Some days my job just can’t get any better. Today was sunny and I was stood on the top of one of these. Simply epic views, such a good feeling.

It’s 105m to the nacelle (the box on the top of the tower).

Don’t look down:

Simply stunning views:

Nope, I’d much rather sit in front of a computer all day

So why is it they appear to cut all the trees down to plant these things???
We are apparently 10k acres short of the required number of trees because no-one thought about the consequences of chopping down trees to plant the iron monsters 🙄 this means the UK will have to import more wood or products in the future 😐 Friend in the forestry industry was telling me recently there is already a problem but the knock on effect is that the UK forest industry is getting good money for their trees, hence the increased felling you may have noticed in some areas.

Trekster – The bottom photo shows (I think) quite clearly that we try to be as “keyhole” as possible when installing turbines. However the reality is that the installation cranes are huge and require a massive flat area to lift from.

Blimey, that is a long way up.

toys19 – 105m up. 😉

Enjoy these days while you can. Winter’s coming.

Do they move much at the top edd?

Ive been up on a 150ft cherry picker and that was all over the place.

I think there is something quite beautiful about wind turbines. Fantastic design aesthetically, imo.

(I am aware that others do not share this view.)

mrlugz – yes they do sway, particularly if it’s a bit windy or you do an emergency stop, but probably not as bad as a cherry picker.

I think there is something quite beautiful about wind turbines. Fantastic design aesthetically, imo

+1

That’s ace! What’s your job?

The bottom photo shows (I think) quite clearly that we try to be as “keyhole” as possible when installing turbines. However the reality is that the installation cranes are huge and require a massive flat area to lift from.

If that’s keyhole I’d hate to have seen what would happen if you’d just chop it all down wily-nily!! 😯

Why not “lift” them in with a helicopter in sections or put them in the unforested section?

I think there is something quite beautiful about wind turbines. Fantastic design aesthetically, imo

+2

Sweet cheezus.. that second photo makes me feel giddy. Rather you than me!

They make a handy bivi spot if it’s raining.
Photo from inside an old wind turbine on the Welsh Ride Thing….

They don’t have much of a working life if they’re having to be replaced already. Are they economically viable or are they just so heavily subsidised that it makes sense for the companies to replace them after a few years 😕

where are they? Looks lovely!

And a lot less intrusive than the ones that are going in at the side of the A74M!!

slugwash – they should have a 20 to 25 year life. I don’t know about your particular photo but it’s certainly old because (trust me on this) it’s tiny. There’s no denying however that the subsidies are very important to the industry.

jimster – The crane looks like this, a footprint of 16m x 16m, check out the JCB to the right of the photo. I assume that you were joking about a helicopter installation.

I dunno if a helicopter could lift 105m towers, that is bloody big.

Nice pics if there weren’t wind turbines in the way 😉

cp – the north of Sweden, about 200km south of the arctic circle. Yes it is absolutely lovely, if a little isolated.

Is it loud up there?

Great pics 😀

I think there is something quite beautiful about wind turbines. Fantastic design aesthetically, imo

+ 3

We do some sub contract machining on the shafts for them at work. Bloody massive things!

I’m glad that I can see these from my house.

and not this.

Herman Shake – we always stop the turbines before we climb. I suspect that, inside the nacelle, the gearbox and generator would be very noisy because it is such a confined space.

those cooling towers represent a power output of a few hundred megawatts.

let’s say 400MW,

that’s the same as many about 400 hundred wind turbines – the big ones.

where do we put hundreds of wind turbines? there’s a ‘farm’ getting built planned near my parents, it’s taken years to get permission to build 9. and they’re still haggling over the details.

9 wind turbines will look nice, i like them, but i’m not sure about hundreds.

and hundreds.

and hundreds.

and hundreds.

and hundreds.

and hundreds.

etc.

repeat to fade…

oh god, i’m agreeing with James Delingpole, someone, kill me now. 🙁

You sir, have balls! Wouldn’t get me up there for all the tea in China.

Crane looks like something from Thunderbirds. Ace!!

This…

That’s ace! What’s your job?

and this…

I think there is something quite beautiful about wind turbines. Fantastic design aesthetically, imo

Sslowpace:Renewable sources vs nuclear is a (lead hat protected) no brainer. All of the depleted stuff has to go somewhere, it doesn’t just disappear. Wind, solar, tide and geothermal sources are constant and effectively wasted unless we harness them.

The visual impact of many turbines (not a problem to me and many others) compared to the very hazardous issue of nuclear waste is incomparable.

At least it’s not cooling towers going up next to your parents’ place!

Ooh my giddy Aunt…

Well, she bloody would be if she went up one of those! 😯

where do we put hundreds of wind turbines?

In the countryside ffs, that’s what it’s for… 🙄

I think looks beautiful.

Edd; are you Duntmatter’s brother?

That’s ace! What’s your job?

My job title is “turbine engineer”. Practically this means that I write the specification for the turbines, then oversee the contract and finally do the inspections of the delivered turbines. At the moment I’m on site about 75% of my time which is great. Most of the year I’m predominantly desk bound.

At least it’s not cooling towers going up next to your parents’ place!

oh they’ve got those too.

i quite like them aswell (aswell as wind turbines).

gracefull curves, clouds of steam, etc.

yay for cooling towers!

wind power needs back up, and for the forseeable future that’ll be a mix of nuclear/coal/gas, cooling towers are here to stay, just as well that i like them.

and, if we use up all the wind, who’ll shake the leaves from the trees in autumn?

hmm?

Wind, solar, tide and geothermal sources are constant and effectively wasted unless we harness them.

Many years ago people thought the same about fossil fuels..

Elfinsafety – nope not Duntmatter’s brother.

edd, to be fair, perspective is making that outrigger look kind of big compared to the telehandler; that’s only a baby crane! 😉

fourbanger – that JCB’s not small; it’s just really, really far away. 😉

Theres quite a campaign against them where I live from some very vocal NIMBY’s. As it will spoil some large open farmland field views. Seems a rather short sighted view if you can get energy fairly easily.
Also due to their attitudes in part, a large employer on the island (Vestas) closed their blade manufacturing facility on the Island, thus costing quite a few jobs over here.
Clearly the NIMBY’s are more interested in the perceived drop in value of their properties than any potential environmental benefits.

I have to agree with the sentiment that they’re really quite graceful to look at. They’re more in keeping with the countryside than having a dirty great AT-AT or whatever towering over the place spreading it’s authoritarian vibes.

Maybe that should be put to local residents, the choice between a turbine or an AT-AT at the end of their garden?

Just had a browse through the gallery on the Total Wind website. That crane is huge and those chaps sat on top of the turbines are nutters!

jimster – The crane looks like this, a footprint of 16m x 16m, check out the JCB to the right of the photo. I assume that you were joking about a helicopter installation.

I did say install them in sections, or the unforrested section of the hill.

I am in favour of them, but looking at those pics there is alot of unforrested hillside that could have been used.

We have alot of NIMBY’s in this part of the world, the one complaint they have is they intend to instal “Super Turbine” within 1.6km of housing.

I’m glad that I can see these from my house.

Do you live in Rammy? I’ve driving up there tonight to see my parents – you can see the turbines from their kitchen window.