MR HANNAH S letter about wind farms makes the point that offshore sites may be a desirable solution but, since they are not available locally, he argues we should support the proposed Linton monstrosity, implying that a local windfarm would somehow be of

MR HANNAH'S letter about wind farms makes the point that offshore sites may be a desirable solution but, since they are not available locally, he argues we should support the proposed Linton monstrosity, implying that a local windfarm would somehow be of local benefit.

How wrong can you be! Because wind power is by nature intermittent and variable, all electricity so generated has to be fed into the national grid where it can and must be balanced out by conventional generating facilities.

And once it's in the national grid it will be used anywhere in Britain. There is no local benefit whatsoever from a local wind farm.

If wind generation has to be a part of our generating capacity, it makes sense to site it where there is, er, wind. Given that the prevailing wind direction is from the west, the sheltered east is not a rational choice.

A similar sized farm in the remote west where no-one will be disturbed by it and few will see it seems the obvious solution. A farm in Linton will not only be an intrusive eyesore, but inefficient too. There are no local benefits, and we should oppose it.

Norman Wells, Museum Yard, Saffron Walden