I am writing on behalf of Penistone Friends of the Earth about the proposed wind farm at Sheephouse Heights.

The energy we use in our homes accounts for over a quarter of the carbon dioxide emissions produced in this country, which is causing climate change. This can be reduced by both saving energy and making the change to renewable energy from coal, oil and gas. We are currently running ‘Penistone Energy Project’, which includes working to set up a community hydro scheme, helping schools to apply for solar panels, and there will soon be energy monitors to borrow from the library to check your home energy use.

Penistone Friends of the Earth have looked carefully at the application for the wind farm at Sheephouse Heights, as although we believe renewable energy is essential, some wind farms can still cause harm. However, in this case we can see no reason to object to the application. There are no designated wildlife sites, little wildlife that will come to any harm there and there are already pylons running across the skyline. It is on top of a hill on a very windy spot, where it will power thousands of homes.

Looking at the bigger picture, we need renewable energy and wind is the most advanced technology at the moment. Wind power alone cannot provide all the power we need in the UK, but it can make a significant contribution. We need a mixture, spread over the UK - wave power round the coast, more solar in the south, tidal ponds in estuaries, hydro along rivers – and wind power in high up windy places like Penistone. Less well-known technologies are being developed all the time – some were talked about in our ‘Energy Question Time’ in Penistone last month. But we cannot wait for the perfect solution, protesting about wind power in the meantime – if something better comes along, the wind turbines can be taken down and there will hardly be anything to show they were there.

Sheephouse Heights will greatly increase the amount of renewable energy in our area, helping to start the Green Energy revolution in the same way Barnsley’s pits helped in the industrial revolution. We would like to encourage people to write to the planning board in Barnsley to support it.

Rachel Gibbons,

Penistone Friends of the Earth