NEEPS

Martin · Neepster Joined: 16 Sep 2007 Posts: 663

Hysterical cobblers! There WAS a particularly bad spot in California where there were heavy bird losses - the plonkers had sited them right on migration flight lines - if carefully sited, with thought given to such things, losses are surprisingly small (there are far more from birds flying into glass windows)
You'll find that even the RSPB are in favour of wind farms.
As you may have noticed, I'll happily yell about wind turbines that don't work (roof and building-mounted ones), but am a great supporter of them where they are appropriate, and do work.........
There is a positive "industry" devoted to smearing wind turbines, funded by the coal, oil and nuclear industries, using the full might and abilities of the US neocon lobbying companies (those nice people who told us tobacco was safe), who are forever churning out nonsense like this!
You'll doubtless spot their work -
"it'll kill the birds/bats/moths"
"it'll ruin tv reception"
"the noise is unbearable" (WHAT noise?)
"they'll leave the country defenceless by stuffing radar" - (yeah right, the Taliban are given to trying to slip under the radar!)
- "it'll spoil the view" - no it won't! Windflowers can be a positive asset, and if you contemplate the horrors for the countryside and all life if we don't use them, it is but a mere bagatelle.......
"they don't work all the time" - we know that, all the sums are based on the time they are revolving......
"they aren't economic" - probably the biggest barefaced lie going......
having costed a relatively small installation for a factory down here in the windless South, I can assure you that with no grants or subsidies whatsoever, a 250kw wind turbine will pay for itself totally within about 7 years - in a windy spot up North, it could be as little as 2 years - this is the sort of investment that gets money-men wetting themselves!
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wildgarlic · Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:19 am Post subject:

I knew you would come up with a good answer!

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Maidenstone · Neepster Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 303

Windflowers - what a lovely name. I always think of them as merry dancers, but I prefer windflowers. We can see 2 windfarms from our house and I LOVE to see them whizzing round.

I totally agree with you. The number of birds I find along the road when I am walking, from tiny goldcrests to buzzards and owls - no-one gasps at the death toll from motorists do they? Or cat prey? Or poisoning on shooting estates? Or starvation in winter when we could easily put out food?

And I hate it when people bang on about the amount of energy and carbon involved in making them, "oh yes, but they aren't exactly energy free" ... no, but a hellova lot less energy than building a nuclear power station or coal power station, kW for kW.

I sometimes walk up amongst the wind generators in the Glens of Foudland wind farm, have never found bird carcasses around, but notice lots of evidence of small mammals on the ground. The generators swish gently in the wind - it is such a lovely way to make electricity!
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Smooth Hound · Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:52 am Post subject:

we have a couple here, ive taken a walk across to them a few times, and theres no dead birds, i like them too, there a safe energy, and when i get close to home i can see then turning, and its quite a welcome home feeling

wildgarlic · Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 10:28 am Post subject:

I think they look great - and I've not seen any dead birds either.
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windyman · Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 2:30 pm Post subject:

There's been a recent scientific study showing that coal power causes more bird deaths per gigawatt hour than wind... see http://scitizen.com/stories/futur...e-Birds-by-Promoting-Wind-Energy/ for one article on the subject.

In summary coal power came out at over 5 deaths per gigawatt hour.

Nuclear came in at just over 0.4 deaths per gigawatt hour.

And wind came in at around 0.25 deaths pergigawatt hour.

The primary answer, as always, is therefore to save energy first.

And, any energy you can't save should be renewably generated...

Cheers

Windyman

Smooth Hound · Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 2:54 pm Post subject:

agreed, and then theres the other inplications of coal and nuclear, like slowly or fastly poisoning the planet, and the obvious high risk of nuclear leaks/meltdowns/terrorist attacks, war etc
you dont havve any of those issues with wind

Forget-me-Not · Neepster Joined: 25 Jan 2008 Posts: 1031 Location: Insch

Much more lovely to look at than a power station and quiet too. Makes you more aware of the wind and I think quite energising to look at, while out i the countryside.

Beth
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Smooth Hound · Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 6:47 pm Post subject:

maybe if they painted the blades bright colours, with aluminous paint on the tips, the birds would see them, and they would look great, especially on a windy winters night.