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Planning freedom for green energy

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Published Date: 09 November 2006
HOUSEHOLDERS are to be given the freedom to put up wind turbines and solar panels without planning permission in a move which could transform the skyline of Edinburgh.
The city council is tearing away red tape in an effort to hit government targets for cutting pollution. However, conservationists fear for the city's heritage site status.

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1

Androsthenes,

Edinburgh 09/11/2006 03:23:13

So-you can't build a Wendy house in your back garden but you can put a windmill on your roof?
It sounds like a typical piece of Edinburgh nonsense.

2

SouthernSkye,

Isle of Skye 09/11/2006 07:26:34

Planning is just as daft on IoS !

3

IanW,

09/11/2006 08:36:53

Planning departments for all their faults do on the whole protect the local areas from stupid projects which would damage the nature of the local envoronment.

Now the council are basically saying screw you - do what the heck you like we don't care. Next the will be saying that you can have a nuclear waste site next to your local primary school, or even better a prison for sex offenders.

Planning departments have a valuable role to play so don't let the council destroy them, and you.

4

AP,

lothian 09/11/2006 09:30:48

Having recently heard George Monbiot's talk at the Stop Climate Chaos last week this appears to be an ill thought-out policy with respect to household wind turbines.
Such turbines are ineffective and inefficient because of the air turbulence in built up areas. Notwithstanding the wind availability/reliability issue, for turbines to be effective they require around 10m vertical clearance from the next nearest turbine- an unlikely situation in built up areas.

A more economical and effective policy would be to encourage community generation. Although I think aesthetics are not of primary importance (comment #1), a sensitively located turbine in a community would be more desirable than plethora of individual turbines.

This policy indicates a move to reduce barriers in order to increase demand for economic gain of turbine manufacturers rather than a holistic strategy to improve our sustainability. Stimulating demand is necessary to reduce production unit costs, but only where the technology is appropriate for the purpose and supports the transition to a sustainable economy. Some anecdotal evidence suggests that the benefits of household wind turbines are overstated leading to financial loss.

However for solar energy the relaxation of planning rules may be sensible move.

5

Homer,

09/11/2006 10:01:21

AP#4: "A more economical and effective policy would be to encourage community generation"

That's the trouble with newspaper articles - they never tell the whole story. The main pillar of Edinburgh council's energy policy is community-scale combined heat and power (CHP) generation, but the Scotsman appears to have ignored this altogether. Sheesh.

The BBC picked up on the community energy angle:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/61...

This Greenpeace press release gives more detail, and includes a link to the PB Power report that kicked the whole thing off.
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/climate/climate.cfm?UCIDPara...

6

Guga,

Rockall 09/11/2006 11:09:35

Planning permission, what's that?

7

JM,

Biggar 09/11/2006 21:28:59

It's great that Edinburgh are relaxing planning restrictions on microsolar (though consent isn't usually required for solar panels outwith conservation areas). What a pity that other councils aren't taking the same line! I am currently appealing a decision by South Lanarkshire Council to refuse permission for solar panels because of the position of our house in a conservation area. South Lanarkshire planning department seem to have no idea of the seriousness of climate change and little grasp of the available technologies. The only way type of panels they will consider allowing would require me to remove all of the slates on my south-facing roof to install photovoltaic panels which would bearly power one conventional light bulb, whereas I want to provide 2.5 kW of water heating capacity.

However, I agree with the previous comment that microwind may not be the way forward as there isn't enough smooth ground (known as fetch) in towns, so turbines are likely to stall. Ones large enough to have any reliable output are likely to generate enough torque to pull your house down, which maybe is something that needs to be controlled. It's also expensive.

8

JM,

Biggar 09/11/2006 21:30:01

It's great that Edinburgh are relaxing planning restrictions on microsolar (though consent isn't usually required for solar panels outwith conservation areas). What a pity that other councils aren't taking the same line! I am currently appealing a decision by South Lanarkshire Council to refuse permission for solar panels because of the position of our house in a conservation area. South Lanarkshire planning department seem to have no idea of the seriousness of climate change and little grasp of the available technologies. The only way type of panels they will consider allowing would require me to remove all of the slates on my south-facing roof to install photovoltaic panels which would bearly power one conventional light bulb, whereas I want to provide 2.5 kW of water heating capacity.

However, I agree with the previous comment that microwind may not be the way forward as there isn't enough smooth ground (known as fetch) in towns, so turbines are likely to stall. Ones large enough to have any reliable output are likely to generate enough torque to pull your house down, which maybe is something that needs to be controlled. It's also expensive.


 

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