Wind Farms

quote:

Originally posted by dave brubeck:
Now, I'm no Greenpeace activist, but honestly, how can people justifiably complain about wind farms?

I think they are beautiful...

They often complain when prompted/encouraged to by this man.


He's the secretary to Supporters of Nuclear Energy (SONE), a group of individuals who seek to promote nuclear power.

I also think they are beautiful, greaceful and elegant.

Regards

Stephen

No, I disagree, they're ugly as hell.

I recently went to Scotland - an area where I have been many times before, but not for a few years, I was horrified that a beautiful unspoilt moor has now got a huge windfarm built on it.
Using environmentalism as an excuse to destroy the beauty of unspoilt countryside seems backwards to me.

Put them offshore - fine.
Or why not in towns - on top of buildings, top of lampposts etc - much better to put them in urban environments rather than virgin countryside.

I'm try to avoid the 'eyesore' issue really, aware that it contains more than a whiff of nimbyism if I'm honest.

I thought a more major issue about wind power was that it is extremely inefficient and the number required to make really significant energy production is just too large to be sensible.

quote:

Originally posted by Bruce Woodhouse:
I'm try to avoid the 'eyesore' issue really, aware that it contains more than a whiff of nimbyism if I'm honest.

I thought a more major issue about wind power was that it is extremely inefficient and the number required to make really significant energy production is just too large to be sensible.

My understanding is that the enourmous turbine that was installed on the hills above Wellington, NZ, produced enough electricity to power only eight houses. It's worth more as a PR exercise for the power company than anything else.

As to the unspoilt countryside - I have to say that I would rather my own country were covered entirely in wind farms than home to a single, small nuclear power station.

I think you'll find the turbine above wellington provides significantly more power than that!

There is a large wind farm installation about 1.5hrs north of wellington, in an ideally windy location. unfortunately the inhabitants of the country township nearby are being affected by low frequency noise polution from their neighbouring windfarm; this does not appear to be addressed by any existing laws.

I can appreciate the contention that they are visually pollutive; there are loads of folk in wellington arguing this point for the wind farm that is to be established at makara. a good deal of NIMBY thought there. on the other hand, for so many days of the year this barren exposed headland with 'perfect conditions' for windfarm (imagine being lashed by winds of a minimum of 35km/h all year round) is more often than not under cloud/mist/horizontal rain - not generally fit for human habitation (I've been with a team of people withdrawn with the onset of hypothermia after a day out there). This would seem to be ideal for such a deployment. As long as they can sort out the LF noise.

And as Deane said - surely windfarms are better than the risk and long-term environmental effects of a nuclear power station. Or a strip-mine. Or daming a valley for another hydro-electric power station.

Doh! Quite right Rico - I should have done a wee google before posting that...

60 -80 homes at maximum generation.

I thought those things were the propellers that make the world go around!

quote:

Originally posted by Chillkram:
I thought those things were the propellers that make the world go around!

The Earth is flat, Chillkram. Where are you getting your ideas?

DEar All,

I used to live in Lowestoft Suffolk.

We had a very large turbine and it had the distinction of being the most easterly land based turbine in UK.

Trouble is that even at that position it was not used 24/7.

many days it was not used. many days no wind.

So nice idea but impractical and not a reliable supply.

French Nuclear was cheaper and more reliable even if only 220 v and not 240v. Yep lights dimmed at 21.00 each night as france joined our grid.

regards David

I'm looking into ground heat pumps at the moment, just need to get a survey done.

If it's viable, I was looking at trying for planning permission for one of the new B&W wind turbines to drive the ground heat pump.

If this works out OK then I was looking at getting a bigger turbine at the end of my garden - as this backs onto a railway line it shouldn't cause much of a problem, apart from the old peoples flats which are on the far side of the railway.

I'm also looking at replacing the roofing tiles with solar tiles as they're probably near the end of their useful life.

Personally, I don't have a problem with wind farms as I think they look pretty cool.

Steve.

I can see a future when conservatists gather around the few remaining wind mills, having beards, singing songs and chaining themselves to them so that the big companies can't come near them with their nasty destruction machines.

Probably the grand, grand, grand children to the people complaining today about them being built...

JohanR

Steve,

I'd be very interested to discuss wind generators with you, as I am doing my dissertation on microgeneration and domestic wind generation in particular. My email is nic dot myers at btinternet dot com.

I take it you meant one of the B&Q turbines rather than the Bowers & Wilkins variety

Regards

Nic

quote:

Originally posted by Ancipital:

If it's viable, I was looking at trying for planning permission for one of the new B&W wind turbines to drive the ground heat pump.

If this works out OK then I was looking at getting a bigger turbine at the end of my garden Steve.