Clacton Gazette, Letters.

Dear Editor,

J Monk (letter last week) misunderstands how the amount of electricity produced by wind turbines is calculated. he variability of windpower is taken into account when saying they would provide power sufficient for around 6000 homes.

He also clearly doesn't know that Oxford University ran a thirty-year study of wind speeds, which showed that there is around the UK suitable wind speed all year round to feed into the national grid. We have the best availability in Europe.

During the next few years energy efficiency and the need to cut profligate waste of electricity will mean these five turbines will provide enough electricity for at least 10,000 households. Onshore turbines are more efficient than those offshore.

Very detailed studies have to be made on the effect on birds and other wildlife and the Government's Natural England expert ecologists have given approval to these wind turbines at Earls Hall farm.

Local members of our group made a lot of visits to look at the position of the wind turbines and walked all round the local roads before we supported it. We also went to Deeping St Nicholas in Lincolnshire to see and hear the eight turbines there.

Nuclear power is not cheap as suggested by J Clark. It is currently costing the taxpayer £83billion to decommission the current nuclear stations, which only provide less than a fifth of our electricity.

Yours sincerely,
Paula Whitney, Co-ordinator,
Colchester & NE Essex Friends of the Earth,
4 Shears Crescent, West Mersea, Essex.