One of the installations that one sees run foul of the NIMBYs on a regular basis is Windfarms. In my part of the world (Eastern England) there are a few of these windfarms around. It seems to be a fairly regular occurence that local councillors are reported as objecting to the siting of proposed windfarms in their locales, the most recent example being County Councillors refusing to back plans for the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm off the North Norfolk coast on the grounds that it may impact the local fishing industry. While I have a certain amount of sympathy with the issue of the fishing industry (although not sufficient not to back these plans), it's way past time that some people opened their eyes to "the bigger picture".
West Devon Borough Council turned down plans to build nine wind turbines in January of this year and admitted that
"the main reason for refusing the application was the impact of the turbines on the landscape."which is the reason guaranteed to have me climbing up onto my virtual soapbox. Perhaps these people would prefer a nice picturesque nuclear power station? Ok, I know that a nuclear power station wouldn't be sited there but there'd be objections to it whereever it was proposed.
My point is that society today demands electricity. Surely its better to try and generate it by means that don't further impact the environment as a whole even if it means putting these wind turbines in "areas of outstanding natural beauty"? If some climate change models are to believed (and they are, increasingly by people who know about these things) then the point of choosing whether to try to generate our power by renewable means, even if it does have an aesthetic impact on the environment or losing most of the land mass of Great Britain to rising sea levels has already been reached. Is it really that difficult a decision to make?
And on the subject of "aesthetic impact", I don't find that these wind turbines are that objectionable. Tall and brilliant white, they have a strange otherworldly elegance which is far more pleasing to the eye than the endless ranks of steel pylons which for years have carried electricity across the countryside with hardly a murmur against them.
Dependent on the approval of my landlord, I would like to offer here and now that if any electricity generator would like to site a wind turbine in our back yard then they're more than welcome. An offer of a roof installation, generating power exclusively for us would be met with a very favourable response and could be a PR coup for someone!
Technorati Tags: electricity, climate change, environment
7 comments:
I was about to point out that those white wind turbines in fact look really good when you go and do it for me. Since we agree so automatically there is a good chance that others do too.
Sadly most councillers are stuck up numpties.
Totally agree Steg! We have had a similar problem here - there are plans to site a wind farm about three miles away from where I live, it would provide electricity for about 30 thousand homes. However, typically the NIMBY brigade have protested, so the plans have been put on hold.
Like you and Matt, I think the turbines are really well designed, they do have an intrinsic style and elegance - and even if they didn't they would be preferable to the alternative - a scene of flooding or dry, arid desert.
I don't know about where you live, but here, the majority of the protesters seem to be retired people, younger folk tend to be for the idea. I do wonder if the people who are against either don't understand the implications of climate change, or whether they just don't care because they won't have to face the consequences.
ps: I also think all new house should be fitted with solar panels in the roofs, and much larger grants should be offered for anyone wanting to install them in an existing roof.
"And by the way: Did your Mom and Dad really name you Stegbeetle???"
Ah, you know us English folk- eccentric to the core LOL
Only j/k Steg, I'm sure you have a real life name that is very nice - I can't ever imagine calling you by it though, you'll always be Steg to me :-)
LOL! No. *sighs patiently* "Stegbeetle" is a nom de plume I adopted on starting my blog.
"Steg" was a nickname I was given at school due to it being nearly part of a middle name of mine. It was expanded to "Stegbeetle" by a cricketing friend of mine a few years later. How obscure is that? So Kate, I'm happy to be "Steg" to anyone.
'Nearly part of a middle name'
Hmm, intriguing.
I have never had a nickname, although I always wanted one. How sad am I LOL
You won't even have heard of it, Kate unless you know someone heavily into Bell-ringing!
Never had a nickname? Not even at school?
I have to admit I'm not well up on bell-ringing, I thought it might be something exotic and eastern European. I'm even more intrigued now.
No, not even at school - I must have been ever so boring. My Mum calls me Tallulah sometimes but that's about as close as I have ever got to having one.
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