Against Windfarms At Sea Campaign

Red

Red

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Hello,

Does such a campaign exist, is anyone interested in forming such a group. The sea to us mariners was once a place of freedom but now spoilt by massive areas of windmills with constant proposals for further cluttering of the sea. If anyone did form such a group I would join and fight the cause...................anyone else
 
I think it might be over egging the pudding to say that windfarms are eroding freedom at sea. We sail near the huge one on the N Wales Coast and we don't give it a second thought. And like most people, I'm an enthusiastic user of mains electricity.
 
Another one against your nascent campaign. Gwynt Y Mor is the biggest offshore wind farm in Europe, on my doorstep & just not a issue, altho I did worry when it was planned. The towers are well separated so it is easy to sail between them, even in a humungous powerboat. Good to gaze at across the water too.
 
Where would you prefer? Green belt?

I can really see they cause an issue, and the general public would never support moving the no a nice field near them ( and nor would I).

The sea is a big place.
 
jrudge said:
Where would you prefer? Green belt?
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I wouldn't have any problem with windmills being erected on green belt or indeed next to my house if they generated copious amounts of cheap electricity but what they actually do is generate pitiful amounts of expensive electricity and then only intermittently. For example, today they are generating just 2% of the country's electricity needs. For that reason, it's not worth desecrating our landscape or seascape with them
 
Looks like a group supporting them would be more successful than one against them from posts in this thread so far!!
The Navitus bay proposal would be in my cruising waters and off my home town......bring it on I say!
 
jrudge said:
I dont think wind is the answer to world peace, but it is interesting that given it is relatively new it already generates 2% of electricity
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Thats on a good day. Anyway 2% is next to nothing and sometimes when a big anticyclone dominates the UK weather, it is nothing. But even if windmills generated 2% of the country's electricity needs consistently, to meet 100% of the country's needs, we would need at least 75,000 windmills according to some calculations. Are you happy to cover the land and the seas of the UK with 75,000 windmills? Even then the lights would go out regularly when the wind doesn't blow. Windmills are a nonsense and we are only building them to meet some arbitrary EU target in 2020
 
Deleted User said:
Thats on a good day. Anyway 2% is next to nothing and sometimes when a big anticyclone dominates the UK weather, it is nothing. But even if windmills generated 2% of the country's electricity needs consistently, to meet 100% of the country's needs, we would need at least 75,000 windmills according to some calculations. Are you happy to cover the land and the seas of the UK with 75,000 windmills? Even then the lights would go out regularly when the wind doesn't blow. Windmills are a nonsense and we are only building them to meet some arbitrary EU target in 2020
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+1. Sort out the problems with nuclear, and get on with it. Why are we happy to use the interconnector(s) with France and use their nuclear, but not build our own?
 
chief1 said:
+1. Sort out the problems with nuclear, and get on with it. Why are we happy to use the interconnector(s) with France and use their nuclear, but not build our own?
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Nuclear is the long term future with imported and fracked gas as the interim source. The govt knows that but it is too scared to tell us lest it scares the horses
 
The real answer is to use less!! Not easy at the moment given the hundreds of thousands of poorly insulated homes in the UK with outdated inefficient heating systems.

Rising costs will focus the mind on our waste........until the lights go out due to under capacity (probably within 24 months and possibly this winter) then we won't care about the cost.

I always felt that the power of the tide had to offer more of an answer. Think of the energy used to move the volumes of water twice a day when the tide comes in/out. Harness that and it's ultra reliable.
 
Perhaps a thread for the lounge, but ...

I accept we are likely to be smothered in wind turbines within a few decades, but strangely you see very little about their life cycle costs. Wind turbines do not come cheap, and those at sea cost a fortune not only to install but even to undertake the most basic maintenance - after all we all know the issues of electricity and seawater and we mostly only use 12 vdc systems with less than 1-2 kW power. These things generate in Meggawatts and at many 1,000's of volts.

Still not so bad for those pushing for these things if, like the ridiculous roof mounted photo voltaic's, the Government is subsiding to the tune of 3 or 4 times the cost we all pay for a conventional kWH.

I understand from a carbon fibre expert that the blades have a service life of around ten years, and changing one again is not a cheap exercise. So yes they will generate power, but how many years generation before they actually make a surplus (rather than a profit) beyond their true cost - any decent accountant would want to see Return on Investment at most within 5 years, I bet these things don't get even close.

Also how about also the tremendous impact upon earth resources (NB all imported since we closed the only UK factory in the Isle of Wight) which are rarely factored into life cycle costs when assessing the true environmental impact.

Just a few thoughts when you next consider if they are an asset or an eyesore !
 
targa31 said:
I always felt that the power of the tide had to offer more of an answer. Think of the energy used to move the volumes of water twice a day when the tide comes in/out. Harness that and it's ultra reliable.
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+1. One big barrier across the Severn estuary would reliably generate more power than all the planned windmills.
Having said that, if we've got to have windmills, better miles out to sea than strewn across the South Downs.
 
As one supporter Against Windfarms At Sea :

If you look at Holland, one of the pioneers of wind farm technology also one of the earliest, their wind farms and windmills were built over 30 years ago with massive Government funding for a greener image. If you travel around Holland many of these windmills are no longer working, in fact derelict. This is because funding has ceased and the revenue from the amount of electricity produced from the windmills is so little that it does not cover the maintenance cost - hence they are left derelict. I can predict a similar happening here in the Uk. Germany is about to embark on a massive construction of windmills as they want to be seen as the greenest country around. Their plan is to build windmills on such a vast scale not yet seen before which will cover huge areas of land and sea, so large that there are thoughts that the windmills will have changing effects on the wind. Whilst it may seem a green plan now it will evolve into dereliction once maintenance costs end. I wish they were built with living accommodation, as houses because they would be fantastic places to live, however by the time this does happen it will be candle power..........
 
http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/ Gives 4% actually today for anybody who may be interested and a nice sunny weekend in prospect courtesy of that high pressure system over the UK. :)
FSXX00T_00.jpg
 
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The people behind the scheme off the Needles were at the Old Gaffers festival recently and I had a long chat with them.

From the offset I was against the plan. I also agree that tidal generation is ultimately the answer although at the moment reliability of the under water equipment is the main stumbling block.

Having spoken to them however I am no longer concerned. From a boating perspective there is 600 metres between turbines and there won't be a huge exclusion zone around the area. If you do get into difficulty the turbines actually offer refuge with each turbine having a survival pack in it's base. The doors are unlocked. You will trigger an alarm so people will know you are in there.

Do the numbers add up ? I have no idea but purely from a boating perspective I can see no objection.

Henry :)
 
Red said:
Germany is about to embark on a massive construction of windmills as they want to be seen as the greenest country around.
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Except the Germans aren't stupid. In order to keep their world beating manufacturing industry humming away, Germany is also building 26 new coal fired power stations http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/caught-in-the-climate-conundrum-germany-plans-boom-in-coal-fired-power-plants-despite-high-emissions-a-472786.html so whilst they are engaging in a bit of green willy waving by sticking up some windmills to keep the EU happy, they are also ensuring that the lights don't go out. Meanwhile, we stupid Brits are shutting our remaining coal fired power stations
 
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