Wind farm in Thames estuary

Would you venture out in the right sea state in a 21 foot power boat into a 70 mph wind?

  • Yes - I would venture out

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No - I would never venture out

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
Agreed.

With regard to wind turbines, the energy required to manufacture, ship and install them is significantly high compared to their output. (Can't remember exact numbers nor do I have time to find them just now.) And then there is pollution on top of that.

So whilst they utilise renewable energy sources, they are nothing like as efficient or effective as we are expected to believe.
 
Work seems to be well in hand on the Kent Flats, if you look at it on the radar it sort of resembles a snooker triangle thingy.
 
consider this 'tho guys,
Theres a windfarm 20 miles off the Norwegian coast, about 30 windmills - dont quote me -
it generates enough 'leccy to run a medium sized town of around 30,000 including industrial business', that , whatever you say is a shedload of power, for what, the initial cost has been salvaged after six years or so.
Imagine you are on your return from the continent, it's blowing a hooley, you're a bit depressed 'cos ya just want to get home and into view through the gloom and the rain appears the windmills, a visual tonic as they get bigger and bigger and instead of a hinderance to shipping etc. surely they would be built on high lying banks that should be avoided anyway, in many ways helping all to steer a safe course through what is a comparitevly hazardous area. The most ferocious sea I have personally encountered was here, dodging the banks.What terrific nav aid for all too, being able to take bearings from several of these for e.p. etc.
The campaign rubbishing these structures is largely 'supported' by the very companies who's financial welfare they are set to make dents into.
just some points of view - dont want to roll around the floor with anyone about it.
 
Why do people always talk about windy farms "having the output to power a small/medium/large village/town/country instaed of quoting how many maga watts they generate and for how long in a year?
Answer (I suspect) is 'cos the power is insignificant, particularly if looked at on an "Average Megawatts per hour" basis.

All IMHO of course!
 
'cos I dont know the mega wattage if I did I would've stated it
your bright, you work it out the info's all there for you...... 4 peeps per domestic into 30k x how much domestic use in a cold climate daily x annual blah ditty blah.
how many lamp post's requiring what wattage per hour, typical manufacturing business drawing 3 phase at x rate per hour. its beyond me, cos I only get my info from discovery channel, so please, enlighten me, whats the magic no.s?
 
Hey, It's not meant as a personal criticism !

Norway (by way of example) has a current annual demand of about 400 TW hours per year. That wind farm will generate about 3TW hours per annum when expanded in about 2010.

There's a pretty good article here if you're interested in learning more.
 
Whatever the question windfarms are not the answer,loads of downside and very little up.Would be happy to amplify on this but the argument would be long and turgid.In 20 years time windfarms will be looked at in wonder as an expensive blunder.
 
Talking of which.

Windpower does has disadvantages, like there not being any when it's calm. (Not that I'd be against a rank of wind turbines along Hurst Spit.)

But although there is sometimes no wind, there is always tide, apart from an hour or two of slack everyday.

Given that GB is surrounded by water rushing to and fro, why has not more store been put on developing tidal turbines? They'd also have the benefit that for 99.9% of the population, they wouldn't be visually intrusive.

Yeah, I know the engineering is tougher, but heck, we used to be good at that sort of challenge,
 
Re: Talking of which.

Twister.

IMO you are dead right on tidal turbines, and dead wrong on nuclear. We need the power in <5-10 years and tidal barrages take too long, gas stations are not green enough even if fast build and windpower needs to be bult in the pretty bits if cheap and quick, or offshore if pretty bits are too electorally unpopular, which ramps up the cost something awful. Nuclear has a very low CO2 footprint, one of those awkward factoids the "antis" don't like. Mind you, the public enquiry does produce enormous amounts of globbally warming hot air and the fat fees "earned" by the lawyers get spent on expensive, CO2 emitting toys...

:-)
 
Re: Talking of which.

Andrew - I think I agree with you on all sides of the engergy debate. Was truly amazed at Ruth wotsername from HMG taking 10 minutes to refuse to say that the green paper on energy said they were doing nothing about nuclear development at present but might consider it in the future - why can't they just say "yes" or "no" ?!

But please, what is a "factoid" ?!
 
Re: Talking of which.

[ QUOTE ]
Given that GB is surrounded by water rushing to and fro, why has not more store been put on developing tidal turbines?

[/ QUOTE ]
But we are.
 
Re: Talking of which.

http://www.bradwell.info/index.htm

The above link has some interesting facts about windfarms including why the large energy companies support them. They say its not about producing renewable energy and reducing polution but making money and counteracting the polution penalties enforced by the goverment.
IMHO wind farms are a step in the right direction even if they are installed for the wrong reasons as long as they are away from populated areas.
 
Wind farms...

...obviously a VERY touchy subject in most areas. Whilst most will agree with the concept of sustainable non polluting energy, there is always a price to pay.

Maybe those who are so in favour of offshore wind farms might like to take a closer look at what is going on on the Scroby Sands...I am certain that there is at least one local with the inside track on this /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Personally, I hate the prospect of the East Coast sandbanks being cluttered up with these outsize kiddies windmills. If we have to have them, what is so wrong with placing them in areas of the country that are exposed to the strongest elements of our prevailing south westerly airflow? OK, so it is a national park, but what is wrong with utilising the Gower Peninsula? Surely sustainable energy is more important than preserving a bit of open space in Wales. In fact with all of the open high ground in Wales, maybe wind farms could replace the coal mining industry...

As a realistic alternative, and living within a 5 mile radius of the now defunct Bradwell Nuclear Power station I can say this without being knocked, just what is the problem with Nuclear Power? It is clean, it is long term sustainable, and as long as the power stations are stringently managed, then there should be little or no long term problem with them.
 
Nuclear waste fades your genes

Maybe, just maybe, we'll be forced to resort to nuclear, but the long term problems are totally unresolved and there's always the chance of an accident (that's why they are called accidents).

But what has always got my goat is the so-called government of this country doesn't get REALLY serious about energy conservation. Rather than making more of the stuff, why don't we use less?

For, I guess, a 5th of the cost of embarking on a new round of nuclear stations, we could issue every building in the country with low-energy light bulbs, we could fund technlogy to recover and re-use waste heat from homes, offices, plant, We could insulate and ventilate better so less cooling is needed in summer, less heating in winter. We could legislate that electronic goods manufaturers do away with the 'stand-by' option and make sure a machine is either on or off, not sitting for days on end sipping electricity to keep its circuits ticking over.

Of course there's very little gung-ho glamour in any of that sort of thing, compared to the really hairy-chested stuff like buggering about with atoms. Which is why big science and big industry are reviving the nuclear option. And why the government lays down, rolls over, and asks them to tickle it its tummy.

Oh, and why not domestic photovoltaics, wind power and solar heating while we're at it?
 
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