Wind Farms on the horizon…
The BBC website has posted a story saying that the go ahead has been given for two wind farms of the Essex and Kent coastline. Well this can only mean a step in the right environmental direction. For years we have been being promised sustainable and green power but each time the farms have had to be moved, I know that there’s bound to be environmental issues with the locations between Margate and Clacton - but let’s face it better that than propelling ourselves into the largest greenhouse in the Solar System!
Of course this only addresses a tiny part of the problem that is the UK, lots more needs to be done to ensure that we continue the move away from fossil fuels and towards green alternatives but it’s not a bad step. I think that windfarms look knida cool too. I suppose we’ll see how it ends up in a few years.
Good Hunting
I think asthetically wind farms are way more preferable to power stations.
This is funny…
I heard someone complaining about the wind farms - saying that birds could fly into them and it would damage migrating habits, etc.
Well, if a bird is thick enough to fly into one of those, it’s filtering it out of the genetic pool, which is surely a good thing!
But what if they become the dominant species on the planet? I watched a documentary by A Hitchcock that predicted what would happen if wind farms were implimented. Scary stuff.
Hehe - Is that the same James who once worked out how much it would cost to leave his TV on standby and paid his dad the few pence??? :p (yes i know i remember useless crap).
There is an issue with birds flying into wind turbines - is cos of the way they flock and stuff - is a bit of a weird issue! I could go into it but I would have to check some of my facts first.
I wonder if any of the guys at uni had anything to do with this (One of my lectureres was a leading guy on sustainability issues).
Is a positive thing though - only problem is if they end up under water in 20 years!
The US and China have major influences on climate change etc and the world needs them to cut their carbon emmissions etc.
I’m not sure that the bird issue is one that should stop the development of this initiative. To my knowledge it’s not a major issue as the migratory birds fly over the top of these farms not through them? Correct me if I’m wrong…
You’re right about the US and China, neither of which have signed up to any climate change agreement and they are the two biggest polluters. Countries like India are up and coming too and although they seem to be better than China they are still going to contribute to the future.
One counter arguement to the ‘green’ development of asia runs like this though; why should they be denided the cheap and easy economic growth that the west enjoyed at the expense of the environment. Surely the rich western powers should foot the bill for what they have done to the planet and let the others pay their way when they reach the same economic stage? I’m not sure that I agree with this kind of argument but I can see where they are trying to go with this.
Yep it is the same James - however, we were talking about the occasional half hour i was out of the room, rather than 24/7 (well 24/7 plus the time it is actually on). Plus now, its not just the tv, its the sky box, vcr/dvd, broadband box, router box, surround sound box, etc. all with a light telling me they are working (especially the broadband and internet) - why not just have lights on telling me they are not working! other house holds have more than 1 tv.
Not to mention offices with lights and PC’s on all day and night. Terrible stuff.
I do actually agree with the counter argument - why should developing countries pay more for green energy when countries like the US are only now just starting to think about Green alternatives. However, there is enough money in the US and EU to subsidise the energy in the developing world and implement a green infrastructure, before they become dependant on ‘dirty power’.
As i said, I think the birds should be able to fly over them, if they can’t, then i’d guess the term ‘unlucky’ comes into play.
No its not a major issue, just one to be considered, as wiping out a species can have a big effect on the ecosystem (jeystone speices and all that).
Of couorse I am right! I am alwyas right. Oh yeah and what was it I did my degree in again????:p
I dont like that argument - the knowledge we have available know is far greater than when the western powers were setting up their industries. Its like saying we should let kids smoke because when the people who are old now were kids they were allowed to beacuse they didnt know what harm it would do.
And still easy to wind up I see :p
Though currently I can take the moral high ground as I dont even have a tv never mind a sky box, dvd player, video player, computer, broadband thingy or anything. I have a stereo and thats about it for now!
Though I see I need to learn to type - or at least check what I type!!!
Why would jeystones be wiped out - and what are they? I think that James has an answer to stop these growing nations from depending on ‘dirty’ power. The US doesn’t want to sign up to anything to ensure that it’s economy can cope with the competition emerging from asia but all they seem to be about is keeping these countries undeveloped.
I’m sure that the energy wasted by a few LEDs pales into comparison to the coal burning power stations that we use but if we all didn’t have them on it could make a difference. Academic organisations could also help with this - why do CS labs have to be on 24/7? Why not put all the machines into standby? Surely not that many students use them all the time and surely even less over holiday periods. I bet that this doesn’t just apply to Essex. As a country we are so obssed with giving people the best service possible, perhaps we should stand back and make people wait a few seconds for something if it would save some energy.
As a sidenote, other people seem to think this is a big issue too! - Movie Blog (An Inconvienent Truth)
Like I said I need to learn to type.
It should say keystone species.
A keystone species is one that if it is removed from an ecosystem causes it to collapse. Its not necessarily the one at the top of the foodchain either.
One LED wont make much difference but if everyone did a bit it would make a big difference (well thats all relative, the US and China are still messing it up for the rest of us).
It will provide 1% of the UK’s energy - which is good, but at the same time, for the largest wind farm in the world, a bit rubbish!!
Well, I say rubbish, is what I mean is that is shows how much energy we use, and how much how long its going to take to get most of our sources over to renewable (i.e. we are rubbish, not the wind farm) - and that’s just us, let along US, China, etc. Mind you, I have seen loads of posters and campaigns to get people to not leave equipment in ’standby’ mode, unplug mobile chargers, etc. - also there should be new guide lines soon so new TV’s etc. basically don’t have a standby mode.
Although, I can see these new wind farms playing host to a whole new set of dare devil jet ski games!