Why not make use of it?

Question

In geographical terms, Britain has the windiest coastal waters in Europe, and yet comes way down the rankings when it comes to producing wind-generated electricity.

What reasons are given for the UK's lack of investment and development of off-shore Wind Farms?

If the UK struck a deal with it's North Sea neighbour Denmark (the largest exporter of electricity windmills) then the world would be a nicer place.

There are some excellent poimts being made here.

If we take the issue of money for a second here, would Britain's economy not benefit from becoming the world leader in wind power, and reducing dependence on imported energy? Please help me out on this point...

Answer 1

Great Britain could soon have a new wind farm—its biggest yet—but the clean fuel initiative has sparked a controversial and confusing debate. Lewis Wind Power wants to build the farm on the windy north moors of Lewis, the largest island in the Outer Hebrides. But according to a recent article in the Independent, “Is this the price of clean fuel?”, the sacrifice is too big. The locals are in an uproar—some 10,000 objections, from an electoral roll for the whole of the Western Isles of 21,694 (out of a population of 26,370) have poured in.

Focusing mainly on the environmental impact, the article applies statistics gathered by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). According to the RSPB, the Lewis farm will need close to 160km of new road, 30m wide; five quarries in order to provide four million tonnes of rock; and will disrupt up to 1,900 hectares of peatland.

Reportedly, the carbon saved by the farm will take years to be offset against the amount released when the peat is excavated. The article concludes with several statistics on expected bird casualties—a point we have trouble with (see Common Eco-myths: Wind Turbines Kill Birds). This article is a good one for offering perspective. Perhaps the best point to take away is the need for balance in green initiatives, something difficult to determine, and to achieve...

Answer 2

Come on. Just think about it for one moment. Think about what you are asking and other related questions like, why not use electric instead of petrol cars (the technology is there to do it).

The fact is that the few multi-national companies that control the fuel supplies all over the world, make billions and billions of pounds. These massive companies exert unbelievable influence over our governments and economy.

All they think about is the money in their pockets. It is not about common sense or the best interest of the environment at all. The government does not invest in wind farms because they know it is throwing away money.

The company bosses would never allow alternative energy to grow. All I ask is that you think about what i've written and do your own research. You don't have to accept my argument, but please please check it out when you have the time.

Answer 3

Hi
Goodly one, the issue seems to rest with capital investment.
I have an old aircraft prop spinning around on top of the water tank on the farm, generating electrical energy to the tune of about 2Kw on a windy day, to charge batteries, then through a static inverter, to produce enough mains voltage & frequency to power up a bloomin' kettle !
OK the energy is there, free, but I thought "is it worth it?"
It was good fun, but not really the best bet.
Such is the problem with investment in natural energy supplies
I would love to totally disconnect from the grid, but there goes this monitor on a calm day.
Best of,
Bob.

Answer 4

Britain also has about 3000 miles of very tidal coastline, yet tidal power is way down the agenda as well.

Blair wants to build more nuclear plants instead, a policy which will achieve three things: (1) It will make Britain more dependent on uranium imports for electricity generation (Britain has no uranium mines that I'm aware of, but I could be wrong), (2) it will produce radioactive waste for which no-one has yet devised an appropriate means of disposal (i.e. secure for the amount of time it will take to decay to safe levels, a mere 10000 years or so!) and (3) it will provide lunatic terrorists with yet more potential targets, destruction/damage to which will cause yet more disruption to daily life.

The other major parties' energy policies aren't much better. So I guess, if you want Britain to be capable of generating its electricity in a sustainable manner that will preserve our independence and our peace of mind (not to mention our planet), there are two possible solutions. Either vote Green at the next general election and/or use your power as a consumer to DEMAND renewable energy.

As residents of an island nation, and consumers of electricity, it is in our long-term interest to:
(1) be more careful in general about the way we use electricity in our homes (i.e. turning things off when we're not using them, only using things like AC units when we really need to, insulating to reduce heat loss, etc.)
(2) seek out energy efficient home appliances/electronics (not necessarily the cheapest starting price, but you save money on bills in the long run, as electricity prices will continue to rise as long as we continue to depend on finite resources to produce it)
(3) buy our electricity from power companies which are committed to renewable energy (much as I hate the whole idea of privatisation of public utilities, it has made this possible at the consumer level)
(4) invest our money in eco-friendly companies and renewable energy research (generally not possible through high street banks, but quite feasible through e.g. internet-based banks/funds with Ethical Investment policies)

Think global, act local, and all that.

Answer 5

Agreed.

Answer 6

I t makes no sense not to harness free and clean energy. We have to wean ourselves off oil dependency.

Answer 7

Well give it time...it is under consideration, Nothing ever happens as fast as you expect it to when it needs government approval.

Answer 8

its to easy no money for politicians the greens dont heve enough pull if you get my drift