[News] Wind energy - number one source of energy for first time

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Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
30,465
Hove
i wouldnt highlight the subsidies, probably none get built without them. point was the companies are motivated for long term returns, not short term. there is some moral & policy direction though, if they were just out for money they'd still be burning coal.
I’ve not got a problem with subsidies for renewables so no issue with highlighting them, I would rather these projects were state owned rather than say a Canadian energy company that comes in to make a profit on the back of subsidies. They can’t just burn coal if the law of the land doesn’t allow them to.
 






Carlos BC

Well-known member
May 10, 2019
549
This is all well and good but what happens when the wind runs out? :)
This is a good point. In theory, is it possible to put up so many wind farms that they use up all of the wind?

Would we then use the electricity generated to power giant fans to put the wind back?
 




Superseagull

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
2,123
Rampion 2 wind turbines will make the ones currently built out there for Rampion 1 look like toys. The next phase will see the turbines be 2.3 times taller if it goes ahead - which I’m sure it will.
 


Goldstone Guy

Well-known member
Nov 18, 2006
338
Hove
And all the bats and birds are dead from turbine blade collision 🫤
My understanding is that the number of birds killed by wind turbines is far far fewer than those killed by burning fossil fuels/the environmental impact of this. No I don't have a source/reference to post now, might be able to find out more or someone else can help me?
 
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BrightonCottager

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2013
2,771
Brighton
We could have reached this stage a long time ago if the Tories hadn't stopped onshore windfarms which are many many times cheaper to build and maintain than offshore. There will come a point in the not too distant future when all the feasible seabed space is leased off for windfarms. Then what? We need onshore sources such as solar and geothermal, ways of storing it (e.g pumping uphill to hydro-electric reservoirs and more batteries [caveat: the rare earth minerals are scarce and already largely reserved by China]) and better connections on the National Grid. Just as urgently we need to make our homes more energy efficient with a massive retrofit programme (which has been Green Party policy for years).
 






OzMike

Well-known member
Oct 2, 2006
13,282
Perth Australia
The veiw from Brighton beach looking out at that wind farm is hidious.
Maybe they should look at putting them in mountain ranges, as fewer people live in those.
 
















Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,730
The Fatherland
The veiw from Brighton beach looking out at that wind farm is hidious.
Maybe they should look at putting them in mountain ranges, as fewer people live in those.

I’d suggest fewer people live out at sea?
 


Perfidious Albion

Well-known member
Oct 25, 2011
6,374
At the end of my tether
Someone linked to this story on BBC but I think it is worth emphasising
“Some new solar and wind sites are waiting up to 10 to 15 years to be connected because of a lack of capacity in the system - known as the "grid".
So is Rampion even connected yet?
It is disgraceful. They build wind farms to look good but do not prioritise connecting them…..
 


sully

Dunscouting
Jul 7, 2003
7,938
Worthing
Someone linked to this story on BBC but I think it is worth emphasising
“Some new solar and wind sites are waiting up to 10 to 15 years to be connected because of a lack of capacity in the system - known as the "grid".
So is Rampion even connected yet?
It is disgraceful. They build wind farms to look good but do not prioritise connecting them…..
I think Rampion is connected, but I’m pretty sure I heard that the Newhaven incinerator isn’t. Wasn’t that supposed to be a net contributor, too?
 




Goldstone1976

We Got Calde in!!
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Apr 30, 2013
14,124
Herts
But it was known that all of these technologies would decrease in price as they were scaled up.

Again, it's an example of power companies making short term decisions to benefit shareholders this year, rather than investing in what we all need to the future
It’s almost as though private ownership of industries requiring long-term infrastructure investment wasn’t a particularly good idea.
 




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