Duddo Five Stones forum 2 room
Image by postman
Duddo Five Stones

Wind Farms

close
more_vert

I'd be quite happy to have a windfarm in my backyard, but having read up on some of the background to the ones proposed for North Northumberland, I was struck by the fact tha the company who stand to make the profit seem to have a bad rep in Denmark, where they'd been just about run out of town (or so it seemed from the reports, admittedly, these were reports fro anti-windfarm nimbyists...).

I guess the thing is, if it's gonna be done, it has to be done properly, and for the right reasons, not just because some ddgy bunch of venture capitalists see the opportunity for a quick buck by providing an inadequate product, then bogging off after the whole concept of renewable energy has been tainted by a badly implemented get rich quick scheme.

Im sure I remember reading* that tidal power is ultimately more effective, but much more expensive to develop at present. Hence, if it's being done for profit, it won't get done until other more cashworthy, but less useful options have been foisted on an uninformed and disempowered (npi) public.

The couple who own Duddo have turned down 6milion squids, so if that was the buy-off on offer, how much rofit stands to be made? This aint about clean electricity, it's about rich folk wanting to get richer.

*Could be totally wrong there, I have a crap memory...

Hob wrote:
Im sure I remember reading* that tidal power is ultimately more effective, but much more expensive to develop at present. Hence, if it's being done for profit, it won't get done until other more cashworthy, but less useful options have been foisted on an uninformed and disempowered (npi) public.

This aint about clean electricity, it's about rich folk wanting to get richer.

...

From whatever the angle that it is approached from, i.e.profit making capitalism ;) we still need a different form of energy, windfarms are part of the small term self sufficient answer for various parts of the country. Climate change is'nt going away, Nimbys should not be so selfish as to mess up the future for the following generations. The Severn Barrage is also mooted, in this case environmental damage, marinas, roads and the full works of those 'cute' little houses will surround a rather bleak but beautiful part of the estuary - whatever the answer, we need solutions pretty quickly...

"This aint about clean electricity, it's about rich folk wanting to get richer."

Well said Mr H. Some sectors of the wind farm industry definitely have a dubious reputation. also the benefits of wind farming vs the environmental impact do seem to be glossed over in many cases. I have nothing but admiration for the Duddo farmers.

The way to go in the UK are subsea mid current turbines. This technology is currently under development and is proving to be far more reliable than wind power as it exploits the unfailing tidal streams that surround our islands.

Before accusations of nimbyism are hurled, within a radius of twenty miles of my home are a nuclear power plant, two 'dash-for-gas' plants, one conventional oil/coal plant, one waste incinerator/generator, one wind farm and a soon to be commisioned biomass generation plant.

cheers
fitz