More grist to mills row

Continuing the dialogue on Scottish wind power (Letters, passim), some food for thought.

One of the limiting factors in Scottish wind power is that the existing power lines to England have little spare capacity, so in addition to the out-of-place turbines, we would need to include hideous pylons that would further scar the landscape.

Wind turbines are a fantastic technology, but they should be restricted to off-horizon off-shore installations, where wind is more powerful and predictable. It is also much easier to lay sub-sea power cables, and an integrated offshore grid would add flexibility for future expansion.

At the other end of the spectrum from the megalith wind turbine is the small home turbine that can easily be installed on buildings/houses, taking advantage of the existing household electricity distribution systems.

This is a real and credible technology which is even available from DIY chains. however, I suspect that local planning approval procedures and lack of vision will hamper the progress of such a simple and elegant solution to the generation of clean and sustainable energy.

We have destroyed so much in our quest for cheap energy — let us not make more mistakes by destroying our landscape and our children's heritage.

Hugh Falconer

Aberdeenshire