CEdgar2

Last updated 00:00, Thursday, 18 January 2007

SIR – Your reporter, David Siddall, in his coverage of the “gable-end windmill” planning application (The Whitehaven News, January 11) quotes the applicant Mr Pye as claiming that the proposed generator will “generate one kilowatt an hour”.

This figure is nonsense and demonstrates yet again that unless someone has the necessary technical knowledge they are unable to understand the issues.

A kilowatt is an instantaneous unit of power and has no relationship to time, so saying that the output is one kilowatt an hour is meaningless rubbish. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the people supporting wind generation have no understanding of the technical issues and this is the reason why serious debate is all but impossible.

Just this week an opponent of the massive windfarm proposals for the Western Isles categorised the proponents as a combination of those standing to profit financially and those without any understanding of the technical issues.

For Mr Pye’s benefit, it is the energy output measured in kilowatthours that is important and in the unlikely event that he gains approval, he will find that to be far less than expected.

Mr Pye’s knowledge of current building practise also seems to be somewhat lacking. As his house is apparently newly-built, it is likely to have prefabricated roof trusses in which case the gable end will be free standing and have little structural strength. In the early days of this type of construction it wasn’t uncommon for a gable at loft level to fall out either because of wind loading or horizontal forces due to overhead service connections. The building control to which he refers, relates to achieving a habitable structure not a housing for electricity generation.

His house is unlikely to have been designed to withstand the horizontal forces presented by a windmill and I would suggest that in the event of failure neither his insurance company nor the NHBC, if applicable, would be likely to accept any responsibility.

The planners would be doing Mr Pye a great favour in rejecting his application and if he really is keen to save the planet then conserving energy is his best option.

Allan TEASDALE

Fell View, Swarthmoor

Ulverston