Sir, – I am encouraged to see that Patrick Devine-Wright (Letters, November 23rd) is trying to look at the renewable wind and solar or low-carbon nuclear "question" from a number of viewpoints; this is difficult with what has become such a polarising issue in Ireland.
For anyone who would like to take an interest in the day-to-day levels of our electricity demand, there is a good Eirgrid website showing daily, weekly and monthly percentages of our energy use: “renewables”, “gas”, “coal”, “imports” (which will be from the UK and include a proportion of nuclear) and “other”, which presumably includes peat.
Perhaps where he sees scepticism about the value of onshore wind energy it is, rather, a wider understanding that the “mature technology and economic value” are not the whole story of renewable energy; that there are also physical activities and resources involved. Iron ore to be mined, steel forged, vast amounts of high-carbon concrete provided; and large, hitherto unspoilt, peat-storing upland areas requiring new roads for transport of the infrastructure and greatly increased transmissions requiring pylons and poles or lengthy below-ground connections to the grid. Meanwhile, we are relying on high-carbon natural gas as the reliable, always on, back-up to a growing proportion of wind and solar.
When it comes to public trust, and community buy-in, examples of carelessly approved schemes that have gone badly wrong don’t help the renewable cause.
Whether a semi-State operation or, in smaller plans, a “faceless company”, careless of local values and previously unspoilt environments, there will be problems with public acceptance of such infrastructure and disruption; just as there are today in Germany and Denmark. – Yours, etc,
ANNE BAILY,
Carrick-on-Suir,
Co Tipperary.