Wind energy staff act as advisers
SENIOR figures from wind energy firms have been working at
the heart of Government, advising ministers on the potential
health impacts of turbines, the WMN has learned.
The Government was last night accused of "doing
unprecedented and highly questionable favours" for the wind
industry amid growing concern about the "clear conflict of
interest".
Staff from power firms are known to be working in the
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
(BERR) which is responsible for energy supplies and the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
charged with tackling climate change.
Questions have also been raised about a move to limit the
power for people living near new wind farms to sue operators
for negative health impacts caused by noise.
It comes after Gordon Brown sanctioned a massive push for
renewable energy, which will require a 1,000 per cent increase
on current levels.
Tory MP Geoffrey Cox said: "It is astonishing that the
Government has apparently sub-contracted the study of this
vital subject to the very industry which has most to gain from
allaying those concerns."
He said he was particularly concerned about the apparent
conflict of interest surrounding energy firms dominating a
group set up to consider the health impact of aerodynamic
modulation – the swish or boom caused by turbine blades.
Meetings of the Government's independent Noise Working Group
were chaired by a top adviser from RWE Npower, who was working
in BERR, and included four others from the industry. Guidance
has since been sent by the Government to planning inspectors
based on the conclusions of the group.
Meanwhile, two people from Shell and Npower are also working
at Defra, earning between £45,000 and £66,506, though officials
insist neither is working on the renewables programme.
Mr Cox, MP for Torridge and West Devon, has now written to
Business Secretary John Hutton and Environment Secretary Hilary
Benn calling on them to explain why wind industry employees are
working inside Government. He said last night: "These facts, if
true, bring to light a disturbing conflict of interest in the
preparation and presentation of critical research into the
health effects of noise from aerodynamic modulation in the ever
larger and more sophisticated machines for which planning
permission is being sought in the South West and around the
country.
"Is it conceivable that a study of the possible health
effects of smoking would be chaired by someone on secondment
from the tobacco industry?"
When challenged by the WMN to explain the revelations, BERR
said it was "not unusual" for secondments to take place between
Government and industry, or vice versa. A spokesman said "great
care" is taken to avoid "any potential for conflict of
interest" including regular parliamentary scrutiny of the
programme.
The Noise Working Group (NWG) was publicised as being formed
from "independent experts on wind turbine noise" and was set up
to advise ministers on amplitude modulation. But meetings were
chaired by Zoe Keeton, an employee of RWE Npower . The group
also included at least four members who have represented wind
energy interests.
Defra seconding outsiders to the department helps provide
"specialist expertise which cannot be provided by existing
staff ".
7 Comments
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by chloe, Devon, Tiverton
Thursday, August 21 2008, 12:39PM
“Trev from North Devon says ¿bring on the wind turbines and ditch the nukes¿.
Well unfortunately a wind turbine is not an alternative to a nuclear power station (as Trev suggests).
Firstly it would take 2000 x 2MW (100 metres tall) wind turbines to get the same amount of energy per year as that
from a medium sized nuke.
And secondly, the nuke would still be needed for the times when the wind blows too much, too little or not at all.
Eon are the biggest wind developers in Europe and here¿s their submission on this matter to the House of Lords
Select Committee for Economic Affairs:
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/EA311%20%2D%20Supplementary%20evidence%20from%20Eon.doc
So the two choices Trev has near his house are:
1) 2000 turbines AND a nuke
2) or just the nuke
Re the article itself, there¿s a pretty cosy line up of wind developers on the Renewables Advisory Board; they¿re sponsored by BERR to give impartial advice to the government: http://www.renewables-advisory-board.org.uk/RAB_members.htm
Chloe, Devon”
by N Lys, Hilltown
Saturday, August 16 2008, 10:29PM
“Trev
FYI - Wind power generation does not substitute for Nuclear.
Don't take my word for it: ¿It would be unrealistic to assume that wind energy would displace any nuclear capacity,¿ (¿Wind Power in the UK¿, Sustainable Development Commission. 2005. p35).”
by Robert Rush, Okehampton
Friday, August 15 2008, 12:16PM
“This confirms my suspicion that the Government has an unhealthy enthusiasm for wind power. Largely because it gets them quicker to the quota for green energy because the maximum output figures are used in calculations. Wind turbines work at around 25% capacity on average, but are liked by the Government because they are cheap, quick to build (if you ride roughshod over Planning requirements) and are funded by big business. The recent fiasco concerning the Den Brook Valley Planning Enquiry, where RES with-held noise data from local residents, shows there is a problem with noise. The fact that Government advisory bodies are staffed with "conflict of interest" people from the big wind turbine businesses does not inspire confidence, does it ?
I trust the local authority (the hard up West Devon District Council) is now putting in place their claim for costs, amounting to tens of thousands of pounds, as a result of the recent quashing of RES application for Planning at Den Brook. WDBC have a responsibility to their ratepayers not to waste money, and to reclaim it when it has the right and obligation to do so.”
by Trev, North Devon
Thursday, August 14 2008, 1:08PM
“No matter how noisy these turbines are, no matter how they blot the landscape if the choice is to have one of these within a couple of hundred yards of my house or a nuclear power station within a hundred miles of my house then it is really no competition. Bring on the turbines and ditch these buildings that house a slowly exploding piece of uranium.”
by M. Limerick, Midlands
Wednesday, August 13 2008, 6:01PM
“It is even worse than this, the noise standard set by the the Noise working Group (including a substantial numbers of wind indsutry employees ) has a much higher threshold than other industrial noise standards. It is the only noise standard that has a higher threshold at night. It does not take account of the World Health Organisation Standard for Community Noise (1999/2000 or the Night Noise Guide for Europe 2007)Therefore when members of the public complain of noise issues, the wind industries own standard is applied and of course the noise level will be within this standard and therefore families have no form of redress. So the whole industry has been handed a golden handshake to do as they please without fear of any redress from families or local communities.”