Letter: High energy bill

Further to the letters (12 June) protesting against the Duke of Roxburghe's proposed Fallago wind farm, the duke must be aware that the UK is "broke" and wind turbines are a terrible waste of resources, our landscape and our money.

We cannot afford these virtually useless "renewables", yielding, typically, well under 2 per cent of our electricity, from 2,800 windmillls, almost half in Scotland, whose main industry, tourism, is threatened by them. Research into alternative renewable power sources may well be productive, in the longer term. Meanwhile, windpower is a "broken reed", as has been found in Germany and Denmark, except for their lucrative export trades in wind turbine hardware.

In the UK, the only other beneficiaries are the developers and landowners, costing the nation vast sums for negligible returns in electricity and "greenness".

The "renewables obligation" payments, stemming from the Climate Change Act (2008) and targets set by local and European Union politicians must be repealed if we are to be economically logical and prudent in these hard times. Will his grace, the duke, and, especially, our political leaders, please think again?

DR CHARLES WARDROP

Viewlands Road West

Perth