RSPB calls for increase in windfarms

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds are calling for a massive increase in the number of wind farms in the UK after a study found far more could be built without damaging wildlife.

Last Updated: 6:18AM GMT 24 Mar 2009
The conservation charity said climate change threatened many species with extinction, and there was an urgent need for renewable energy to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.
But despite the UK's "abundant" natural wind resources, it is lagging behind other European countries, with wind turbines providing just 2 per cent of the country's energy needs in 2007.

The Government must step in to provide a clear lead on developing wind farms more quickly without damaging wildlife or alienating communities, the RSPB urged.
A report from the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) said that the UK was far behind countries such as Denmark, where wind meets 29 per cent of demand, Spain, where it accounts for a fifth of power needs, and Germany where it meets 15 per cent of demand.
The report for the RSPB which compared the UK with those other countries said an effective planning system could ratchet up the amount of onshore wind farms without harming nature conservation.
It recommended measures including regional and local targets for developing renewable energy to ensure that local authority decisions reflect the national priority of building more wind farms.
There must also be a more planned approach to the development of wind farms by identifying areas where it would be appropriate to give new turbines priority and those where they would run serious risk of damaging wildlife.
The RSPB said mapping of the areas which would be sensitive for wildlife, for example places where there were large numbers of nesting seabirds or which were hotspots for a rare species of bird of prey, should form part of the process.
The report said wind farm developments should also provide benefits for local communities and wildlife to ensure that new schemes are accepted by the public and not caught up in controversy.
These could include cheaper energy in the local area, investment in local wildlife projects or even community-owned wind schemes.
And the Government must invest in skills and expertise in wind energy to provide local authorities with the information and support they need to ensure appropriate sites and schemes are given the go-ahead and to speed up development.
Ruth Davis, head of climate change policy at the RSPB, said the charity was promoting the development of wind power because the evidence of the increasing impact of global warming on birds was "truly terrifying".
"Left unchecked, climate change threatens many species with extinction.
"Yet that sense of urgency is not translating into actions on the ground to harness the abundant wind energy around us."
She said the solutions were largely common sense, including a clear lead from government on where wind farms were built and clear guidance for councils on how to deal with applications.
Currently many applications to build wind farms were dealt with on the basis of local politics rather than strategic aims to tackle climate change and boost renewable energy.
A more planned approach to where wind farms could go, including early engagement with conservation groups, would help guide development away from areas where they would damage wildlife, she added.
"We must reduce the many needless delays that beset wind farm developments.
"This report shows that if we get it right, the UK can produce huge amounts of clean energy without time-consuming conflicts and harm to our wildlife.
"Get it wrong and people may reject wind power. That would be disastrous," she warned.