Sir, – Kevin O'Sullivan is correct to point out that, if the Dublin Array wind farm is approved, the view out to sea will be similar to some European coastal cities ("Up to 60 'supersize' wind turbines planned for Dublin Bay", News, November 9th).
However, his example of the Danish capital Copenhagen omits one crucially important fact – the Middlegrunden wind farm in Copenhagen has a different business model to the Dublin Array.
It is a 50:50 partnership between a private company and a cooperative. This means that half of the financial benefits of the Middlegrunden wind farm stay local and go directly to citizen investors.
It also means that citizens have a stronger say in decision-making, arising from the co-op’s emphasis on democracy and participation.
Why is the Dublin Array not pursuing a similar approach? And why are our policymakers not viewing the nascent offshore wind sector as a social and economic opportunity for Ireland to promote energy citizenship through the co-operative business model? – Yours, etc,
Prof PATRICK
DEVINE-WRIGHT,
University of Exeter,
Devon, UK.