Richard Howarth, standing for Beverley and Holderness, writes:
No one wants to see our countryside covered in wind turbines. We want safe, clean and affordable energy and we look forward to an efficient future when they can removed without trace.
But in the meantime wind is quite simply the most cost effective, and safest way of supplying our electricity.
Offshore versus onshore
It simply isn't possible to put all wind turbines offshore. For one thing that costs twice as much. We need onshore wind too.
Onshore wind is already cheaper than gas (1), but when you take external factors into account, it's the most cost effective technology of all - far more cost effective even than coal (2).
And that's why it's so popular, with 70% of people in favour of it, according to the government's own figures (3). That might come as a surprise because the minority opposed to it are so vocal.
One reason for opposition is because it's not being done fairly. One person makes a mint while the rest of the community get nothing - or one area of the country gets a disproportionate number, say.
That's why, in line with Green Party values, I'd like to see onshore wind promoted more fairly. Let's support community energy schemes where instead of generation being owned by foreign owned multinationals, local generation is owned by local communities and they reap the benefits directly. Such schemes have proved highly successful in Germany.
