At the 19/20 Nov exhibition an information sheet was provided to visitors with a nice 'view from Bowsden village' as the only picture of the site.

It was not clear whether this was a 'before' of 'after' picture, so could you please clarify.

If it is an 'after' pic, would you not say it was strange that eight 125m turbines are not visible in an open landscape such as this?

If it is a 'before' pic, what it is the point it's making?

Thanks Ian,

I'll look into it

Kind regards

Charley

Hello, I have checked the picture it is an "after" image. We will be posting more viewpoints in the near future. The information sheet is available to view and download on the West Ancroft web page. Many thanks for your enquiry

Would you please tell us why E.ON is planning a scheme for eight 125m turbines in this area when the Arup capacity sturdy commissioned by the local planning authority and the regional strategic planning authority clearly states that this scale of development and size of turbine is not acceptable in this location?

Arup's 'South and West of Berwick-upon-Tweed Wind Capacity Study', June 2007, is available as a download from the North East Assembly website at:

http://www.northeastassembly.gov.uk/document.asp?id=392

There have been a number of studies for the area. E.ON will be examining these and local interpretations of the ARUP report in detail. Any issues will be addressed and published in the forthcoming Environmental Statement. Many thanks for your enquiry.

Charley,

You have stated that the picture at the top of the information sheet is an ‘after’ picture.

Please would you reconsider this statement, as any ‘after’ picture that is intended to show a realistic impression, would normally be accompanied by a viewing distance, camera lens details and be printed at least 20cm high according to the best practice guidelines.

You, yourself, had to check whether it was a ‘before’ or ‘after’ picture.  I am sure that E.On does not intend to mislead the public by presenting an ‘after’ image that is so small and so unclear that the turbines cannot actually be seen.  

I am not sure if it is possible to present the picture ‘on-line’ to the correct dimensions but I would suggest that doing so would help people see a better ‘after’ representation. If it is not possible to correct the picture, it might be better to correct the mistake by saying it is a ‘before’ picture, given that none of the turbines are visible.

You and E.On’s consultant, Faber Maunsell have said that it is easy and inexpensive for E.On to provide a computer generated 3D ‘fly-through’ in order to ensure a realistic representation of the West Ancroft wind farm was available to the public.

Please will you confirm that the 3D fly-through will shortly be available for people to view on-line and that it will contain the proposed Moorsyde, Barmoor and Toft Hill wind farms so that people can see a more realistic representation of the cumulative effect of the 28 turbines that are currently proposed for this tiny, populated area of less than 20 square miles.

Kind regards

Tamsin

Tasmin,

The image was commissioned for the landscape survey and was displayed with a number of others at the exhibition. The image was taken near Bowsden village and is one of a number of representations of what the site will look like once complete.

Once we have completed our design work, we will put the series of images on line for people to view and I will happily publish the technical details that you have asked for.

When we met at your home, I did indeed mention our intention to trial other electronic technologies including the 3d visualisations you’ve highlighted.  We don’t have anything to display at the moment but I’m hoping that they can provide a valuable resource in the future. Kind regards Charley

I was very disappointed by the dearth of local information at West Ancroft Memorial Hall. Not only was there no usable map of the turbines per se but also no map to show how the proposed site related to other applications in the area. The proposed scheme is not a stands-alone.

It was also disappointing not to be able to take away a copy of the map showing how the site would interact with the beats of various local birds and mammals. When will these be made available ? I am also concerned that nothing seems to have been prepared about local plant life or insects, who also form part of any ecological audit.

Sandie Reed

Hi Sandie,

I’m surprised to hear that you were disappointed with the information that we presented at the public exhibition. The images on display showed the turbines from seven different viewpoints and locations throughout the area.  We also brought along the member of the team who had prepared them, to explain in more detail.

A wireframe tool was also provided on the day, which showed specific views from individual locations, this was a very popular feature at the exhibition. The visualisation work is ongoing however and any cumulative images will be a part of this and will be published in due course.

We also had an ecologist at part of the exhibition and a thorough ecological audit has been taken on site. The results of this work will be published as part of the Environmental Statement and placed in public areas for the local people to view in the near future.

Also displayed at the exhibition [in A1 format], was the habitat improvement plan whereby we intend to leave the site in a better environmental condition than we found it.  The use of planting, wetting and the like will be designed to encourage a diversity of habitat on site and will be designed to harmonise with the proposal.

Charley

I visited the EON exhibition at Ancroft Memorial Hall on 20th November. I found one of the photomontages representing the 'after' view of the proposed windfarm particularly shocking. It simulated the view of the proposed turbines from the north-west at a distance of around 700 metres, the turbines towering skywards in the foreground of the picture. There are several properties situated at a similar distance from the proposed turbines, yet the photomontage used for the EON information sheet was taken from a distance of nearly 3000 metres away to the the south-east. Why?

It was disappointing to see EON staff starting to dismantle the exhibition displays not long after 5:30pm when the advertised closing time was 6pm.

Roy Hudson

Dear Roy Hudson,

Thank you for visiting the exhibition on 20 November.  The photomontages are from seven locations surrounding the site and at varying distances. We also had the member of the team who had undertaken the landscape and visualisation studies in attendance to explain the work and to answer any queries.  

We also had available an electronic wireframe tool, providing people with the ability to see a representation of the wind farm from their own properties – this feature was well utilised.

The team remained at the hall to the 6pm close along with site specific information. Another event was due to take place that evening in the hall and we had therefore agreed with the keyholder that they could take charge at 6pm. This meant that some of the information was packed away before the close, but the team were on hand to answer to any questions up and till the publicised finish time.  

Many thanks,

Charley

Dear Mr Rattan

I obviously didn’t make my point clear enough. There was not stuff available about our particular local situation for people to take away and consider at home or to pass on to all the people who were unable to attend because they were at work. Why not?  There wasn’t even a takeaway map to show where the turbines might be. I repeat that I find it odd for Eon to have produced a habitat improvement plan but did not produce copies to communicate with the local people. Why not? I was unable to find the ecologist on the day because it was unclear what the functions were of the different company representatives.

The people to whom I passed on the paperwork gained at the exhibition were equally disappointed.

            Sandie Reed

Sandie,

We had an information sheet available on the day for people to take away with them which detailed the plans for the site. We have also developed a webpage at: http://eon-uk.com/generation/1644.aspx have launched this blog and also an email address so that local people can keep in touch and stay informed about the site. A plan of the site is included for download there.

We try our best to reduce waste in the way that we do business and this includes taking care in the amount of printed information that we produce. Our website is designed to help us to do that.

On the habitat improvement plan, this is still being worked on with stakeholders but we did have a draft available for the exhibition.  We can provide more details as we proceed and will upload a version of this onto our website as soon as possible for local people to view.

We are making available as much information about this project as possible which is why we have set up this web page and email address.

If you have any further comments we would be happy to consider these for any future engagement with local people.

Charley

I note that you fail to answer my question as to why the 'view' from the south-east from nearly 3000 metres was used for the information sheet. I must therefore assume that it was chosen to make the proposed turbines appear as insignificant as possible in the landscape.

I also note that you do not dispute that the 'view' from the north-west from 700 metres is particularly shocking in terms of the visual impact on the landscape.

We were not offered the use of the electronic wireframe tool for viewing from other positions.

The value of these photomontage simulations from distant viewpoints is dubious. Anyone who has taken a photograph of a distant feature in the landscape will know that the feature will appear less significant in the resulting image than when viewed directly by the eye. If you genuinely wish to show the true scale of the proposed turbines in the landscape, may I offer the following helpful suggestion? Forget the technical gimmickry. Simultaneously fly EON blimps from each of the 8 proposed turbine sites at a height of 125 metres. This will allow the local population to make a valid judgement as to whether the proposed windfarm is an 'exciting development' (to use your words) or an unacceptable blot on the landscape.

Unfortunately the first downloadable document has an unusual font which is a bit too much for my computer. I beg to differ about the information onb your sheet. There was also lots and lots of very general stuff plus a book of smiling faces about Eon's social contribution, which wasn't really relevant to the issues people were trying to find out. Also, quite a few folk in the area either aren't on broadband or else don't have a computer.

Sandie

Thanks for your note about the first downloadable document, we will look into this. You mention a book of smiley faces? I believe this is in reference to our community fund scheme? The community fund is an important part of any development and enables us to work with the community and support them through various means including charitable donations or even sharing our skills and knowledge. If you are interested in how the community fund might benefit you or would like to get involved please let us know.

I have also been reliably informed that the local library, Berwick library, has a free broadband internet service for members. To become a member you simply have to present a single form of ID. For those who are just visiting, use of the computers is charged at £1 for every half an hour.

We obviously can’t talk to everyone all the time but we hope through a mix of the email service, the blog page, the public exhibition and the local press we can communicate effectively to all local people. Once the Environmental Statement is complete it will also be available in hard copy within the local area for anyone who is interested.

Charley

Roy,

The assessments that we carry out on site, are in accordance to the requirements set down within Scottish National Heritage guidance and the Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments.

The baseline photography and montages are from key viewpoints around the site and are representative of how the scheme will appear at set distances. In response to your query Peter Hulson, an independent consultant for the scheme at West Ancroft has said:

“We always welcome contributions to our assessment processes for wind farm schemes but it is important that our approach is rooted in accepted, robust and defensible processes. Our extensive experience of working on wind farm commissions and applying the techniques set out in SNH and GLVIA has confirmed the importance of the approach we are taking at West Ancroft.”

Charley

Could you please provide more helpful details of the formulae on which the calculations of the following statistics in your West Ancroft Information Sheet are based:

- Provision of power for around 10,200 homes.

- Displacement of approx 7,912 tonnes of CO2.

Thanks,

Ian

Ian,

The formula used is a standard approach approved by the government.

Number of homes is worked out as follows:

Load factor x MW of the site x number of hours in the year (8760) divided by 4.7 which is a figure provided by the DTI and is the average domestic household consumption (4700kWh)

For development sites we typically use a load factor of 30% for onshore and 35% for offshore. For operational sites, typically it is the latest years load factor.

For carbon emissions, the formula is:

Number of hours in a year (8760) x MW of the site x Load factor x 0.43 ( the emissions factor used by the DTI & BWEA of 430g CO2/kWh. This factor is used as it relates to the displacement of a balanced portfolio of generation, as opposed to just comparing it to coal).

Charley

Charley

1. What is the load factor for turbines of the type proposed for West Ancroft?

2.  How much electricity will each turbine generate annually in reality, given the sporadic local wind supplies?

3. What would be the annual value of the electricity produced by 1 turbine of the type proposed for West Ancroft?

Sandie Reed

Sandie,

To quote the British Wind and Energy Association:

Wind energy can be relied upon, even though the wind is not available 100% of the time. Wind turbines generate electricity for 70-85% of the time, but not always at full output. Most wind turbines start generating power at wind speeds of around 3 or 4 m/s (when the output is a few kilowatts), generate maximum ("rated") power at around 15 m/s and shut down to prevent storm damage at 25 m/s or above. The proportion of time that wind turbine is generating between these wind speeds depends on the average wind speed at the site. Most sites where wind turbines are installed in the UK have wind speeds in the range 7.5 - 9 m/s and so generate for 70-85% of the time.

The load factor of wind varies according to the site and the type of turbine, but it is generally between 25-40%. It is higher during the winter than the summer. An average windfarm with an installed capacity of say 5 MW will produce an output of 13,140 MWhours/year, i.e. 30% of what it would produce if it were operating continually at maximum output

West Ancroft will provide enough renewable power for around 10,200 homes (Annual homes equivalent based on average domestic household consumption of 4.7 MWh ) and displace approximately 7,912 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. (DTI report on domestic energy consumption 2004)2(based on 430kg CO2per MWh electricity generated in the UK from a mix of sources DEFRA).

Kind regards

Charley

When I asked the question about the value of the power generated by a turbine of the type proposed for West Ancroft, I meant how much money would such a turbine provide for Eon at the end of a year of operation.

                                 Sandie Reed

Sandie

We are a commercial company and look to make a return for our shareholders - like all companies. Similar principles apply to all our generation projects ranging from coal to biomass and of course  to wind.  Individual turbines help to contribute both towards this, and the governments renewable energy targets.

The ‘value of the power’ will depend on a number of factors including supply and demand within the market place as well as how much the wind blows to name just a couple. Your questions is therefore very difficult to provide an honest answer too.

You may find the BWEA.com website useful as well as berr.gov.uk, both of which have researched this and detail the results on their website.

Regards

Charley

Dear Mr Rattan

A pity my previous question (and answer) was unable to appear in the blog. Following accounts of the recent ice casting hazard from 125M turbines at Whittlesey

The Ice shards were cast off at low speed to a range of about 60-75 mts, they were 1mt in length but broke on impact into smaller segments of 300mm, mostly weighed about 2-3lbs = kilo each. The Ice shards hit roofs and carparks and garden, people had to move rapidly to move cars and dodge the ice, the "ice shedding" went on for about 20mins.

Given this local press report from Whittesley I would like to know the minimum distance

1.between one of your proposed turbines and the nearest public footpath

2.between one of your proposed turbines and the nearest habitation

3.between one of your proposed turbines and the nearest public road.

Icing incidents are relatively infrequent but they CAN happen. A faster turbine speed than occurred at Whittesley would have propelled ice missiles even further.

This is a concern.

Mr Rattan

Why does E.ON use a wide angle photograph of twelve year old 61m turbines in its press adverts and local mailshots regarding the proposed 'West Ancroft' array of 125m turbines?

There are plenty of photo libraries that can supply images of modern 125m turbines if you do not have any.

Even I have plenty of high quality images of 125m turbines on file.

Why does E.ON use an image of 43m turbines at Blood Hill to head the 'West Ancroft' page of its website?

E.ON states: “Blood Hill Wind Farm is our smallest development”. The Blood Hill turbines are some of the oldest and smallest commercial turbines in the UK, they date back to 1992 and are only 43m to the blade tip.

Can you honestly say that both these images have anything to do with modern 125m turbines?

Dear Sandie

Firstly I should say that we take the safety of all our sites very seriously. While I clearly can’t comment on the Whittesley issue, given that it’s not an E.ON site, I can tell you that each and every one of our potential wind farm sites are individually assessed and that this includes answers to the questions you outlined in your posting.

In terms of West Ancroft specifically, we are still working on our final planning submission, which will give an answer to your questions as part of the Environmental Statement. We expect to be lodging our application in the coming months – the contents of which will be available on the West Ancroft web page and from the local Council.

Don, the images used of Blood Hill wind farm were for marketing purposes only. At the recent exhibition we did present a number of photomontages of the proposed West Ancroft wind farm, you’ll find a viewpoint from Bowsden village on the downloadable information sheet on the West Ancroft webpage.

Mr Rattan,

An interesting response: "for marketing purposes only".

This is precisely the point, E.ON is deliberately using misleading images to 'market' the scheme. The Advertising Standards Authority might have something to say about this approach to 'marketing'.

It should also be pointed out that a tiny, indistinct photomontage with no technical information, as presented on your so-called 'information sheet' is equally misleading.

I would suggest that you stop trying to fool people and replace the the header on your information sheet with a clear, properly captioned photomontage from close to the site. Also, that the images on this page and on E.ON's 'West Ancroft' website page are replaced with clear images of modern 125m turbines.

Hi Don,

The exhibition invites bore generic images intended  to inform people that the exhibition was taking place, and encouraging them to attend the exhibition to view  site specific information.

We have taken commentary on board and are working to refine the scheme to incorporate wherever possible on the points  made throughout the blog and indeed the wider consultation process.

Once we have completed our design work, we will put a series of images on line for people to view and, as at exhibition, publish the relevant  technical details.

Charley