Dorset Against Rural Turbines
Assessing the facts and acting before it's too late.
you are here: infinergy's misinformation
Our Information & Our Objections Stand
added 29 ⁄10⁄ 08
A response to Infinergy's claims in their recent booklet
NB: This is our initial response, outlining the grossest misinformation in Infinergy's booklet. However, we will be presenting a more detailed rebuttal soon.
Background: Despite huge numbers of objections from local residents, organisations such as Natural England and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Infinergy and landowner Will Bond are determined to press ahead with an unpopular planning application for 4 massive industrial wind turbines in the heart of the stunningly beautiful and wildlife rich Purbeck countryside.
Infinergy have produced a booklet which claims to provide answers to objections - this is our intital response:
Infinergy makes a number of accusations about information provided by DART. However in contrast to Infinergy who stand to profit from the wind turbines, DART - who do not - provide links to their sources of information on the website. One source is the Radio 4 programme ‘Costing the Earth’ (click to listen) which clearly contradicts Infinergy’s claims about the efficiency of land based wind power.
Concerns about wildlife have been dismissed by Infinergy. Many birds die when they are struck by turning turbine blades, a fact the contractors do not deny. Local people have witnessed endangered Nightjars flying where they risk being killed by turbine blades. DART have also highlighted that Ospreys forage in this area for part of the year on their migration path. Proven research - related in the Times report of 26th August 08 and BBC online - has also shown that protected bats are killed in large numbers around land based windfarms. There are many bats present in the area targeted for the planned turbines. As most of us know, bats use echo-location to evade objects but less well known is that they have been found to be at much higher risk than birds of `barotrauma` — a condition caused by a sudden drop in air pressure which causes their lungs to haemorrhage, killing them.
Infinergy have also dismissed other alternative energy sources. They offer no evidence for such claims. The DART website on the other hand, provides well researched information on this subject. For example, a link to the Radio 4 programme `In Business`, which investigates solar energy in Germany, where construction of the largest solar energy factory in the world is taking place and ordinary householders (not energy companies) are guaranteed a `feed in` tariff of twice the market rate for electricity they sell back to the grid.
Infinergy’s claim that transmission losses are minimal as energy produced goes into the regional distribution network not the national grid is untrue. In fact Infinergy’s own Chief Executive, Charles Sandham stated in his letter to the Purbeck Gazette (April 08) “….. Infinergy would love to see energy generated by these 6 turbines used by Purbeck residents, but as the supply of electricity is out of our hands, it becomes an issue for with the electricity supplier.”
The met mast is clearly visible to the naked eye from the viewpoints we chose - therefore by Infinergy’s own standards, it should be visible in their own renditions which it patently is not. The first image picked out for criticism by Infinergy was produced before the mast was erected and DART clearly stated that it was not to scale and was not placed on our website. Illustrated here is another photo from the same viewpoint (a house in Rushton Lane, East Stoke) with the mast in situ. As you can see, the scale of the turbines is matched against the height of the mast. The new proposed met mast is also shown (looks like a 200 foot pylon). The exact final positions of the turbines on the site have not as yet, been specified by Infinergy.
The second illustration (Nutcrack lane, Stoborough, Wareham) is also taken from a viewpoint where the met mast is clearly visible to the naked eye. NB. The met mast is not a rendition, it has been photographed so is to exact scale. The mast is measuring wind at the proposed hub height [centre] of the proposed turbines Finally it needs to be pointed out that Infinergy’s own Literature states quite clearly that the Turbines will be visible from at least as far away as Ringwood and Dorchester –to suggest, as they do, that these turbines are almost invisible from a 1100metres is downright dishonest.
Background: Despite huge numbers of objections from local residents, organisations such as Natural England and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Infinergy and landowner Will Bond are determined to press ahead with an unpopular planning application for 4 massive industrial wind turbines in the heart of the stunningly beautiful and wildlife rich Purbeck countryside.
Infinergy have produced a booklet which claims to provide answers to objections - this is our intital response:
Infinergy makes a number of accusations about information provided by DART. However in contrast to Infinergy who stand to profit from the wind turbines, DART - who do not - provide links to their sources of information on the website. One source is the Radio 4 programme ‘Costing the Earth’ (click to listen) which clearly contradicts Infinergy’s claims about the efficiency of land based wind power.
Concerns about wildlife have been dismissed by Infinergy. Many birds die when they are struck by turning turbine blades, a fact the contractors do not deny. Local people have witnessed endangered Nightjars flying where they risk being killed by turbine blades. DART have also highlighted that Ospreys forage in this area for part of the year on their migration path. Proven research - related in the Times report of 26th August 08 and BBC online - has also shown that protected bats are killed in large numbers around land based windfarms. There are many bats present in the area targeted for the planned turbines. As most of us know, bats use echo-location to evade objects but less well known is that they have been found to be at much higher risk than birds of `barotrauma` — a condition caused by a sudden drop in air pressure which causes their lungs to haemorrhage, killing them.
Infinergy have also dismissed other alternative energy sources. They offer no evidence for such claims. The DART website on the other hand, provides well researched information on this subject. For example, a link to the Radio 4 programme `In Business`, which investigates solar energy in Germany, where construction of the largest solar energy factory in the world is taking place and ordinary householders (not energy companies) are guaranteed a `feed in` tariff of twice the market rate for electricity they sell back to the grid.
Infinergy’s claim that transmission losses are minimal as energy produced goes into the regional distribution network not the national grid is untrue. In fact Infinergy’s own Chief Executive, Charles Sandham stated in his letter to the Purbeck Gazette (April 08) “….. Infinergy would love to see energy generated by these 6 turbines used by Purbeck residents, but as the supply of electricity is out of our hands, it becomes an issue for with the electricity supplier.”
Infinergy’s criticism of DART’S photomontages:
The met mast is clearly visible to the naked eye from the viewpoints we chose - therefore by Infinergy’s own standards, it should be visible in their own renditions which it patently is not. The first image picked out for criticism by Infinergy was produced before the mast was erected and DART clearly stated that it was not to scale and was not placed on our website. Illustrated here is another photo from the same viewpoint (a house in Rushton Lane, East Stoke) with the mast in situ. As you can see, the scale of the turbines is matched against the height of the mast. The new proposed met mast is also shown (looks like a 200 foot pylon). The exact final positions of the turbines on the site have not as yet, been specified by Infinergy.
The second illustration (Nutcrack lane, Stoborough, Wareham) is also taken from a viewpoint where the met mast is clearly visible to the naked eye. NB. The met mast is not a rendition, it has been photographed so is to exact scale. The mast is measuring wind at the proposed hub height [centre] of the proposed turbines Finally it needs to be pointed out that Infinergy’s own Literature states quite clearly that the Turbines will be visible from at least as far away as Ringwood and Dorchester –to suggest, as they do, that these turbines are almost invisible from a 1100metres is downright dishonest.
website designed and built by Blooming Digital 