Wind Farms

Hightower · 12 April 2005, 18:48

Was listening to Radio 2 today about Wind Farms as a eco-friendly way of providing power. As some of you live around these farms I thought I would try to find out what you guys and girls thought about them.

Love em or hate them! What are your veiws?

Andy

Louise · 12 April 2005, 19:04

Well they're certainly not pretty - but then nor are nuclear power stations!

I don't know enough about the different technologies and their respective efficiency to comment beyond saying that the fact that wind farms don't produce any harmful waste (unless anyone knows differently?) makes them more appealling to me than other options.

Daniel TD5 · 12 April 2005, 19:07

hello andy

we have a very large half build farm off herne bay they do spoil the veiw a bit

see bilge rat trying to steel one in this pic this is one base i think about fifty have been installed see the world war two forts in the back ground

are we going to meet this summer for the sub fives around the IOW

dan

slimtim · 12 April 2005, 19:07

Don't get me started....they want to build the highest ones in the UK (by a long way) near my house on the Island. So much for keeping the island unspoilt.

Apparently all the details that the wind farm companies provide is a load of crap. They say that X number of turbines will power X number of houses, but they calculate this on, I think, a house using an average of 1kW. A normal house with a family of four with TVs, computers, power showers, etc etc bla bla will use a hell of a lot more than 1kW!!!

Tim

slimtim · 12 April 2005, 19:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel TD5

are we going to meet this summer for the sub fives around the IOW

dan

I'm up for that, although I'm not sub 5 anymore

(should that be a sad face or a smilie face?!)

Hightower · 12 April 2005, 19:16

Certainly Nuclear power stations are not very PC these days but to build a wind farm you must first use concrete, now that's not very Eco-friendly is it.

I've only seen smallish windfarms down in Cornwall and from a distance looked very interesting and kind of calming with all those giant propellers slowly going around.

But then I don't have to live next to one.....Yet!

How about giant tide farms instead?

nik · 12 April 2005, 19:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Louise

beyond saying that the fact that wind farms don't produce any harmful waste

Sadly, as I understand it, they do produce a lot of dead birds.

Nick.

Louise · 12 April 2005, 19:25

John Kennett · 12 April 2005, 20:07

I hate, loathe and detest them.

They despoil the landscape with their own insidious form of pullution. Not only are they built on the top of hills, making them as prominent as possible, but they wave their arms about going "Look at me! Look at me!"

I wouldn't mind them if they were a long way offshore though . . .

John

robin · 12 April 2005, 20:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Kennett

I hate, loathe and detest them.

They despoil the landscape with their own insidious form of pullution. Not only are they built on the top of hills, making them as prominent as possible, but they wave their arms about going "Look at me! Look at me!"

John

So....John Kennett = Don Quixote ...Arf

Well they almost sound the same!

codprawn · 12 April 2005, 20:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Kennett

I hate, loathe and detest them.

They despoil the landscape with their own insidious form of pullution. Not only are they built on the top of hills, making them as prominent as possible, but they wave their arms about going "Look at me! Look at me!"

I wouldn't mind them if they were a long way offshore though . . .

John

TOTALLY agree - we don't have much pretty countryside left - and Labour want to stick these eyesores up everywhere!!!

The ONLY reason they are supposed to be viable is because they are given massive subsidies - in the REAL world they are a joke. They aren't very good when running at their best - the main problem is too much wind or not enough and they wont run at all.

Nuclear power is our ONLY solution to cut CO2 output that is having such a harmfull effect on our global climate. YES it can be dangerous but not if properly controlled - coal has killed FAR more people - 20,000 a year in the 1950s in London from smog!!!

The greens have a hell of a lot to answer for - the worst nuclear accident was in Russia - they are still building more nuclear powerstations - the Chinese have just decided to build 40 new ones - and yet us in the west won't build any more - instead we buy gas off the Russians who then use more nuclear power - barking or what??? I think I would far rather see more nuclear powerstations in say Sweden or Germany than in Russia!!!

jwalker · 12 April 2005, 22:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Kennett

I hate, loathe and detest them.

They despoil the landscape with their own insidious form of pullution.

Agreed. And, they're fkin noisy. How much energy can you get from a pissy little tubine. It wouldn't be quite so bad if they painted them green or sky grey. Cellphone masts too. Grrrr....

slimtim · 12 April 2005, 22:16

http://www.thwart.info/index.htm

This is the site for the action group against the ones proposed for the site near me. 350feet tall, biggest in the UK I believe.

Tim

Matt · 12 April 2005, 22:16

I like em.

Andy Stevens · 12 April 2005, 22:18

Phone masts. Do you own a mobile?

We all sit here moaning about the things, yet like sheep, still use them.

Personally I think that nothing is permanant so build them, move them and get rid of them.

I agree, nuclear is the way forward, after all, we all depend on a massive reaction called the SUN!

It has to be built in someone's back yard, I have a pylon in mine which supplies power to Portsmouth, do I care? Nope. When i flick the tv on, i can't moan about the thing I'm using.

Rogue Wave · 12 April 2005, 22:26

Isn't wind turbine sail making a major employer on the Island so do you have plans to expel thm from the Island also?

Matt · 12 April 2005, 22:30

IMHO Fusion, like the sun, is the way forward, and might reach commercial viability in our lifetimes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Stevens

Phone masts. Do you own a mobile?

We all sit here moaning about the things, yet like sheep, still use them.

Personally I think that nothing is permanant so build them, move them and get rid of them.

I agree, nuclear is the way forward, after all, we all depend on a massive reaction called the SUN!

It has to be built in someone's back yard, I have a pylon in mine which supplies power to Portsmouth, do I care? Nope. When i flick the tv on, i can't moan about the thing I'm using.

Pete7 · 12 April 2005, 22:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMat

I like em.

Me too

, used to drive past the ones north of Shap on the M6 huge great majestic pieces of engineering. But how much energy does it take to make one compared to what we get back ?

Pete

slimtim · 12 April 2005, 22:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogue Wave

Isn't wind turbine sail making a major employer on the Island so do you have plans to expel thm from the Island also?

Yes good point stu! Wind turbines are all fine and dandy but I don't think they work as well as the manufacturers would have you think and there really should be more thought put into where they are placed. I know they have to go somewhere and there will always be someone who complains, but the proposed site on the island is ridiculous...especially for the highest ones in the UK and in an AONB! There is also a big hill pretty much sheltering the site from the SW prevailing wind....its not rocket science really. Out to sea is the way to go really, but the cost of that compared with land sites is huge.

The wind turbine blade companies are partly responsible (so i've heard) for the world's shortage of carbon fibre that has made my uni project so bloody difficult...but i'll let them off

.

Tim

Rogue Wave · 12 April 2005, 22:55

I saw a documentary film about it they had a car powered by a device called Mr. Fusion it was real neat the car also had an anti grav facility . I was well impressed!