Wind farms - should they be curbed?

Apparently land based wind farms are less efficient (inconsistent winds) but off shore are more expensive (difficult to maintain).

More should/could be made of small scale hydro as modern technology means they can be quite efficient - even in Norfolk.

Also I've read that 'experts' are saying nuclear fusion should be a practical proposition by 2040.

Quote: "Yes granjura compared to that our heather clad uplands are really not very scenic are they."



When did you last stand on a heather clad moorland in August jess?

sorry
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20150316

Yes granjura compared to that our heather clad uplands are really not very scenic are they.
Seems like another embarrassment for young Dave

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20150316
Gove got away with this kind of thing in the summer, announcing he was bringing back o levels without consulting DC. Effectively got his way.

Phoenix I love the thought of hens scratching around under solar panels. Probably nearer to natural surroundings than fields, them being woodland birds.

When I see them in the flat industrial/agricultural plains of North-Eastern France, or the deserts of southern Spain or Canaries- I think they look great.
120 of them are planned for the wonderful part of the Jura mountain where I live, with amazing limestone circles and mountains, fabulous wildlife, including kite, buzzards, peregrines, capercaillies, many kind of bats, etc- and I think it is totally unsuitable. Not because it is MY backyard, but because it is so allien to the landscape. The worst is not the masts, but the huge concrete platforms and the pylons to take the electricity produced to where its needed.

Our winds here are either non-existent, or too strong and too gusty - making wind-farm totally unsuitable anyway.

It is crazy we go mad over wind turbines that do not cannot be relied on to produce energy when you want it , only when the wind blows and rejects out of hand the tidal barrage on the Severn that could have provided 5% of our electricty demand reliably 24/7.

I think if some devices such as games consoles etc were connected to static bikes, and would only work if you peddalled (sp?) like mad, it would reduce obesity levels

It seems to me that renewable energy should come from something that is there all the time. Wind is not ,the sun is not, even waves are not reliable .Why has the tide not been investigated? The rise and fall happens every day without fail. Maybe it has bean looked into and I just missed it!

I could compose a whole travel brochure on here about Wales. Love all of it.

Even the rain.

and I've been here several times *jess*. Interesting place

They don't put enough money into it jess! It is getting closer though.

A few weeks ago jess. Had a lovely holiday near Sugar Loaf mountain. Really ancient old cottage. Lovely!

Why do you ask?

There are plenty of wild moorlands and coastal regions where small wind farms would not be too intrusive. bags were you not arguing on another thread that ecosystems are not as fragile as we think and so can recover? Or was that someone else?
I hate the look of pylons but not the look of the windmills. Every form of energy comes with environmental consequences. It's a matter of what is going to permanently damage the air, land and sea and what will do the least damage.
Burning even more fossil fuels, nuclear power stations?
Let's at least give renewable energy a go.

Oh alright, bung them in the sea, near to oil rigs!

When were you last in mid wales jo ?
Nuclear fusion - been trying to achieve this for 60 yrs now. Still no usuable technology!
That is a joke, right, phoenix. Have you seen the size of the commercially viable ones?

How about bunging them on top of offshore oil rigs?

I don't think we like wind farms. Anywhere!

And hands off the North Yorkshire Moors too. I agree with you Bags

Hands off wild Scotland too. Someone has said that putting a wind farm in the wilder places of Scotland is like putting Tesco in the Grand Canyon. Anyone who thinks fracking or oil drilling should not take place in, say, Alaska, should not be supporting wind farms in similarly fragile and beautiful ecosytems.

Nfk, we actually already have a few fields of solar panels too! There is a large free range poultry farm not too far from here, and the owners have put in a lot of panels, it does look a bit odd to see a whole flock of hens tootling about between and under them!

Hands off mid Wales Jess! Sooo beautiful.

They should put more money into developing nuclear fusion. Safe and no nasty waste.

(I mean gardens)

Yes phoenix. You're right. (though most of them do own tiny bits of land)

The recent appointment of minister in charge of halting wind farms and promoting tracking, by DC was an interesting choice for "the greenest government ever" And here we have his first move.
I think wind turbines are beautiful . Of course they don't have a place in national parks etc. But there are huge empty areas of upland Britain where there are few people living, few tourists and a lot of not very profitable sheep. It makes sense to put them in places where there is a lot of wind. Coastal and upland areas.
So places such as the mountains surrounding the Welsh valleys, and mid wales are perfect.
They are only noisy if you are very close to them, and then the noise is but nothing compared to that experienced by people who live in inner cities.