Static wind generators within the Highlands value customers practically £68 million in 2023.
They accounted for greater than one-quarter of all Scottish wind farms receiving “constraint” funds for zero power output, new figures present.
In response to the Renewable Power Basis (REF), a lion’s share of such funds to UK wind power suppliers discovered its approach north of the border final 12 months.
Of the £307.2m whole for the entire of Britain, the Nationwide Grid Electrical energy System Operator (Nationwide Grid ESO) paid a report £275.3m to a complete of 86 Scottish turbines.
The Highlands led the pay-out league when it comes to wind farm numbers, with 22 websites throughout the area getting funds totalling £67.8m.
Prime of the constraint funds league desk within the space is SSE Renewables’ 66-turbine Stronelairg wind farm, close to Fort Augustus, which acquired practically £11.6m.
However the two greatest earners in Scotland had been each offshore.
Moray East wind farm, a 100-turbine growth within the Cromarty Firth, acquired practically £43m for machines delivering no power.
And the 114-turbine Seagreen scheme off the coast of Angus earned constraint funds totalling practically £40m.
An onshore wind farm, Clyde, close to Abington in South Lanarkshire, is available in third at practically £16.9m.
Stronelairg raked within the fourth highest whole final 12 months.
In the meantime, Dorenell, in Moray, and offshore growth Beatrice earned £9.3m and £9.1m respectively.
Different multi-million-pound earners embrace Griffin, close to Aberfeldy, Perthshire, which acquired practically £4.6m.
Mid Hill, a 33-turbine growth in Fetteresso Forest south-west of Aberdeen, was paid £2.3m.
Argyll and Bute wind farms Beinn an Turc and Carraig Gheal earned practically £1.6m and about £1.3m respectively.
Wind farms are entitled to constraint funds at any time when they’re requested to scale back output resulting from electrical energy grid congestion or excessive winds.
The electrical energy can’t be saved and demand for it fluctuates.
Finally, households find yourself paying for constraint funds although “community prices”.
‘Scandal’
REF has referred to as the system a “nationwide scandal”.
Greater than a 12 months in the past the sustainable development-focused charity estimated the fee to UK customers since constraint funds began in 2010 to be “properly over” £1 billion.
And with many new wind farms deliberate onshore and within the North Sea, community bottlenecks are more likely to worsen.
Unsurprisingly, anti-wind farm campaigners are aghast concerning the big sums of cash being paid for generators intentionally left idle.
Graham Lang, of strain group Scotland In opposition to Spin, mentioned: “It has been identified for some years that the Scottish Authorities has been consenting onshore wind farms far past native demand for electrical energy.
“The most recent information reveals Scotland has 15.3 gigawatts (GW) of operational, underneath building and consented wind farms. There’s one other 7.5GW at the moment in search of consent – whole 22.8GW – but Scotland solely consumes on common 3.6GW of electrical energy.”
Extra energy is shipped to different components of the UK however the transmission community lacks capability.
Mr Lang added: “Wind farms should be turned off, leading to constraint funds.
“Greater than 1 / 4 of wind farms in receipt of these funds are within the Highlands. Areas with low demand and weak grid connectivity can encourage operators to reap the benefits of constraint funds by setting up extra wind farms.
“It’s the shopper who’s paying for constraint funds by way of increased electrical energy costs.
“The most recent estimate is that it’s costing each house owner £40 per 12 months to show off wind farms in Scotland.
“It’s a ridiculous waste of cash. It is senseless in any respect for the Scottish Authorities to maintain awarding consent for extra wind farms.”
In response to Mr Lang, wind farm operators can even save money by hitting the off change.
He continued: “They want much less upkeep and restore in the event that they’re not turning and idle.
“Upkeep could be very expensive. Higher to receives a commission for doing nothing.”
“Constrained” wind farm operators can also proceed to promote power to the Nationwide Grid by way of battery power storage techniques, Mr Lang mentioned.
He added: “It’s a bloated subsidy system, being farmed by builders and operators.”
‘We will repair this’, says SSE
SSE Renewables is among the companions behind the enormous Seagreen growth, Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm.
A spokesman for its guardian firm, Perth-based SSE, mentioned: “Constraint funds are made when the power being produced in a single a part of the nation can’t get to a different as a result of there merely isn’t the capability to hold it.
“We will repair this with insurance policies that velocity up funding in electrical energy networks and power storage applied sciences, similar to pumped hydro storage, so we will get probably the most out of our enviable renewable assets.
“SSE has one of many greatest funding programmes this nation has ever seen, constructing the electrical energy infrastructure the nation wants to spice up power safety, sort out local weather change and create good sustainable jobs.
“The important thing now could be to make sure this funding is introduced ahead as rapidly as attainable.”
Moray East offshore wind farm operator Ocean Winds, a three way partnership between Spanish agency EDP Renewables and France’s Engie, didn’t reply to our requests for remark.
Electrical energy system operator insists it’s ‘maintaining prices as little as attainable’
A spokesman for Nationwide Grid ESO mentioned the UK’s electrical energy system operator retains energy flowing to houses and companies “in probably the most cost-effective approach for the buyer, maintaining prices as little as attainable”.
He added: “Like many system operators the world over, we make constraint funds when it’s less expensive to briefly scale back wind output, for instance, than construct costly new community infrastructure that will add extra money to everybody’s power payments.
“We’re exploring a spread of choices each at a nationwide and regional stage to scale back community constraints.”
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