Published at 09:44, Friday, 12 March 2010

YOUR editorial (Courant, March 5) seems to dwell a lot on the cost of hydro-power.

Yes it may be expensive, but you seem to have lost the long view.

Hydro produces power 24/7. Yet, I see wind turbines not turning and the power having to be sent along cables for many miles.

If you study the river system there are many sites where water mills once worked. Each site will produce different amounts of power from big river schemes to small mill sites and will be close to the location of population.

The cost benefit for the future generations will be better because conventional power will get more expensive and peak oil production is not very far in the future.

We have already passed the point when we have extracted more oil than reserves were discovered in one year.

Yes, turbines may be expensive now, but please, we all should take the long view.

DAVID GRUNDY,

Hexham

Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk