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Giant offshore wind farms to supply half of UK power
timesonline.co.uk — It could mean that wind farms would become visible from almost every point of Britain ’s coast. Some developers have made clear that they would like to see a forest of turbines stretching up the North Sea, whose shallow waters make it relatively cheap and easy to develop.
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- OffPiste, on 12/09/2007, -2/+39Ted Kennedy (D) Massachusetts are you listening? HUh??? Nah just another fat cat Democrat who doesn't give a rats ass about the environment. His sea views are much more important than saving the environment.
- thebellmaster1x, on 12/09/2007, -1/+15Oh, do explain how a wind turbine craps out megatons of garbage, IIHII.
- nonymous666, on 12/10/2007, -0/+1I thought the problem up there in Massachusetts and whatnot was that people living on the coast were complaining that the turbines would ruin the nice views of the ocean so it would hurt tourism, etc. Seriously.
- DaleoftheUK, on 12/09/2007, -0/+19Shallow waters make these a breeze to put up.
- Vowieotw, on 12/09/2007, -4/+2pun intended?
- Pilot85, on 12/09/2007, -2/+1What are offshore wind farms?
- sjons, on 12/10/2007, -0/+2speaking of water, sea dog pumps, more efficient..
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/stor ...
- neiltc13, on 12/09/2007, -12/+23Oh for goodness sake, go nuclear and forget all of these problems forever.
- orca94, on 12/09/2007, -5/+3The French definitely got that right.
Nuclear till we figure out fusion for sure.- TypeEE, on 12/10/2007, -0/+2fusion is still an unsure thing, it might never happen.
- GMorgan, on 12/09/2007, -1/+23We are going nuclear. Britain is actually taking a balanced approach to the energy problem. We'd have far more renewables were it not for planning laws and idiotic members of the public.
- starlord1, on 12/09/2007, -1/+3Well as I recall there is a party that proposes to relax planning laws to allow better investment in renewable like this. However... I'd also back judicious use of Nuclear... however we'd have to bring in some Iranian, South African or French engineers to do it as we can't do jack on our own at the moment.
- orca94, on 12/09/2007, -5/+3The French definitely got that right.
- Picer, on 12/09/2007, -7/+1a nice idea but, it is not the future we will need to build more nuclear power stations to buy us some time while solar panel efficiency and cost comes down, better designed houses and more awareness.
- theright, on 12/09/2007, -4/+10I'm sure all this will blow over in a couple of weeks and nothing much will happen
- starlord1, on 12/09/2007, -0/+1Well I giggled.
- xxTazxx, on 12/09/2007, -0/+20Now I can use my PC all night playing Crysis, and feel guilty only half the time!
- chicaneuk, on 12/09/2007, -1/+48I don't understand the resistance to these things. People in towns near to where I live are outraged about them and demand that they be nowhere near where they live.
I personally think they're a breathtaking sight and love to see them on the rare occasions I see them when driving. If the government want to put one in my back garden, they're welcome to!- houltmac, on 12/09/2007, -0/+9Well said, I'll second that.
- lcmatt, on 12/10/2007, -0/+4Never had a problem with them either. I've heard quite a few people around here moan about a small turbine farm which has been given planning permission (only 5 will be built). Would they still moan if someone said as of tomorrow we'll have no more fossil fuels.
- CaptainZipTie, on 12/10/2007, -0/+1They probably would, some people just aren't happy unless they have something to complain about.
When the time comes they will be the first to stand up and say "Why aren't we using wind power?".
- CaptainZipTie, on 12/10/2007, -0/+1They probably would, some people just aren't happy unless they have something to complain about.
- lcmatt, on 12/10/2007, -0/+4Never had a problem with them either. I've heard quite a few people around here moan about a small turbine farm which has been given planning permission (only 5 will be built). Would they still moan if someone said as of tomorrow we'll have no more fossil fuels.
- starlord1, on 12/09/2007, -0/+7I think they look awesome, but I'm an engineer so I then remember how dreadfully inefficient they can be,
- GfunkGbuss, on 12/09/2007, -1/+5But an inefficient renewable energy generation setup is better than an efficient one that will run out.
- houltmac, on 12/09/2007, -0/+9Well said, I'll second that.
- BloodWenis, on 12/09/2007, -12/+10I'm going to have to re-read this article. Somehow I missed the Ron Paul endorsement or the Bush impeachment demands. That can't be right.
- wrongonce, on 12/09/2007, -4/+8How much does one of these bad boys cost? Never mind. Doesn't matter.
Tell you what. Give me an entire ocean of them.
I'm using taxpayer money. It's like real money, but not mine! So it is sorta' free in that sense.- kazamx, on 12/09/2007, -1/+3reducing the amount of oil/gas we need to buy in can only be a good thing. Having the whole country rely almost 100% on other countries to function can't be a good thing.
- bosssmiley, on 12/13/2007, -0/+2"UK govt says" = the most vaporous of vapourware. They'll talk this up for a week or so, and then - their 'green policy for the month' checkbox ticked - they'll quietly shelve the plans the moment they safely can.
I'll believe it when I see the swarms of grotesquely inefficient whirling eyesores blotting the horizon, and not a moment before.
The Severn tidal barrage would do all this at a fraction of the price and hassle (gravity-powered water-driven turbines, what energy could be free-er than that?)
- unadigger, on 12/09/2007, -2/+3If it brings down the price of electricity in the UK I am all for it.
- localzuk, on 12/09/2007, -0/+5It won't do. There has been too little investment in energy in the UK for too long. Any changes to preserve supplies is going to cause increases, whether it be nuclear or renewables.
- brianbennett, on 12/10/2007, -1/+2Yeah right! The cost per megawatt is ridiculous for wind power... on land... never mind the extra expense of putting them in the water.
- scrptKiddie, on 12/09/2007, -3/+21THOSE BASTARDS!!! The wind farms will ruin the... err... view. And they'll kill birds! Yeah, thats right, they'll kill the birds, and we can't have our views and birds harmed just to slow global warming (its a myth... I once heard a guy in a labcoat who appeared vaguely scientific tell me global warmings a myth, and he MUST be right)
- scrptKiddie, on 12/09/2007, -2/+7Oh and in all seriousness, ***** Ron Paul. He called the Darfur genocide (I'm quoting) "Not our problem."
- starlord1, on 12/09/2007, -1/+3Really ? He was beginning to grow on me this week too. Well as much as a candidate in a race that neither effects me, nor I can effect actually can grow on me.
- bananaman300, on 12/10/2007, -1/+2did he really say that? i'm all for ron paul, it really surprises me he would say something like that. where did you hear he said that?
- scrptKiddie, on 12/09/2007, -2/+7Oh and in all seriousness, ***** Ron Paul. He called the Darfur genocide (I'm quoting) "Not our problem."
- Radian, on 12/09/2007, -1/+6Dugg up for correct use of "offshore"!
Not sure why the IT sweatshops in land-locked Bangalore refer to themselves as being "offshore". Oh wait, I think that statement just answered my question..... - mortalfunk, on 12/09/2007, -7/+2Great idea but it will not work because what happens if the wind dies? The entirely of the UK would go through rolling blackouts. I'm definitely agree we NEED renewable energy but a grid can't depend on 50% wind energy and still be considered reliable.
- Flunk, on 12/09/2007, -0/+2As it said in the article they will keep the old power plants as backup for such occasions.
- kazamx, on 12/09/2007, -0/+10A guy on the Channel 4 news just explained it. It has never been the case that the whole of the UK doesn't have any wind. While it might be calm in Scotland it will be windy in Wales.
- zXen, on 12/09/2007, -0/+3"There would still be a need to keep fossil-fuelled power stations in reserve because windless days could leave Britain with power shortages."
Read the article.- mortalfunk, on 12/10/2007, -0/+1Give me a break. Your saying that they are going to keep workers, buy coal and properly maintain every fossil-fuel based power plant to spontaneously turn on should there not be enough wind? Yeah right.
- TypeEE, on 12/10/2007, -0/+2You didn't even read the whole article
- digghasnoethics, on 12/09/2007, -0/+7Forget sticking wind turbines up in coastal waters, what we need is to concentrate on wave and tidal power in those same waters. Not only is the energy more concentrated, its much more reliable - particular in the case of tidal power. There is no way a substantial proportion of the UKs power can be wind or sun because of what happens when its cloudy and still. 20% is about the maximum.
- sjons, on 12/10/2007, -0/+1http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/stor ... sea dog pumps
- EarlR, on 12/09/2007, -0/+5Love to see it happen.
They seriously need to built the supergrid.
http://www.airtricity.com/ireland/wind_farms/super ...
The future electricity supply of Europe should stand on three pillars, Wind power from the west, Solar from the south and nuclear (eastern Europe for preference) but probably widely dispersed.
This is important stuff - the cost of a day without electricity would pay for thousands of megawatts of renewable power.
We should be doing this BEFORE the cheap oil, runs out. By the time we are down to burning bad coal to keep the lights on it will be too late.
I wish I had more confidence in our politicans. - IVIrMP3, on 12/09/2007, -0/+5Ted Kennedy in response to Offshore Turbines near Cape Cod, "Don't you realize, that's where I sail?!"
- Ferretman, on 12/10/2007, -0/+2A good plan overall...good for Britain!
- lordsandwich2, on 12/10/2007, -6/+1WHAT a ridiculous idea! Have you seen the wind turbines from the coast of Norwich? they look like shi$*& if I may say so. Filling our country with wind turbines like the greentards want will be a massive visual polution, it will destroy our beautiful coasts! Why not use nuclear power? I rather have coal fired power plants than this wind farm *****. After all global warming doesn't really affect us much, what's more it is more than welcome with our crappy weather! Who cares how the rest of world is affected, we don't live in it
- bananaman300, on 12/10/2007, -0/+1global warming affects everybody.
- CartoonAl, on 12/10/2007, -0/+2'How to Make Friends and Influence People - The Interweb Edition' copyright lordsandwich2 2007
- Delphium226, on 12/10/2007, -0/+1you're one sandwich short of a picnic
- bananaman300, on 12/10/2007, -2/+1that'll be great, too bad the USA's government doesn't give a ***** about global warming
***** ***** ***** epic suck mirror environment colbert ipod - Tusa, on 12/10/2007, -0/+1Wow. A bold strategy - especially considering how little wind power GB currently has (Texas alone has around 8x as much wind generation capacity already installed)
- rheaume, on 12/10/2007, -3/+1Ugly, inefficient.
- themoosejuice, on 12/10/2007, -1/+1In cape cod, ma they oppose them because the millionaire home owners thing they are ugly. Ummm... I guess we could open more coal plants!!! Lets put a coal plant in cape cod, they will be begging for windmills
- ashlvsya, on 12/10/2007, -0/+2I live in Liverpool and just past Bootle there is a wind farm, it is a breathtaking sight...but a pity that there is only about 5 of them.
- Degriz, on 12/10/2007, -0/+1The new maglev turbines are apparently much more efficient and lets face it, who the hell is going to develop better ones if nobody uses them? Love all these people complaining about them. Where I come from some people say having one windfarm will cost the tourism industry about 20,000,000 pounds per year, its just utter rubbish. I know where the farm is going and although very scenic isnt exactly swarming with people all year round...I suspect more people will show up now to have a look at the turbines...
- JudgeWinchester, on 12/10/2007, -0/+0Is there any truth to those Maglev wind turbines...when are they going to trial them and put up a proper YouTube video etc...???
- davidford, on 12/14/2007, -0/+0Hey! Women visit my new site and enjoy ur sex life: http://www.laserlighthairremoval.com.
- lolo2007, on 01/24/2008, -0/+0n cape cod, ma they oppose them because the millionaire home owners thing they are ugly. Ummm... I guess we could open more coal plants!!! Lets put a coal plant in cape cod, they will be begging for windmills http://game.paramegsoft.com/
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