I READ with interest the letter in last week?s Times from SW Moore ?Anti-wind farm? Disconnect from the national grid.? Mr Moore suggests that the refusal of the Den Brook Wind farm was a triumph for the Nimby brigade. He suggests we need wind farms to ensure a reliable power supply . I, however, see things slightly differently. I live on the edge of the proposed site at North Tawton and have campaigned hard against this application. Why have I done so? In short, to prevent the pointless ruination of our landscape, from this and future wind farm applications. This is a beautiful part of Devon, which has been described as one of the few remaining sinks of tranquillity in England. Like many other beautiful areas of England it has benefited from planning laws designed to project its beauty. However, we are now faced with a major challenge to equate the protection of our countryside with the urgent need to prevent global warming. To do this I believe that renewable energy has a part to play. Wind turbines are currently the chosen solution to the problem. But do they achieve the objectives for which we are aiming? They do not operate at low wind speeds and have to be turned off at very high wind speeds. This winter, we have experienced prolonged spells of high pressure with very low temperatures and minimal wind. German experience indicates we will need traditional power stations with capacities equal to 90% of the installed wind power capacity permanently on line in order to guarantee power supply at all times. The German power company EON, the largest distributor of wind generated electricity in the world, states that by 2020 they anticipate Germany will have 24,000 turbines the size of those proposed for Den Brook. In total they will only save one conventional power station! Mr Moore tells Nimbys, like me, to wake up and join the real world, or my lights will go out. I fear, however, that it is your lights that will be going out, Mr Moore, not mine. Let?s all recognise that we have a countryside worth fighting for and that meaningful progress in other areas, such as energy conservation, solar and wave power is desperately needed. John Shields de Bathe Farm North Tawton
