Scottish Renewables (Letters April 24) persists in presenting wind-generated electricity as renewable. While the wind certainly is, the back-up need of windpower electricity isn't. Resorting to meaningless "smart design" jargon in relation to peatlands discredits the organisation further. The Whitelee wind farm, under construction 15km south of Glasgow (140 turbines 100m high) requires ground stabilisation work that involves removing peat 12 metres deep in places. How green is that? While Scottish Renewables has already said wind farms can't produce baseload electricity, the fact is that wind farms cannot produce any electricity which can be accurately called a supply. The result is the need for power station back-up to ensure reliable, continuous electricity. This defeats the purpose of wind farms.

Claims of saving CO2 emissions are just that: claims with no basis as fossil generation is not displaced. Wind farms are only built to access huge public and consumer subsidies and are only supported by misinformed environmentalists and politicians, and those who profit from them.

A R Nelson, Lanark.

In the panic over the threatened strike at Grangemouth, most attention has concentrated on the plight of road users. Yet fuel shortages could affect diesel and aviation fuel. A shortage of the former could affect Scotland's railways, which are over-dependent on diesel. Electrification schemes are in progress, but too slowly. First ScotRail is upbeat about improvements on the Glasgow-Edinburgh route, which Network Rail is due to electrify, but not until 2014. Not only should we accelerate such schemes, we should extend them to lines north of the central belt. An equally important reason for doing so is to reduce emissions of CO2 and other gases. We will never meet the targets set without such measures.

The dispute might be settled but the need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels will not go away. What's more, no magic bullets are required. It is to be hoped we can source the electricity from renewable sources, particularly wave and tide.

Dr David G Guild, Edinburgh.