I HAVE learned that thanks to the onward march of renewable science all Dutch trains, since January 1, have been powered by electricity sourced from windmills. One windmill in one hour can power one train for 120 miles, and 600,000 Dutch passengers are getting the benefit.
It will make my heart warm a little and help bring succour to my frost-bitten limbs the next time I fail to get on a Glasgow-bound service at Haymarket due to overcrowding. When I am stranded at Croy because of a cancellation, or an accidentally non-stopping diesel motorised unit, I shall look up at the powerless electrical cables and know that all is right with the world, sorry, I mean the Netherlands.
Next time I venture out on the mountains of Caledonia I shall stand proud, atop the peaks, looking at the endless wind farms enriching absentee landowners, and will be happy that we in Scotland are being screwed for the benefit of Dutch commuters.
Maurice Hickey,
15 Glenbank Road, Lenzie.
IN addition to Dr Dave Gordon’s letter (January 10) on WWF hyperbole re wind, it is worth scrutinising the recent statement from Scottish Renewables, stating that wind power generation recently reached 10 GW and that this demonstrates that it is “ reliable”.
Let us accept that their output figure was very briefly true. That wind power generation output is reliable is demonstrably not the case.
What we have therefore is a half-truth.
Half-truths are like half-bricks. They can be cast much farther.
DB Watson,
Saviskaill,
Langdales Avenue, Cumbernauld.
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