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Wharfe householders warned about 'costly' solar panels and wind turbines
11:27am Thursday 6th September 2007
Comments (5)THE planning chief for Ilkley has warned this week that it would be more cost effective for householders to burn five-pound notes than install domestic wind turbines and solar panels.
Councillor Chris Greaves (Wharfedale) was responding to a call to change the planning laws to make it easier for people to install green energy generating technology in their own homes.
The call comes from an organisation called the New Local Government Network (NLGN) which wants to see the relaxation of rules to encourage domestic eco-friendly energy generation.
James Macgregor is the author of the report published this week by the NLGN. He says: "Local authorities should be required to demonstrate that micro-generation plans were in the public interest."
The report calls for councils not only to relax planning laws, but to encourage domestic energy generation by giving Council Tax rebates and providing interest free loans to householders willing to invest in the technology.
But Councillor Greaves, who heads the Keighley Area Planning Panel and is also an alternate member of the Shipley Area Planning Panel, which covers Burley-in-Wharfedale and Menston, is sceptical.
He said: "I have very mixed feelings about them - solar panels less so because they are not particularly intrusive, but you are wasting your money - it is a complete waste of your financial resources to do it."
Coun Greaves said it would take around ten years of energy savings to claw back the cash spent on solar panel installation. "You might as well burn £5 notes, it would be cheaper," he said.
The Keighley planning panel has recently turned down two applications for domestic wind turbines. Although each application is considered on its particular merits, Coun Greaves believes generally that wind turbines can be intrusive, unsightly and noisy.
While solar panels are less unsightly, he thinks they would be out of place on a listed building or in a Conservation Area, which includes most of Ilkley.
Coun Greaves said it would be difficult for a domestic customer to save enough get their money back from wind turbines or solar panels.
And he said that wind turbines caused a nuisance. Coun Greaves said: "To have something that will power anything more than a radio, it will make a noise. They are ugly and intrusive on the neighbours. Half the time the wind is too strong for them and half the time the wind is not strong enough - the pay back will take years and years."
He said it would be better for people to buy their electricity from large companies which generate in more eco-friendly ways.
"It is a far better way to let the big boys use their green technology and buy it from them. At the end of the day that would be cheaper and in the long run it would be just as environmentally friendly," said Coun Greaves.
The NLGN report also calls on central government to financially reward local authorities which encourage micro-generation.
Your Say YourIlkley Gazette
RAB, says...
4:31pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Solar water heating should precede PV as it is much lower initial cost and payback is relatively short and energy collected is much higher for the same area. Insulation and draught-proofing are even better for the environment as you will not need so much energy to keep warm. Turning things off also reduces the energy requirement, as does fitting energy-efficient lighting and other appliances.
So, much better than burning £5 notes is to spend them wisely.
Rhys Owen, UK says...
4:58pm Thu 6 Sep 07
gov.uk/environment/l
and_and_premises/loc
al_development_frame
work/sustainable_des
ign_guide_SPD.htm If Bradford is to be at the forefront of new technologies he should support those willing at their own expense to invest in them.
Tim Porter, Ross-on-Wye says...
9:59pm Thu 6 Sep 07
Completely missed the piont.....
Mr Greaves, it's not a question of grubby money, it's being responsable in your energy usage.
it's being able to look your grandchildren in the eye and say....I did my best to give you a world that's livable in.
Are you really going to deny that we're not collectively up s**t creek (and we burned the paddle in one of your power ststions)
Idiot.
Paul, Ilkley says...
10:25am Mon 10 Sep 07
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Chris Lyon, Sandbach, Cheshire says...
4:19pm Thu 6 Sep 07
The loses associated with transporting energy around the country make up a considerable part of the inefficiencies of the national grid and whilst the quality of supply is very good, most of the efforts being made by these companies is about lowering the quality of provision not maintaining it.
As the people of Gloucestershire can attest there are times when utility service cannot be bought at any price, and in such a condition local storage of resource, be it water both hot and cold and electricity, will continue the style of life that the Councilor believes is a given.
I live approximately a hundred miles away from the Gloucester's sub station, but suffered a six hour power cut of which the first 2 hours were at a voltage of 130 volts. This is a considerably outside the margin of acceptable supply, but my local electricity board issued no warning about the considerable damage this could do to the pumps driving my central heating,or my fridge or my freezer.
Sadly the lack of imagination demonstrated is probably the largest hurdle we, as a community, have to face, and overcoming such attitudes as 'central knows best', will regrettably only be demonstrated by the failures of the very system that are to be relied on to address these issues.
As an aside my boiler has run very infrequently since I installed 30 solar tubes on my south facing roof and this in a summer that you will have noticed has not been particularly typical. If we could be told how much gas might cost in five years time, then the perhaps the burning of five pound notes might not seem such a ridiculous analogy.
If they were paper, it would at least be carbon neutral.
Think globally act locally.