AS an engineer who worked on industrial control systems, heating, air conditioning and ventilation from 1954 to 1987 I can also confirm Mr M Podds arguments against wind farms, (Journal, November 10).

The taxpayer via the government is providing up to 300 per cent subsidies to the wind generator installers. Hence companies from the USA, Germany and Japan are alongside British companies in trying to provide installations.

Wind farms will not reduce the need for conventional power stations, as just one hour without wind requires a back up power station.

The government is looking to provide up to 20 per cent of renewable energy. A power station running at 80 per cent efficiency will be classed as inefficient and probably cause more of the so called greenhouse gases.

A proposed wind farm next to the M6 in Cumbria would be five miles long. The 27 generators 400ft high would produce a maximum of 67 megawatts. A conventional power station such as Didcot near Swindon is less than two miles across and produces 2000 megawatts. Simple mathematics shows that to produce 2000 megawatts from wind farms would require at least 150 miles of wind generators at their maximum output.

With every wind farm there will be a massive road infrastructure for building and maintenance.

Most wind farms are proposed for areas of outstanding natural beauty areas that rely on tourism for their income.

Before now energy sources are contemplated more should be spent on energy conservation.

However energy conservation costs money for reduced returns for the energy suppliers. Energy production means sales for the providers however dubious the source.

Denmark held as a pioneer of wind power has significantly altered its programme. A quotation from their leading newspaper Jyllands Posten in February 2002 "because it is dependent on taxpayer's subsidies, in other words politics .... Wind power is unreliable, very expensive, badly scars the landscape, and is only useful as a small supplementary source of power, nothing more." This should be set against the possible loss of jobs in a tourist industry blighted by wind farms.

JAMES A SHUTTLEWORTH, Hawthorn Road, Evesham.