Politically Speaking - Renewable Energy (Montgomeryshire Liberal Democrats)

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Politically Speaking - Renewable Energy

September 15, 2009 12:00 AM
By Mick Bates in County Times - September 2009

It's been a long summer of bad weather and difficult times so this week I was pleased to attend the exciting opening of the Carno II Windfarm and the Carno Community Wood Pellet Boiler. With the future health of our planet and our rural economies so deeply linked, these projects are fantastic examples of how a local community can benefit from the development of renewable energy and help to tackle climate change at the same time.

In Wales we are lucky to have a vast range of renewable energy sources, in fact the UK is windier than any other country in Europe. We have much potential for the development of hydro and tidal power, although sadly less sunshine than I would wish for. Yet we have lagged behind with the development of clean energy sources, preferring instead to invest in a legacy of health problems left behind by the coal industry and now the Labour Government in Westminster has committed to a nuclear agenda that will cost the earth and pose unknown consequences for our health and environment.

With the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference on the horizon we are seeing an increasing awareness of the impact of climate change on the environment that we will leave behind for the generations ahead, however it is crucial that we combine this with the opportunity to maximise economic benefits for local areas and build green enterprises for the future.

The Carno II Windfarm represents the result of excellent consultation and good co-operation between local developers Amegni and the surrounding community, whilst retaining maximum economic benefit in the local area. The site will supply over a quarter of the Powys population with electricity, repay the energy used during construction within 8 months and it has also brought significant benefits with over £4million spent in the Welsh economy during construction, a commitment to manage the habitat around the site and to invest £30,000 annually on projects that directly benefit the local community.

The closure of the Laura Ashley site in Carno was a sad event but times move on and we are now welcoming the next generation of development and I have been pleased to see the success of the Derwen Fawr Eco Park in Llanidloes and Dyfi Eco Park in Machynlleth. As the most commercial form of renewable energy at present, wind has the potential to offer immense benefits to local communities at a time when our economy and services are suffering, indeed where else is investment currently coming from to sustain our rural economies?

The Carno Community Wood Pellet Boiler is a great example of the type of project that can be supported using the community benefit fund from wind development and I look forward to the many other projects that will be supported over the coming years. Not only will these projects help to support the economy in rural areas, but also help Wales to play our part in the battle against climate change.