Hot air on wind energy

THAT ball of political energy, Brian Wilson, was supposed to officially open a new wind farm in Argyll yesterday. Alas, he never got there. Severe winds grounded his flight to the site on the Kintyre peninsula. Which, as publicity stunts go, was quite good news for the Westminster energy minister. Mr Wilson was able to point out that the stormy conditions were irrefutable evidence of Scotland’s potential to generate electricity out of thin air.

However, there is another take on Mr Wilson’s misfortune: there is a mite too much complacent hot air being spouted about wind-generated energy in Scotland. A combination of bureaucratic planning wrangles, congenital NIMBYism and Executive sloth means that England, not Scotland, is likely to be at the forefront of wind power. The fastest growing region for this new industry is East Anglia, not Scotland. For instance, Ness Point, the most easterly point in Britain, has been chosen as the site for one of the world’s tallest wind turbines. The reason is a combination of North Sea winds, shallow water in which to site the windmills, easy export access to the Continent, and a pool of skilled engineering labour. It might just be that the renewable energy wind in Scotland is blowing in the wrong direction.