Wind Power

[bulseye_jim]

First I will quote an extract from the Greenpeace website,
"[b]Wind power[/b]
Wind power is a large-scale, reliable source of power that's already having a major positive impact; it provides enough electricity to supply 1.2 million UK homes every year. But we've barely scratched the surface.

Despite the fact that our wind is stronger and more constant than theirs, Germany has built more than ten times our wind farm capacity. Spain has built over five times more than we have, in just a few years (pdf).

There's a simple reason why the UK is falling behind: political failure."


I wonder if that is true, a quick search on google for wind turbine applications resulted in,

Stop Cambridge Windfarm - action group of local residents
Stop Wadlow Wind Farm action group of local residents
Fenland Landscape Against Turbines group of volunteers that has undertaken activites to stop the contstruction of wind turbines in the Fenland Landscape
Stop Brixworth Wind FarmGroup is composed of local residents who are totally opposed to the siting of a windfarm between Brixworth and Hanging Houghton
Stop Lochluichart wind farm
Stop Benington Wind Farm
Chilla Against Turbines
No Ellands Wind Turbines.
Moorsyde Wind Farm Action Group
Aston Grange
Stop Lenchwick WindFarm
Say NO to Wind Farm at Cotton Farm, Graveley Cotton Farm Action Group
Stop Linton Wind Farm Action Group
Stop the Mynydd Llansadwrn Windfarm
Stop Great Cransley Wind Farm
STOP Swinford Wind Farm Action Group
Stop Gartree Wind Farm
Woodford Wind Farm Action Group

it seems to me that the UK public may in principle be for renewable energy, but its not windpower.

[ecofighter]

These people are deluded motivated by the "Not In My Backyard" (Nimby) syndrome. Everyone needs to make sacrifices to prevent devastating climate change. We might not like it, but having wind farms on the horizon may be a necessary sacrifice to make. The environmental argument aside, the fact is that one day coal, oil and gas reserves are going to run out, or at least become prohibitively expensive to extract.
I have heard all the arguments about birds being killed by the turbines but the RSPB support the use of wind turbines .

an extract from the RSPB website
"Wind power has a significant role to play in the UK’s fight against climate change. With the right strategic approach and planning safeguards, it can be expanded without significant detrimental effects on birds of conservation concern or their habitats"

In fact The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is drawing up plans that will see wind turbines constructed on its estates as part of a new green energy drive.

[greenmachine]

The lights have gone out, the children have astmah, Homes and businesses in Britain are threatened by devastating flooding as global warming takes hold, The combination of droughts, famine and other impacts, including floods, hurricanes and the spread of deadly diseases, would mean that many millions of people would starve or be killed.

......... but as long as the view is not spoilt for a few people by a wind turbine its okay.

[roy007]

Firstly,
offshore wind farms can pose a devastating threat to marine life ,
Noise during construction - such as hammering the foundations' 4-metre-diameter concrete piles into the seabed- can be heard by marine creatures in shallow water up to 80km away, whch can
damage the hearing of dolphins and whales. The laying of cables and disturbances caused by service boats means the acoustic impact continues long after the building is over. Offshore windfarms
can also disturb ocean currents and marine ecosystems.
Windfarms on land are a blot on the landscape but that is small in comparrison to the thousands of 80m-tall pylons that will be needed to take the power to the national grid.
The powerlines will run close to homes and schools placing adults’ and children’s health in danger.
A major study found children who had lived within 200m of high voltage lines at birth had a 70% higher risk of leukaemia than those 600m or more away.
Although many authorities accept wind farms pose little threat to birds that cannot be said for bats because their blades cause air pressure imbalances that can inflict fatal trauma.
Why do we have to rape our British countryside for profiteers of the wind industry.