‘Renewable energy mix may have to be changed’
Studies are still being made to assess the viability of offshore wind farms.
A Labour government will stick to EU targets on renewable energy but it may have to change the mix of energy sources, according to Labour environment spokesman Leo Brincat.
Addressing a press conference yesterday, Mr Brincat said that during private talks he had had with operators in the renewable energy sector, many cast doubts on the Government’s plans to rely on wind energy.
The Government was only now talking about solar farms to harvest energy from the sun because there seemed to be a realisation that the proposed offshore wind farm at Mellieħa was unfeasible, Mr Brincat added.
The Government last night denied its wind energy plans were in trouble. Studies are still being made to assess the viability of the offshore wind farm, without which two smaller onshore wind farms will not be viable.
Quoting from official documents, Mr Brincat said solar energy had barely featured in the Government’s overall strategy to generate at least 10 per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2020. “My suspicion is that the renewable targets were not met last year and are unlikely to be met this year... Malta is doomed to languish in the EU’s relegation zone of renewable energy targets,” he said.
Solar farms were mentioned by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi recently as a solution for those who could not put up solar panels at their house. He said people, especially those who lived in flats, would be encouraged to invest in a communal farm and benefit from electricity generation.
Mr Brincat questioned the Government’s change of heart on solar energy, which was not mentioned in the Nationalist Party’s 2008 manifesto.
He said a Labour government would seek expert advice on whether the current energy mix proposed by the Government was adequate to generate the required 10 per cent or whether more emphasis should be placed on the sun.
The Resources Ministry rebutted the accusations, insisting it was not true that its wind energy plans had failed. The ministry questioned whether the Labour Party was against the environmental impact studies being carried out.
The statement said the Government was committed also to solar energy and pointed towards the various schemes launched over the past years that helped some 6,000 households invest in PV panels.
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Francis Grech
Nov 15th 2012, 20:24
Not very often that our PM take very good decisions but for this one I give him 10 out of 10
Alex Ellul
Nov 14th 2012, 22:53
Our government must have a hard look at what the OK government is saying:
George Osborne is the driving force behind an apparent policy shift against onshore wind farms. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/windpower/9678627/George-Osborne-is-driving-force-behind-anti-wind-farm-agenda-says-his-father-in-law-Lord-Howell.html
UK's government's anti-wind farm agenda; do you read that?
Alex Ellul
Nov 14th 2012, 22:26
As for solar, prices have been more than halved these last years and we have the flat roofs and other areas that are ideal for PV's. For information as a rule of thumb, 1 kWp of installed PV's requires 6 sq. M. Still we cannot exceed a certain limits nationally due to risks of blackouts resulting from sudden loads on the spinning turbines. Besides, Enemalta will have....
Alex Ellul
Nov 14th 2012, 22:21
It's so good to see the PL see some light on the wind turbines issue. Wind is not viable in malta due to various reasons mainly:
Low wind velocity most of the time and very strong gusting some times when turbines will have to be switched off. Average wind speed is less than the economical of 5 m/s.
Urbanisation and environmental concerns preclude onshore wind
Offshore wind is too expensive
Alex Ellul
Nov 14th 2012, 22:13
Real time data-UK electricity generation (remeber that the UK syas that they have reached their carbon emissions target)
Combined cycle 10.7 GW
Coal 20.7 GW
Nuclear 6.7 GW
Hydro 1.2 GW
Imported France & Holland 2 GW
Total non-wind: 40.6 GW
Wind 0.45 GW which is 1% of total. LOL and this after having covered their magificent views, both on land and off-shore, with gigantic concrete pillars
Paul Smith
Nov 14th 2012, 18:46
Wind farms play a vital role in the UK's energy mix, both so called experts below are wrong. Wind power generates around 5 to 7% of base load - enough to power a few Malta's. EROEI energy retuning over invested is huge, unlike nuclear which has continually been subsidized for the past 40 years with no clue as to how pay for the cleanup costs. The wind will blow at when the oil runs out
Edward Mallia
Nov 15th 2012, 00:30
These so-called experts never bother to look at all the facts. They prefer to select & inflate those that "support" their pre-conceptions . Protest by a group becomes "a huge row" , a dislike by "most people". Adversaries are depicted as idiots who cannot answer simple questions. They form a sort of flat earth society desperately looking for the edge of the world to tell us 'we told you so'.
Edward Mallia
Nov 14th 2012, 14:08
Problems on both sides: Can Govt say why the proposed on-shore wind farms are not viable without Sikka l-Bajda?
Can anyone compute area of PV panels needed to produce annual energy from the ~90MW of SB?
Govt. has never said it will rely on wind energy -- exclusively -- to reach RE targets: 10% of ALL our energy use, not just electricity generated.
We need to tap every source we have.
victor bonello
Nov 14th 2012, 11:54
PN is finally awaking up thanks to the Pl camapign and trying to consider the many alternatives.
Mr Tony Gatt
Nov 14th 2012, 09:14
A huge row is going on in the U.K. about these windmills as they require massive subsidies to make them viable. And proponents won't answer the question- what happens when the wind doesn't blow? A no-brainer if ever there were one. Keep clear of them.
Rod Enderby
Nov 14th 2012, 12:12
You are quite correct mr.Gatt. They cost a fortune (some people's pockets have been well lined), and supply very liittle electricity.ironically, when it is extremely windy,they have to be stilled or they blow up! Most people in the UK (except the Liberal democrats) hate them and don't want any more.They blight the landscape and make a noise that affects quality of life for people nearby.
Edward Mallia
Nov 14th 2012, 13:42
Proponents may not answer the question because it is a silly question. The "windmills" do not generate, just as the old windmills did not grind wheat when there was no wind. But as turbines are set up in places where extended series of wind speed measures are available, an estimate of power generation can be made by intending wind farm builders.
Alex Ellul
Nov 14th 2012, 22:47
Rod Enderby, many thanks for expressing the English people's experience with the concrete monsters. But some here do not want to learn from other's (bad) experiences. We are lucky that we are still in time to decide and we need to decide on the side of caution. We are blessed with sun not wind and land. We do not have land and the sea is deep and not practical.
Please choose the reason of your report below: