Wind turbines

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by ron1863

Tried inserting this image in my previous reply re Wind Turbines, hope this works

you see I actually do think this is beautiful, beauty being in the eye of the beholder - but none-the-less even if you do think it's horrible, its not necessarily permenant and it may just help us to preserve the way of life as we know it. Has to be worth a try.....

[ron1863]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

you see I actually do think this is beautiful, beauty being in the eye of the beholder - but none-the-less even if you do think it's horrible, its not necessarily permenant and it may just help us to preserve the way of life as we know it. Has to be worth a try.....

I agree to some extent that they look fairly scenic from a distance but when up close they are fairly ugly

[Tormentil]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

..... beauty is in the eye of the beholder .....

"Get it out with Optrex". S. Milligan 1918-2002

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Jez]

Why Can't The Severn Be used to generate power?

[almostnormal]

i'm not totally against wind power, providing its in the right place, just like i'm not against tidal barrages, etc provided they're in the right place. its all very well saying that we have to choose between a few birds now and a few species later, but some of the most valuable habitats around are threatened by renewable energy sources. for example, if they built the morecambe bay barrage vast areas of the mudflats would be lost and the whole eco-system would change. given the importance of the bay for wintering waders - tens of thousands - i'm not sure that barraging the bay wouldn't cause the loss of more than a few birds.

having said that i do agree that its important to find a balance, and the first step is to find a clean fuel source whilst we develop sustainable and reliable renewable technologies. which we don't have yet.

[Coley]

In response to Jez,
It depends on what method you could use to harness its power. A dam would be catastrophic to the area it flows out of upsetting the migratory birds that depend on our unique estuaries.
I guess someone needs to invent current turbines for rivers to harness the power fo the flow.
That would probably cause the least impact.

[Garden Carpet]

I live less than too miles from a small wind turbine farm in the Lincolnshire countryside.. I can never understand why they are considered ugly. To my mind they are both graceful and elegant. I would much prefer to see them than have a stinking coal or oil fired power station with its attendant ugly cooling towers or a nuclear powered station with all the possibility of the dangers of that system.

On the arguement that they wont be able to power the nation, well no one 'green' system will do that and no doubt their output will be increased as technology in the area improves. Surely it is better to have the small amount they currently (no pun intended) supply by green means than to have the same amount from fossil fuels?

I would happily have such a farm in the field to the side of my house.

I am always astounded that people who are 'green' in many ways feel such antipathy towards a green power.

I do realise there is some loss of bird life to these turbines..but has anybody quantified the loss to other power sources?
Jaki

[Garden Carpet]

Originally Posted by Coley

In response to Jez,
It depends on what method you could use to harness its power. A dam would be catastrophic to the area it flows out of upsetting the migratory birds that depend on our unique estuaries.
I guess someone needs to invent current turbines for rivers to harness the power fo the flow.
That would probably cause the least impact.

There are already such turbines.. built in Scotland and used in the Bay of Biscay

[svenrufus]

An alternative proposal to the idea of a barrage across the whole Severn (or other) estuary - which would be absolutely unacceptable on ecological grounds - is the use of Tidal Lagoons, which are a similar idea in the way they work using the ebb and flow of the river/tide, but rather than damming the whole river, they create 'pockets' of water contained in discreet areas where the ecological impact is less.

This allows more manageable energy capture and release, as the water can be allowed to flow in or out of the lagoons at times to suit, to meet peak demand. It can also be delivered much quicker than the barrage scheme and is, in terms of resources (material and financial), a better investment. It is the way forward for this particular area.

Trouble is that the government seems to be hooked on grand scale big engineering schemes - looks more impressive and shows 'real action'. Same way they like to back plans for huge new reservoirs rather than legislate for water efficiency measures.

[Lincs Yellowbelly]

I was on the coast of Lincs today off Gibraltar Point, and they are in the process of building a offshore windfarm there. The posts for a 15/16 are in place, with another 6 or 7 on the rig. We also have on inland in Lincs near to Mablethorpe.

I'm actually for windfarms. It seems to me that the majority of the opposition about them is to do with the way they look rather than any other reasons, yes a few birds may be hit each year but what price do we put on becomming a greener country? they aren't going to solve all the problems with energy alone, but as part of a range of new green energy i reckon they are vital.