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Smith, J., Nayak, D. & Smith, P. Avoid constructing wind farms on peat. Nature 489, 33 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/489033d
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/489033d
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Correction: Clarification
Nature (2013)
Peter Cary
On behalf of Jo Smith:
Construction of windfarms on degraded peats can save carbon
The headline linked to our correspondence on 6th September (2012), "Avoid constructing windfarms on peat", has resulted in misunderstanding of the intended message. With good management, our calculations1 show that carbon savings are possible for windfarms constructed on many peat sites; it is developments on non-degraded peats that should be avoided. After 2025, assuming low-carbon electricity generation, windfarms on non-degraded peats are unlikely to give net carbon benefit and technological advances would be needed to achieve savings.
The Scottish Government's Carbon-Calculator2 assesses carbon losses at any given site. It is widely used by the industry to determine how to manage a site for maximum carbon benefit; the Scottish Government are leading the way by including this in planning applications for windfarms over 50MW. Carbon-payback-time is calculated by comparing these losses to savings made by replacing fossil fuels. As electricity generation becomes decarbonised, savings will fall because wind replaces less carbon-intense electricity generation. The calculations provided by the Carbon-Calculator should account for this fall in savings by using the emission factor for replaced energy production, averaged over the windfarm life. Calculations using emission factors at time of consent underestimate carbon-payback-time by a factor of 0.6 in 2010, falling to 0.4 by 2030. Predictions of fuel-mix used for electricity generation are uncertain, but errors introduced by not using reduced emission factors are likely to be greater than this uncertainty.
If consent for windfarms on non-degraded peats is not given, some suggest there will be reduced decarbonisation. We assert that windfarms constructed on non-degraded peats contribute apparent, but not actual decarbonisation. It is likely that other developments will replace development on non-degraded peats, so genuinely counteracting any reductions. Onshore windfarms have great potential to reduce carbon emissions from electricity generation, but this will only be true if developments on non-degraded peats are avoided.
Jo Smith, Dali Nayak, Pete Smith
1Nayak, D.R., Miller, D., Nolan, A., Smith, P., Smith, J.U., 2010. Calculating carbon budgets of windfarms on Scottish peatlands. Mires & Peat 4, Article 09, http://www.mires-and-peat.net/, ISSN 1819-754X
2The Scottish Government, 2012. Wind farm savings on peatlands. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/... (accessed 22/05/12).