FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[LewEngBridewell]

ECOLOGY

An independent ecological consultancy carried out a number of surveys and has been in frequent communication with bodies such as the RSPB and Natural England to ensure that we have taken all the available information into account in our studies. Their findings show that a wind farm in this location would be acceptable.

In addition detailed surveys have been undertaken to prepare restoration proposals for the improvements and future management of the degraded blanket bog on Oswaldtwistle Moor.

HYDROLOGY & GEOLOGY

Hydrology is the study of the distribution, movement and quality of water. A hydrology consultancy studied the potential effects of a wind farm on soil and water in the vicinity of the wind farm site, which included assessing the impact on private water supplies and flood risk. An Environmental Management and Pollution Prevention Plan would ensure that mitigation measures are put in place, minimising or preventing detrimental impact on the soil and water environment.

[madbrad]

Fission is currently the most concentrated heat. And it has no emmisions.

OK that one has emissions LOL smarta$$

[racechick]

I dont mind them at all. Ithink they have a kindov beauty of their own that doesn't take away from the natural beauty of the lanscape.

[darwin dali]

I dont mind them at all. Ithink they have a kindov beauty of their own that doesn't take away from the natural beauty of the lanscape.

Just to clarify, you mean windmills not those dirty nuclear abominations?

[LewEngBridewell]

I dont mind them at all. Ithink they have a kindov beauty of their own that doesn't take away from the natural beauty of the lanscape.

Just to clarify, you mean windmills not those dirty nuclear abominations?

And just to clarify further, do you mean wind turbines?

[darwin dali]

I dont mind them at all. Ithink they have a kindov beauty of their own that doesn't take away from the natural beauty of the lanscape.

Just to clarify, you mean windmills not those dirty nuclear abominations?

And just to clarify further, do you mean wind turbines?

Sure, anything windy thingy
[youtube]QbDHWdUm8nI[/youtube]

[racechick]

Yes. The windy thingies. I like them.

[andrew]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but there is a possible (I stress possible) link between windfarms and poor health of people that live near them.

By the sounds of it the ill health seems to be stress related (headaches, nausea, dizziness, insomnia etc etc). There are also reports of vibrations coming from turbines, which are strong enough to knock things off shelves and pictures off walls, but these sound quite inconsistant and there is no doubt the NIMBY factor to consider. This was on Landward (I think) a few weeks ago so you may be able to track down the episode on the BBC i-player.

Personally, I don't find wind farms particularly pleasent to look at and would much rather see untouched moorland, however the visual impact is less than a power station, and what other viable option for cleanish power is there at the moment in the UK?

At the moment the only viable option for affordable and cleanish power (lets ignore the radioactive waste for a second) in the UK is nuclear. A modern nuclear power plant in the right location (i.e. not an earthquake zone) and run properly is perfectly safe if you ignore the threat of terrorism (make of that what you will). However, there is the problem of waste from the plant - what do you do with it? No one knows, that's the problem! I can see other countries, UK included, following the example set by Germany re their nuclear power plants.

Wave power is still in it's infancy and I don't think solar will ever take off in the UK.

So in short, love 'em or hate 'em, wind turbines are the best source for renewable energy inthe UK at the moment. I think there are some pretty meaty subsidies on offer for landowners who set up windfarms on their land and the Government is keen on them, so I can see them becoming more widespread in the coming years.

[darwin dali]

There's always the 'cleanish' geothermal energy as well, even in the UK I'd imagine...

[andrew]

There is a test hole being drilled in Newcastle to reach naturally warm water underground (about 1km or was it 2?). I only saw a bit of it on the news a couple days ago so don't know the full story.

[LewEngBridewell]

Due to the location of Iceland, and all the volcanoes and what-not, 30% of the nation's electricity comes from geothermal power. They're making big strides with that one....

[vaptin]

Actually, I agree nuclear power is the way to go currently for the UK.

Nothing wrong with building some wind farms as you go along though.

One day, hydrogen fuel cells will take off.

[What's Burning?]

It's called "alternative" energy for a reason. The point is to do whatever form of the alternative suits your environment most. As devastatingly horrific as nuclear can be, I believe that long term it does less damage to the planet than what we're doing to it now with fossil fuels, the waste from emissions, pollution from spills and refineries and the fact that it only gets more costly to acquire the finite resources.

Solar, hydro, wind, thermal, whatever are all better than the nuclear and fossil options and should be used to supplement wherever possible, mitigating the dependance on fossil fuels, until those alternative sources are mature enough to be our primary source of energy.

[vaptin]

I also forget to mention, that sometimes you need to support these technologies to develop them. If it sounds like a good idea, you gotta invest in that idea before you get results, even if at first the good idea isn't that good.

[andrew]

You should be ok as long as this doesn't happen.