Onshore Wind Energy
Debate between Charles Walker and Andrew George(13 years, 2 months ago)
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Andrew George (St Ives) (LD)
Before the hon. Lady moves on geographically—I come from a totally different part of the country—let me congratulate her on the way in which she has constructed a very strong argument against wind energy, although it is not one that I entirely sign up to. However, I feel that she has overplayed the negatives. Turbines, for example, are not operational for about 100 hours a year as a result of strong winds. She has also rather underplayed the economic benefits to the manufacturing sector in the UK. Does she not agree with the way in which this Government are approaching this issue? They are constructing incentives for communities to benefit from wind farms rather than simply having them established in the landscape with no benefit to the local community. Does she think that that might help to change people’s attitudes towards them?
Mr Charles Walker (in the Chair)
Order. Many colleagues want to speak. Can we have pithy interventions?