RE-NEWABLE ENERGY / WIND TURBINES

[LPlates]

Hi All

I'm a brit and new to this forum, I am situated on the fenlands of the UK, surrounded by ever ending skies, beautifull sunsets, vast flat landscape.

There is a lot of heated action groups in the UK of the proposed planning applications for wind farms. I admit that around here there is a proposal for four sites all in close proimity wich could amount to a total of 50 turbines if they are all aproved.

I would be interested to no what your views on these are, and what life is like living near them.

Is it as bad as these action groups are saying, do they rearly cause ill health, and are a blot on the landscape.

Thankyou

L.Plates

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: RE-NEWABLE ENERGY / W

It depends on the size of the wind farms, the technology used, and where they are placed, LPlates.

Something that's become pretty obvious in North America over the last few years is that if you start digging around the groups that try to stop things like this, you usually find funding from the oil and coal industries. I suggest you look into the groups opposing it.

 

[LPlates]

Hi Advisor

Thanks for that advice, There the real biggens 100metre high.

One site will cover 2.4(km). Turbines will be the latest design

Generating capacity of 1.5 - 2.5 MW

Cheers L.Plates

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: RE-NEWABLE ENERGY / W

Have a look into the opposition groups. I know Britain is small, but a couple of square kilometres isn't a big deal.

 

[LPlates]

Hi

One action group consists of over 300 residents, all of these are from one village.

If all the applications are approved, which ever direction they look from there homes there view will be turbines, but Ill do as you suggest and find out more about them.

Cheers L.Plates

 

[Reverend Blair]

If all the applications are approved, which ever direction they look from there homes there view will be turbines, but Ill do as you suggest and find out more about them.

I think I see the problem here. Who was the genius who came up with that plan?

 

[LPlates]

HI

A company by the name of Renewable Energy Systems (UK) ltd (RES UK) Offering the farmers lots of money to put the wind farms on there land?

L.Plates

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: RE-NEWABLE ENERGY / W

But to surround an entire village? I would welcome wind turbines either in the field behind my house or the field down the street, but both? That's a little extreme.

 

[mr_fitz]

Hi, I came here to post something about curling and saw this post from the main page (my family has a cabin and is looking into wind/solar as energy sources)...

As far as wind farms are concerned, THE place in Canada for that is Pincher Creek Alberta. If you want to know what they think, I would contact somebody there directly.
e.g., http://www.pincher-creek.com/
My cursory understanding is "they" are quite proud to be hosts to this renewable energy source. I imagine once you tap one or two communities who actually have local wind farms you will get a clearer idea of the variety of opinions...

Ever wonder why they don't call them "pumpjack farms" for "oil farms" or "coal farms"?

The other major users are, of course, the Dutch...I am reminded of a line from Austin Powers Goldmember...j/k

 

[marcarc]

You can also do a search and easily find pictures of Prince Edward Island which has a wind turbine farm. The difference here is that it is in a remote location. However, that may change as the province plans on supplying all its power by 2015.

However, there are lots of issues. It does require a 'change in aesthetics', since you can actually 'see' them. To me though, they're a thing of beauty, as societal symbols you can't find much better.

There is a caveat though, in many cases wind farms don't even benefit the locals with cheaper energy but are sent to big city grids. Metropolitan areas are notorious energy pigs, if they're anything like Canada conservation efforts are minimal so it's well understandable from a countryside perception.

 

[LPlates]

HI There

I have found both sites Pincher Creek and the Prince Edward Island sites very interesting, in only a quick glance and reading small sections of both of them, the one thing that stands out the most is that the companies constructing the wind farms are more consious of the visual impact the protection of wildlife and the noise from the wind farms. and are constructing wind farms in remote places which mean they are less visable to the public, and also in areas were tall constructions already exsist.

In the UK they are constructing 100metre high turbines, where as both the sites you have informed me off the tallest turbine was 50meters. The sites here are only half a mile and in some cases less than that from residents.

Thanks
L.Plates

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: RE-NEWABLE ENERGY / W

It sounds very much like poor planning to me. I doubt you'll be able to stop it though.

I agree with Marc that windmills are aesthetically cool, but not everybody agrees. Maybe they can be painted bright colours?

 

[mr_fitz]

100m high? How about the one in metro Toronto
Toronto Hydro wind turbine page
(see images and movies on the menu)

Now this is certainly not coutryside (again, Pincher Creek or PEI for that), but 10s of thousands of people are exposed to it every day.

Toronto Hydro wind turbine movie <--- kinda like watching paint dry don't you think?

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: RE-NEWABLE ENERGY / W

That's the dullest movie I've seen in a long time, Fitz. Right up there with the fireplace they had on TV at X-mas.

I wonder what would happen if I put one of those up in my backyard?

 

[LPlates]

Hi all

Thanks for the replies.

Well that is some Turbine, I'm not going to advertise that one, the wind farm company might get ideas. Well yes I suppose if they painted them assorted stripped colours, we may a get a rainbow effect 50 times.

The protest group here won the battle against one wind farm, at the planning meeting stage, but of course the company are taking it to the appeal stage. they can afford to do that, but the protest groups cannot, got an estimate on the cost ouch.

The canadian Wind Farm Companies are a lot more forthcoming with the information they release to the residents near the sites, and they do admit to birds colliding with the blades.

In the UK the companies just denie this, it doesnt happen??

Thanks

L.Plates

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: RE-NEWABLE ENERGY / W

I saw a study done one of the environmental groups (Sierra Club maybe?) and birds being killed by the blades is really a much smaller problem than it was made out to be. It does happen, but it is not a major concern.

The study followed the source of the initial reports back to their source and it was one of those astro-turf cabels funded by the oil companies that got the thing started.

 

[Hard-Luck Henry]

My brother lives in the Norfolk Broads; it's a beautiful landscape, no doubt, and it's very flatness makes it an ideal site for windfarms. I must say, though, I'd consider a windfarm to be less of a blot on the landscape than a conventional powerstation.

Having said that, there is an argument that the money spent developing windfarms would be better spent making houses, etc more energy efficient. Wind is proven to be the most expensive way to fund carbon emmission reductions. However, as Greenpeace point out, you can't energy-efficiency your way out of climate change - from this point of view, wind power is the best source of electricity available at present.

As for the siting of windfarms; obviously the energy companies will want to site them where they can make the most cash - Britain's wild, open spaces are currently under threat from the so-called "wind-rush", as companies like Amec seek to grab huge government-subsidised profits. These people have no concern for the environment, or the ecology and bio-diversity of our mountain, moor or coastal landscapes. Even the term "farm" is a bit of a misnomer where some of their plans are concerned - they're proposing huge sites, containing hundreds of 140m high turbines, not to mention the roads that would need to be built to service them, and the miles of pylons and substations that would scar the once pristine countryside. These aren't "farms", they're "factories", and the people behind them are the same people who brought us to the edge of global catastrophe in the first place.

There's clearly an element of "nimbyism" in the protests against windfarms (everybody accepts the need for carbon emmission reductions, but people don't want it to spoil their view (or the value of their properties), but ther's more to it than that: I support the use of cleaner, renewable energy sources, but the people who make the decisions regarding new developments need to be sure they are sensitively placed, in small installations, and as near as possible to existing infrastructures.

 

[LPlates]

HI

Yes they seem to like the flat land for these turbines, had'nt heard of the site in norfolk, so there must be very little or no opposition at all, there is also a lot of support for the off shore turbines, yarmouth is'nt it?.

The company would'nt have to worry to much about Pylons there is already plenty at the proposed sites. I'd love to no how there going to transport all the equipment in, the roads leading up to the sites are narrow little lanes, a car and tractor cannot pass without one pulling over onto the verge.

There's no other infrastructures here, just flat farming land for as far as you can see, maybe the odd house, barn and trees in the distance but that's it.

The ones proposed here are 100 meter high, I wonder what would happen here if they applied for the 140m, I think the company (RES) would get linched by many.

These turbines are rearly causing some fun everybody who lives within view of them hate's them, and those that wont see them all the time think there great. But when it comes down to it these wind turbine companies are big with government backing and funding, they can afford the fight through the courts, where as these villages of 300 residents max cannot find that sort of money, they are relying on delaying tactics, as it is said that the gov backing and funding in this area runs out in a couple of years, and any farm that is not up and running by then will be scraped.

L.Plates

 

[GreenFish66]

66% drop in oil prices..WOW! ..Were the prices that over inflated?...Man that's just criminal!

What were the oil profits again for the year??? WOW ...MAN!!..Looks like someone made some good money!!

Makes ya wonder if oil leaders saw somethin comin eh??!!
Where did all the money go??...

No reprecusions for their actions!!....So I am sure it will happen again!
Unbelievable!!

 

[scratch]

Three identical posts on three different subjects!