In general, I think windfarms have their place
I agree, although I do feel that certain "wild places" should be spared from development. There's plenty of scope for developing wind farms without impinging on Scotland's wilderness.
Chat Forum
[closed]
Wind turbines, windmills etc, discuss
-
Posted 1 year ago #
-
Nuclear is also subsidised, but I don't see any live data for that either. All we ever seem to get is some generic figures occasionally. Do they have something to hide?
Posted 1 year ago # -
visually I like them.
I suspect I am one of the few on here who has ever lived solely from either wind or solar [12 volt] it has some serious practical issues
Solar is superb in summer but you use more electricity in winter- still easily self sufficient for 6 mths if you are very careful about everything
Wind is brilliant and if you look at the averages it can produce all your needs. Unfortunately it will give very little for 15 days then enough for the next month on one day - how do you store this?
When they are turning slowly they produce next to nothing in terms of electricity - well small scales ones do so I assume that the large ones are the same.
Required supplemental power - generator at least weekly in winter
As tidal is regular and predictable I think this must be a better long term option - dealing with peak demand will still be difficult.Posted 1 year ago # -
We currently have 2 local renewable energy schemes in planning.
One for 4 turbines on a worked out gravel pit near an army training area at Bovington that may possibly annoy the residents of 6 houses.
Another for a plant on Portland that will burn palm oil brought in from Indonesia, where it is currently being planted on freshly cleared areas of ex-rain forest that is annoying a large % of the world's remaining population of orangutans.
Guess which one is likely to get the go-ahead.
Posted 1 year ago # -
druidh - Member
Nuclear is also subsidised, but I don't see any live data for that either. All we ever seem to get is some generic figures occasionally. Do they have something to hide?still waiting for live wind farm data from a real UK site...
better not hold my breath
Posted 1 year ago # -
Storing wind power. Hydrogen generation
This adds in another layer of complexity and conversion loses but I believe it has a place especially in small systems
Working on Unst in the shetlands
They have wind turbines, hydrogen generator and a fuel cell. So they have leccy the whole time. Tehy also run a car off it
http://www.pure.shetland.co.uk/html/pure_project1.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/greenerliving/3345109/Shetlands-hydrogen-technology-pioneers.htmlPosted 1 year ago # -
Im up in Scotland and see new wind farms popping up all the time. Its windy enough up here without more wind being generated by these things!
Posted 1 year ago # -
At no point did I say that Scotland's hydro is untapped. I said it is used "on tap" to fulfill peaks in demand.
Aye sorry, I was half-cut when I typed the reply!
For numbers on 'untapped' Scottish hydro-potential: http://www.british-hydro.org/UK%20Hydro%20Resource/Scottish%20Hydro%20Resource%20Study%20Aug%202008.pdf
However, it's unlikely we'll see any more large projects due to the perceived/actual environmental impacts of building dams etc. Microgeneration is much more likely to be a better option, with the Feed-in Tariff.
In terms of the economics of wind power, on-shore is expected to be comparable to CCS (once commercialised), while off-shore will remain significantly more expensive, mostly due to the very high initial capital costs. However CCS projects are able to provide the base-load that wind can't, and so are a better option anyway at least in that regard.
Posted 1 year ago #
Topic Closed
This topic has been closed to new replies.
