and the occasional rant.
Enjoy!
I'm Mark. Older than you imagine, pescetarian, husband, father, professional parent & pedant.
I post some original stuff and a bunch of other things that I like. If you own the rights to something you see here and you're not happy about me sharing it, let me know.
Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm, viewed across Romney Marsh from Port Lympne.
Photo: mings
Harsh penalty.
A car crushed by a chimney collapse in South Street, Bo’ness, Scotland.
I bet the driver will think twice about parking on double yellow lines in future…
Photo: Robert Jardine, via BBC Scotland
Not so grand design…
This house in Kilcreggan, Argyle & Bute, Scotland was featured on Channel Four’s Grand Designs program.
Photo: BBC Scotland
Christmas is over…
Glasgow’s George Square was closed to the public after the Christmas Tree was blown down in high winds today.
Photo: BBC Scotland
Holes In The Ground: Sunday Times Magazine:
Have you no sense of moral obligation? Oh, wait…
Today they’ve published an article rallying the troops against wind energy.
I’d be so blimmin’ proud if the UK became the first country to rely solely on on- and off-shore wind farms, hydro energy and solar power. SO proud. But what are they saying at The Times? That wind farms are an unnecessary blot on the landscape that does nothing but lower house prices of anybody with eye-shot. That’s the gist.
House prices? Really? They’re shot to pieces anyway, but that’s not really the point. Turbines need to be seen as a force for good. Take pylons for example? They’re not pretty, in fact, they’re a lot less attractive than turbines, but we accept them, and for the most part, we cease to really notice them. Why? Because we’re okay with the fact they’re there. If they weren’t we’d have no electricity to heat our homes and water. No TV. No computer. Pylons are a necessary evil.
If you don’t like the sight of a turbine on the horizon, then I put to you this simple idea: So are turbines. I’ve said it before, but I personally like the aesthetic of turbines. I think they’re elegant and serene, but that’s because I quite like industrial architecture. Many people don’t, and I get that. Instead of enjoying the view, consider it a necessary evil on the path to becoming the world’s first country powered by green energy.
It’s about changing or challenging your perspective. The way we are has to change, and that involves compromise.
Enough of this nimbyism: embrace the future. It’s coming, whether or not you’re ready.
As someone who has a lovely view of Kingsnorth to live with everyday:
I’m with Jessie.
Hmm. The voice of dissent weighs in.
Look, I have nothing against the aesthetic of wind turbines in principle. Indeed, most of our continental neighbours have embraced wind energy in a way that makes us look like rank amateurs. Inevitably, most of the major components in our wind farms are manufactured in mainland Europe. The fundamental difference, in my experience at least, is that their population density is much lower and the installations don’t affect as many people because they’re in windy catchment areas that people, wisely, choose not to live in.
In the UK, the potential sites are more controversial because they’re either in someone’s back yard, or they’re in an area of outstanding natural beauty (such as Romney Marsh - see my previous rant).
What makes matters worse is that they’re far less capable of generation than the authorities would have us believe. The worst case suggests that they may only generate as little as 22% of their maximum theoretical output. That’s not a failing of the design, as such. It’s more a limitation imposed by the direction and strength of the wind. Sadly, the unpredictable weather patterns of our little island nation mean the blades are frequently locked off because there’s too little or, ironically, to much wind. The net result is that even more turbines are necessary to meet our demands.
The stark reality is that we can put turbines up until we’re blue in the face. It won’t be enough. We’re so complacent about our energy consumption that it will take something far more to really get the message home. Power cuts. Periods of prolonged blackout. Rationing. Unless we change the way we think about energy, that is our future.
Fundamentally, we need another source of energy. Accepted, we cannot continue to pillage fossil resources; they won’t last and whether you believe that global warming is a conspiracy or not, mankind is making a profound, adverse impact on our planet.
As much as the nay-sayers will pillory me for saying this, I believe the answer lies in continuing research into nuclear power. The ultimate objective must be controllable fusion, which (unlike fission) leaves no poisonous by-products. If we kill nuclear power in an ill-conceived knee-jerk reaction to Fukushima, then I fear we’ll all have to get used to a future where the flick of a switch may not be as reliable as we think.
(Source: midnightrevue)
