On Friday 31st June, EnergieKontor applied to Fife Council for planning permission to build a five-turbine wind farm near Auchtermuchty. The site is between Rossie and Auchtermuchty Common, beside the A91 road to Cupar. The turbines would be 100metres (330 feet) tall, and would be visible from more than five miles away. Auchtermuchty Landscape and Environment (ALE) seeks your help in opposing the planning application.

Did You Know…

1. If the wind farm is built, your house may lose at least 10% of its value, and possibly more.
    
2. Turbines create noise pollution – in some cases up to three miles. The site is less than a mile from Auchtermuchty and Dunshalt – it is likely that the noise will be heard particularly during quiet evenings.
    
3. All electricity consumers are forced to buy expensive wind power – you have no choice. Wind power is sold under a Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) forcing your electricity supplier to buy the power at high price. You cannot avoid the high price by changing supplier as ROCs cover all power companies.
    
4. Wind power is expensive. The cost of generating wind power is between two and three times higher than the current wholesale market price.
    
5. Wind turbines are visually intrusive – these 100m (330 feet) turbines are about ten times the height of a standard house. You would be able to see the turbines clearly from Dunshalt, Collessie, Falkland and Strathmiglo. This would affect everyone in Auchtermuchty and the surrounding villages. 
    
6. Wind power is unreliable – it needs back-up generation when the wind does not blow. You pay for that back-up capacity as well as the wind power. 
    
7. Wind farms save little carbon dioxide - in the UK, most back-up capacity is either gas or coal fired. Wind power produces no carbon dioxide, but greenhouse gasses are still produced by the essential back-up capacity needed to keep the lights on. The annual CO2 saving from the proposed wind farm will be less than the pollution from one return flight to the United States.
    
8. Turbines create moving shadows – the “flicker” frightens horses and can be a traffic hazard.
    
9. Turbine noise will be heard on Auchtermuchty Common - currently a tranquil place much enjoyed by walkers, and home to wildlife and plantlife. The turbines will be very close to the Common. The noise pollution may affect wildlife. 
    
10. Building turbines in beautiful rural countryside affects tourism - In a recent report on wind farms, the Royal Society of Edinburgh states “it would make greater economic sense, and is also likely to be more environmentally friendly, if the decision-making system and decision support instruments resulted in the installation of renewables generation… in areas of relatively lower environmental quality”. The area surrounding Auchtermuchty, and the Common, is an area of high environmental quality. Tourism and the Festival are important to the rural area. 
     
11. 2000 houses could be properly insulated for the same cost as building the proposed wind farm. That covers most of the houses in the villages surrounding the site.
     
12. Energy efficiency measures have an instant saving on emissions. You can save money and reduce emissions by using less electricity. A single energy efficient light bulb can save around £10 a year, or about £100 over its life. Don’t boil excess water in your kettle – in the UK, boiling excess water uses more than the output of a major power plant. Energy efficient washing machines use about two-thirds of the power of a traditional washing machine. Energy efficient dishwashers use less than half the power of old machines. Cavity wall insulation will pay for itself in about two years. Think about other pollution - don’t drive your car short distances. There are many small things you can do to use energy more efficiently.

Join ALE and help oppose the wind farm proposal. You have the right to send Fife Council a letter of objection to the wind farm proposal.