Trump is right in his crusade against the permanent scar of wind farms 

The Rev Dr Iain Whyte (Letters , February 24 ) expresses negative views regarding the active intervention of Donald Trump in the wind power debate, accusing him of having a “Brigadoon fantasy”.

While I find little agreeable in Mr Trump’s public image I nevertheless find myself warming to him. Remember that Brigadoon only appears one day every 100 years – wind farms are now permanently on our landscapes and seascapes.

Although his actions may appear, as Dr Whyte suggests, to be going against the elected Scottish Government, there is more to it than the SNP simply following an electoral manifesto on sustainable energy. The fact is that I cannot find settled agreement published anywhere on the true efficiency of wind turbines in Scotland either in terms of return on the capital investment or on electrical output. Both the for and against camps seem able to produce conflicting data and I believe Holyrood has been irresponsible in not being more open on this issue.

I find myself agreeing with Mr Trump – tourists will never flock to see our wind farms.

Bill Brown,

46 Breadie Drive, Milngavie.

THE arrival of Donald Trump, an individual driven to promote his own interests is, to quote Dr Dan Barlow, head of policy at WWF Scotland, “a troubling development” (“Trump faces backlash for opposition to wind farms”, The Herald, February 24).

It winds up irrational opposition to informed debate on what really is in Scotland’s best interests. Discussion is heavily biased on the side of promoting renewables and wind in particular by vested interests just as committed as Mr Trump is to their own advantage.

Politicians make promises of jobs and clean energy as sure vote-winners and stakeholders in the renewables industry are committed, and financed, to promote the idea that wind farms can combat climate change and reduce pollution.

Much is made of the received wisdom that clean green energy will save the planet. These statements have huge psychological appeal for most people and are very difficult to shift even in the face of evidence to the contrary. Because the debate is so heavily biased in favour of renewables and wind in particular there is a real risk the consequence of making decisions which are not evidence-based will have calamitous future consequences.

The weight of engineering evidence tells us that wind farms, on or offshore, cannot influence climate change and reduce pollution. They will however increase energy costs by two to three times, create huge problems to maintain secure supplies, require enormous infrastructure reinforcement of the National Grid to compensate, and depend on nuclear and conventional energy generation import from England.

High energy costs will impair Scotland’s commercial ability to compete and the destruction of Scotland’s enduring asset, its landscape, will damage Scotland’s tourist industry (Mr Trump is right on this). There is a desperate need to rebalance the debate and at the same time ignore the Trump factor.

Norman McNab,

14 Branziert Road North,

Killearn.

BRING on “The Donald”. As a keen hillwalker for a few years now, I admire Mr Trump’s organisation for taking a stand against wind turbines.

You reported on plans for wind turbines in the Assynt region (“Wind farm sounds alarm for conservation charity”, the Herald, February 17)). We have visited this part of Scotland many times and its beauty is jaw-dropping. Every corner you turn and every mountain you climb only makes you wonder more at the magnificence of the region.

Good luck to Mr Trump in his battle with those who wish to desecrate our fabulous country.

Sandy Kennedy,

8 Lochbroom Court,

Newton Mearns.