well, because they are also prone to fail and cause spectacular accidents. What exactly is your point?”

“Greg Jenkins, Edinburgh - at last, a sensible, well-reasoned comment. A rarity on this website.

The numpties in Swansea will complain about anything and everything. I had to move away just to get away from the negativity. I have lived in many place in both the Uk and abroad and have never come across such negative people as live in Swansea and the surrounding areas.”

“We have far more wind farms up here in Scotland and the majority of people welcome them.

There are many myths that surround wind farms. One of the main is to try and concern local people that the value of their property will fall if they have a wind farm built near them. This has not happened at ANY of the wind farms built in Scotland.

Another myth is that they are inefficient and generate electricity only a small amount of the time. A special interest group in Scotland called the John Muir Trust claimed this based on information over the first half of 2010. Funnily enough they chose not to look at information prior to this as the long term information is much more positive. When a company wants to develop a site, they place a Met Tower onsite for upto 4 years to collect data to make sure that there is sufficient power generation potential. If there isn't, then the site is not developed.

My favourite myth has to be about subsidies. Wind farms do receive subsidies but then so do other forms of energy generation such as nuclear.

A big benefit that wind farms have is that they allow farming to continue around them too. Having been walking around a wind farm site I can guarantee that livestock have no worries about them.

Clearly, wind farms alone will not produce all the energy we need. However, common sense should tell us that we cannot rely on any single energy source and that we should explore and develop a range of oppurtunities.

Out of interest, how would people feel about a big power station being built in the area instead?”

“The amount of electricity generated in the U.K. is so negligible as to be totally insignificant in global terms.
The population of the U.K. is so negligible as to be totalling insignificant globally.
A snowflake in an avalanche is so negligible as to be insignificant.

I know who Peter Davies is but, who the heck is Mike Clarke?”