Professor David Bellamy has referred to wind turbines as 'silver satanic mills'. What is your opinion ?
Here are some sites to help you decide...
Updated: July 2007
LONDON ARRAY - Permission has been given for construction - click the banner for more details !
Wind farm above Penistone, West Yorkshire, as photographed by Mister P. Click the thumbnail to enlarge. Try and spot the sheep that were grazing at the base of the turbines: one of the advantages of this type of energy that it allows for multiple use of the land.
Wind energy is the best chance for the Government of meeting their targets on renewable energy. Britain is Europe's windiest country, as the westerly air streams which come from over the Atlantic encounter the UK first. The wind speeds average between 7 and 8.5 metres per second over the east of England, or western Scotland. Wind energy is workable technology and is coming down in price all the time as the turbines become more efficient. The Swaffham turbine uses aeronautical technology to reduce noise and make the blades move through the air smoothly. Recently saw a large offshore wind farm while climbing the Great Orme at Llandudno: a famous tombolo by the way...
Denmark has a large commitment to wind energy. The industry has a very helpful, and well designed website on DANISH WIND ENERGY here which would answer ANY questions you have about wind energy, and has some excellent noise calculators and other interactive elements which could be used in a simulation of siting a wind farm (Distance from the turbine is entered, and the noise produced is suggested) Also has some good animations that students will enjoy looking at. Click on the English version, then look at 'wind with miller' to climb up a wind turbine. Highly recommended.
You may even find details of the splendidly named TunØ Knob VindmØllepark
Wales has a large number of wind farms: these include the ones at Trysglwyn, Rhyd Y Groes and Lynn Alaw on the isle of Anglesey.
There are of course wind farms in the UK, and if you want to know all about them, there's an excellent site called BRITISH WIND ENERGY. (formerly the BWEA site) This has maps of the various commercial wind farms, details on how the technology works, FAQ's, images of the farms, and a chance to win a prize if you can spot a wind turbine being used in the media which they haven't already spotted. There are sections on public opinion and how wind turbines work. Look at the WHO ARE YOU ? Section for Students. Recommended.
The GCSE syllabus we teach has a requirement to study a specific wind farm and look at the various implications of the technology. The Ecotech Centre was opened in October 1999, and produces 1.5MW. More recent additions to the site include the 2 turbines at Mablethorpe in Lincolnshire which were opened in June 2002. A useful exercise would be to add these names to a map of the UK. You could then compare this to a map showing the windiest parts of the country.
Try NATIONAL WIND POWER. One of the companies that produces wind power in the UK.
I live close to Swaffham, which has the ECOTECH centre with a large wind turbine which I've climbed to the top of. Well worth it on a clear day. There are plans to extend the wind capacity in Norfolk, and these are discussed at this BBC NORFOLK forum page. Some of these statements could easily be printed out and put onto cards for a discussion, or turned into statements that people in a role play could use. If you put the term "Wind Energy" +Swaffham into Google you'll get a good list of sites. Enough for a lot of exploration. If in doubt, GOOGLE. I recently passed through Swaffham (July 2003) and a second wind turbine is now under construction on a nearby site. The Wind turbine is operated by ECOTRICITY.
There is an excellent collection of renewable energy resources at CLIMATE ARK.
Read the comments on this DEVON forum which gives people's views: "An Ill Wind ? Or just hot air ?" - check out http://www.dalevince.com/ - for more on Carbon Zero lifestyle
| PROS | CONS |
| Britain could become a world leader in the appropriate technology, exporting products and expert advice | Very costly |
| Thousands of new jobs will be created | There is no firm Government commitment to wind energy after 2010 |
| Environmentally friendly - reduces carbon dioxide emissions which contribute to global warming - renewable: will never run out | If the wind doesn't blow it won't create power - more energy produced in winter than in summer |
| Wind turbines will create artificial breeding grounds which may help increase depleted fish stocks | There will be disturbance to the seabed during construction |
| Tourism: boat trips may go out to the turbines - no real sign that seabirds are affected | Threat to sea birds |
| Could be effect on shipping lanes and radar signals | |
| There has also been a recent
report on the fact that dolphins and whales are 'endangered by wind
farms'. This includes: Noise during construction such as pile driving which can be heard by marine creatures up to 80km away Laying of power cables disturbs the sea bed, and there are also service boats which need to visit the turbines for maintenance. 5 wind farms are in operation, and 7 are under construction. |
Try the SAVE OUR SOUND site. This has a range of sites which look at 'protecting national treasures'. In the words of the site:
"Modern wind complexes are huge. As more wind power stations are placed in environmentally or culturally sensitive areas, people around the world are challenging developers who cloak themselves in the green armour of environmentalism while pocketing huge profits and ruining the environment" (other views are also held...)
The site lists the sites of action groups around the world.
Try N.E.F Renewables' GREEN ENERGY site.
Thanks to Emma Clarke for some of the above links.
In November 2003, readers of 'Country Life' magazine voted wind turbines as the biggest structural eyesore to blight the country. Wind Farms came top ahead of other structures including Didcot and Battersea Power station, electricity pylons and motorways and motorway service stations. What would you have voted for ?
And as of the middle of November, North Hoyle wind-farm opened - the National Wind Power Site has information on all the wind farm complete with excellent detailed maps of the location of each farm in PDF format. There is also a construction photo diary and all the technical details you could ever want, and then some. Recommended.
Sign up for JUICE: this is nPower energy tariff which 'uses' renewable energy. For more go to the SWITCH TO JUICE site. Look out for the arrival of further similar developments.
There are problems with wind turbines located near to military bases, or where there are radar installations as the movement of the turbine blades confuses the radar. There are companies working on new designs for the turbine blades.
There has also been a recent story in 'The Guardian': WIND FARMS FIGHT FEATHERED THREAT. Apparently up to 95% of wind-farm licenses could be hit by legal challenges from the RSPB. This could slow down the progress towards the target of 10% by 2010. Urgent research is needed into the movement of birds through areas where wind turbines might have been placed.
Some wind farms are planned for the Wash. The Government have just approved the second round of wind farms.
There are some interesting recent (August 2004) stories relating to campaigns against Wind power.
In Wales, there has been an interesting protest against Wind Energy. People in Llanfynydd in Carmarthenshire are changing signs to read Llanhyfryddawelllehyn-afolybarcudprindanfygy-thiadtrienusyrhafnauole.
It means "a quiet beautiful village, an historic place with rare kite under threat from wretched blades". Read the story HERE.
A recent posting on a forum passed to me by a colleague suggested that direct lightning strikes on wind farms could create power surges which COULD (that word again) damage the power network and start forest fires. This is part of the claims being prepared by Scottish campaigners opposed to wind farm development. Apparently most insurance claim pay outs for wind turbines are for electricity strikes.
There is another protest in South Wales: a group called SOCME have a website. They were recently joined by David Bellamy on a protest march reported on the BBC SITE. The group's name means:
SAVE OUR COMMON MOUNTAIN ENVIRONMENT
There are some links to other campaigns in Wales, such as that at Betws, and there are useful articles. The SOCME site also features a photo gallery with some wonderful images of the sort of landscape which might be blighted by turbines.
An article in the Spring 2005 issue of 'Birds' magazine mentions a threat to an area of the Isle of Lewis. The area which could be developed for wind power is important as it includes 37% of the UK population of dunlins, 10% of greenshanks, 9% of red throated divers and 8% of golden plovers. The developers have plans for 234 wind turbines, each of them 140m tall. Check out the RSPB website for updates.
MOORLANDS WITHOUT TURBINES: the Isle of Lewis - features the Eisgein Wind Cluster (a 'cluster' is a smaller arrangement of turbines than a windfarm...)
Here are some other images which you can feel free to use as necessary. These images were taken at the Scroby Sands Windfarm Project at Caister: north of Great Yarmouth in April 2006.
O.S GIS
Wind Energy is one of the activities on the new (for January 2005) GIS ZONE at MAPZONE. You can explore different layers on the maps to help you with decision making.
Check out the new website http://mapzone.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/mapzone/giszone.html
Good introduction in Mapping News Issue 27
The area has several sections:
GIS FOCUS - what is GIS
GIS REALITY - real life applications of GIS, including crime reduction
GIS MISSIONS: a number of real life examples which can be explored on the website.
FLOOD DAMAGE CONTROL
LOCATING A WIND FARM
FARM MANAGEMENT
CRIME MANAGEMENT
2 more examples still to come..
TEACHER ZONE: this has notes and worksheets to go with the above area....
Check it out.
This has been given approval. Check out the website for more details, and downloads of images and other information. Lots of links too.
FREE DVD
Go HERE or click the picture above for details of how to get a copy of this FREE DVD.
This is now a big local issue due to the developments at Marshland St. James near King's Lynn
Very useful article on WIND TURBINES at Marshland St. James near King's Lynn from the Guardian in Many 2007