1st January 2007

The SOCME protest group wish all anti-wind power campaigners
a very Happy New Year

The International Herald Tribune   USA  
Wind energy turns out to have a complication: reliability     (2 page article - web link)   28/12/06

Failure in the continental European electricity grid - Saturday, November 4, 2006.   EU  
UCTE INTERIM REPORT - SYSTEM DISTURBANCE ON 4 NOVEMBER 2006     (2.76MB - 73 page.PDF document - web link)   14/11/06
Many thanks to J.E. for the above web link and the comment of...

"Failure in the continental European electricity grid - Saturday, November 4, 2006. There are now two reports of the ongoing investigation. 1. E.ON Netz GmbH Report on the status of the investigations of the sequence of events and causes of the failure in the continental European electricity grid on Saturday, November 4, 2006, after 22:10 hours (Investigation status as at Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 10:00 hours). 2. UCTE Interim Report System Disturbance on 4 November 2006 Union for the Co-ordination of Transmission of Electricity. Both of these reports to some extent implicate wind power. 1. E.ON Netz says - and I quote from the summary - highlights being my emphasis: - "The analysis of the grid situation within the course of the scheduled disconnection of the line Conneforde-Diele – for the transfer of the ship of Meyerwerft – showed that there was no unusual grid state. Rather it shows that, in the recent past, steadily increasing demands are made on the grid by customers. Increasing wind energy feed-in and increasing trading, the demand for the maximum possible grid capacity to the neighbouring grid operators and the most unrestricted use of power stations demand a maximal provision of the technically available grid capacities. These requirements apply, in particular, in the north-western area of the E.ON transmission grid which is characterized by sometimes high wind power feed-in from the coastal regions and simultaneously low electricity consumption in the low consumption regions there." And 2. UCTE interim report on the European power crash of November 4. This has concluded that windpower (and other decentralised generation such as CHP) caused a delay in the reconnection of 15 million customers [at heaven knows what total expense] and it also reinforces E.ON Netz's warning about transmission and backup (In Wind Report 2005). I quote from UCTE: -

"Generally, the uncoordinated operation of generation units (mainly wind and combined-heat-and power) during the disturbance complicated the process of re-establishing normal system conditions."

"wind generation [is] characterized by a short term predictability: within a few hours, the production of wind farms can change from minimum to maximum and conversely. This can only be mastered with an adequate transmission infrastructure and a more and more complex management of interconnected networks."

Significance? The UK has no extensive "interconnected networks" just a cross-Channel link, which will be hopelessly inadequate to buffer 25 gigawatts of installed windpower (c. 2020 target) and our reserve generation would be totally insufficient to provide the backup internally.

We should listen. But I know politicians will not - neither will heads roll when we have a disaster."
BBC News   UK   5 November 2006
Bid to overhaul Europe power grid     (article + web & video links)

Western Mail   UK  
Weather scare
No grasp of design     (2 Letters - web link)   Scroll down the WM letters page to the 2nd & 3rd letters
Green electricity call for all of Wales     (article - web link) Folks, there's one born every minute!
This is the very same, one and only Mike German Lib Dem, AM who has previously been quoted as publicly stating that wind turbines "store electricity" when they are not turning.

BBC News   UK  
Weather hampers New Year revelry     (article - web link)

The Independent   UK  
Front Page  
Leading article: the battle to come   (article - web link)
World faces hottest year ever, as El Niño combines with global warming   (article - web link)
David King: At last, I'm hopeful about climate change   (article - web link)

The Times   UK  
Last-minute deal averts new year gas war     (article - web link)
Concern for rainforest forces RWE to scrap palm oil project     (article - web link)

The Daily Telegraph   UK  
Cold comfort as energy companies raise prices   (article - web link)
Many thanks to V.C. for the above web link.

South Wales Evening Post   UK  
Gift paper is just a waste     (article - web link)
Woman rescued from raging river     (article - web link)

Western Morning News   Devon, UK  
January 1 - and it's already Spring     (article - web link)
Worry of spineless people in control     (Letter - web link)

Daily News   N.Wales, UK  
Secure energy     (Letter - web link)
Many thanks to V.C. for the above web link.

2nd January 2007

Western Mail   UK  
Wind power politics     ( letter - web link)
Scroll down the WM letters page to the 6th letter.
Incompatibility of Welsh and English NHS computers 'to cause problems     ( article - web link)
Yet another glaring example of the infamous "level - headed clear thinking" of the Gobbldegook Muppets at the WAG
One dreads to think how much this latest little cock-up has cost the tax-payers in Wales in the form of wasted "professional consulation" fees!

South Wales Evening Post   UK  
Brain unit's fury over Neuro plans     (article - web link)

Globe and Mail   Canada  
Wind power faces gathering storm   (article - web link)

The Times   UK  
How many light bulbs does it take to irritate the Treasury?   (article - web link)
Bear peril   (letter - web link)

The Scotman   UK  
Tens of thousands struck down by virus   (article + some amusing readers' comments - web link)

Western Morning News   Devon, UK  
No one wants these inefficient monsters   (letter - web link)

Return to dates

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3rd January 2007

Western Mail   UK  
Peer Kiwi lamb claims 'kick Wales in the teeth'     (article - web link)
Cameron hints at tax breaks for fuel farmers     (article - web link)
Both of the above articles should be of particular interest to the sheep farmers on Mynydd-y-Gwair and could be excellent tools for some 'letters to theWestern Mail' on energy conservation, 'food-miles', and 'global warming issues; which
the UK politicians seem to be totally obsessed with at present.

Horncastle today   UK  
Controversial wind turbine plan refused     (article - web link)

BBC News   UK  
Global warming trip starts search     (article - web link)
Polar medal for glacier professor     (article - web link)
Lake may 'predict climate change'     (article - web link)
The future of farming in Wales?     (42.4 seconds video report - web link)   Politicians and farmers have been discussing the future of farming in the UK at a conference in Oxford.
Some farmers in Wales believe the future lies in developing ultra-local markets.
Caroline Evans reports.
Worth watching!
David Cameron MP, David Miliband MP and Pembrokeshire bio-fuel crops included in the video report

Halifax Evening Courier   UK  
Firm's plan for wind power     (article - web link)

Hemelhempstead Today   UK  
'Act now to halt global catastrophe'     (article - web link)