We’ve had this discussion before, and one of the things that came out of it is that turbines are not as environmentally friendly as they might seem (and I’m not just talking about the detrimental effect they can and do have on birdlife). Indications are that the amount of energy expended on constructing the turbine itself, the building of substations, the laying of cabling, access roads etc, and then relying on an inconsistent source of power to turn the blades might be the wrong way forward in the sustainable energy issue (not to mention the issue of landscape conservation). Of course, those on whose land the turbines are built will be laughing all the way to the bank, and perhaps we should be looking more closely at who those people are and how much they are actually raking in from these projects.

Personally I think the way forward in the turbine debate lies with the undersea variety - still expensive but out of sight and powered by a consistent and totally predictable source.