Thanks to EU Referendum I found myself perusing the "Summary of Wind Turbine Accident data to 31 December 2010". It is fascinating. Did you know that there were 18 incidents of blade failure last year? Or that pieces of failed blades have been known to travel over 1300 metres (6.5 furlongs or 0.8 mile)? However, for me the most remarkable fact is that there were 5 fatal accidents last year, clearly it is a dangerous business.
Statistics above come from Caithness Windfarm Information Forum (www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk)
Showing posts with label Wind power. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wind power. Show all posts
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
Blowing in the Wind
Last Wednesday 24th June, Lord Hunt, the energy minister, announced in a press release that 'an extra 25GW of offshore wind energy could be accommodated around the UKs shores.' It goes on to day that 'the findings, a result of the Government's Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) will enable the Crown Estate to proceed with the third round of leasing the UKs waters for offshore wind farms.' In other words the Government is encouraging private enterprise to invest in erecting what is widely quoted as 7,000 wind turbines in the sea around Great Britain.
I am not going to get into a debate about climate change here. What I want to consider is how a Government Minister can talk absolute twaddle and nobody bothers to question what has been said. Between today and the 1st January 2020 there are 3,836 days. If we are going to erect 7,000 wind turbines in that time then we need to erect 1.82 turbines on average every day, including Sundays, in order to get there. If we spend a year sorting out the leases this average goes up to over 2 per day. This is clearly impossible. What astounds me is that if I can perform this elementary calculation why hasn't anybody else? Or have I missed something?
I am not going to get into a debate about climate change here. What I want to consider is how a Government Minister can talk absolute twaddle and nobody bothers to question what has been said. Between today and the 1st January 2020 there are 3,836 days. If we are going to erect 7,000 wind turbines in that time then we need to erect 1.82 turbines on average every day, including Sundays, in order to get there. If we spend a year sorting out the leases this average goes up to over 2 per day. This is clearly impossible. What astounds me is that if I can perform this elementary calculation why hasn't anybody else? Or have I missed something?
Thursday, 9 April 2009
Regurgitation
It would seem that I am not the first to notice the problem with wind turbines. To be honest, I knew that I wasn't but I was surprised to come across Jonathan Leake's article from the Sunday Times a week last Sunday. For those that don't know Mr. Leake is the Environment Editor and I have gained the impression, possibly unfairly, that he is an advocate of anthropogenic global warming (AGW). This common-sense article means that I will have to look more closely at his articles in future.
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
Green Around the Gills
Doesn’t your heart sink when faced with headlines such as “Gordon Brown plans an environmentally friendly Budget” and “PM heralds 'green economy' Budget”? You just know that this will mean taxing everything you already consume to meet the spurious, twin objectives of making us greener and subsidising the ‘green’ economy, whatever that is. Is it my cynicism or is it years of experience that lead me to believe that this budget will leave me worse off? How come in times of recession the tax take doesn’t reduce? Why, in these difficult times, do I have to reduce my expenditure but the government doesn’t?
We are then faced with the nonsensical statement that “Electric cars are to be introduce[sic] en masse across Britain”. Since when have electrical cars been green? The electricity has to be produced somewhere. If you think that fluffy ideas like windmills will solve the problem then you don’t understand the weather or economics. Windmills don’t turn when it is not windy. As an example of this, on January 1st 2009 there was not enough wind anywhere in the whole of the UK to turn a windmill. Where is the electrical power going to come from on a day like that? The article in the Telegraph goes on to say that “the Government [is] relaxing planning rules to allow the building of more wind farms to ensure Britain hits its target to generate 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020”. From the latest statistics I can find (Section 7.17 of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics) in 2007 we produce 4.98% of our energy requirements from renewable sources of which 27% is produced by the wind which means that the wind currently produces 1.34% of energy requirements. If wind is to be used to “ensure Britain hits its target” then it will have to produce 10.02% or a further 8.68%, of our energy requirements. The 1.34% is produced by 2,033 turbines. Even if all the new turbines have twice the capacity then we would need 6,127 new turbines. That is a rate of 1.56 turbines to be built every day between now and 1st January 2020. Just supposing that the erection of wind turbines could be achieved at that rate there is a world-wide shortage of wind turbines. It is just not going to happen is it?
We are then faced with the nonsensical statement that “Electric cars are to be introduce[sic] en masse across Britain”. Since when have electrical cars been green? The electricity has to be produced somewhere. If you think that fluffy ideas like windmills will solve the problem then you don’t understand the weather or economics. Windmills don’t turn when it is not windy. As an example of this, on January 1st 2009 there was not enough wind anywhere in the whole of the UK to turn a windmill. Where is the electrical power going to come from on a day like that? The article in the Telegraph goes on to say that “the Government [is] relaxing planning rules to allow the building of more wind farms to ensure Britain hits its target to generate 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020”. From the latest statistics I can find (Section 7.17 of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics) in 2007 we produce 4.98% of our energy requirements from renewable sources of which 27% is produced by the wind which means that the wind currently produces 1.34% of energy requirements. If wind is to be used to “ensure Britain hits its target” then it will have to produce 10.02% or a further 8.68%, of our energy requirements. The 1.34% is produced by 2,033 turbines. Even if all the new turbines have twice the capacity then we would need 6,127 new turbines. That is a rate of 1.56 turbines to be built every day between now and 1st January 2020. Just supposing that the erection of wind turbines could be achieved at that rate there is a world-wide shortage of wind turbines. It is just not going to happen is it?
Friday, 16 January 2009
What are they there for?
I did not intend to do political blogging but I find the following tale encapsulates everything that is wrong with the leadership of this country.
The headline is that 500 jobs are to go in Anglesey. Not a surprising headline in the current econoic climate. However, this is nothing to do with the credit-crunch (where did that awful phrase originate from). This is due to the climate-change obsessed government that is incapable of doing the its job. The 500 jobs are at the Anglesey Aluminium Metals Ltd which cannot find anyone to supply its power when the current power supply agreement runs out. Despite working "intensively with Uk and Welsh government authorities and agencies to find a sustainable alternative to the power supply needs of a smelter, [it] has been unabel to reach a feasible solution".
The long and the short of it is that the Wylfa nuclear power station which currently supplied the plants needs is due to be de-commissioned in 2010 and there is no immediate replacement in the offing. Now, nuclear power stations are de-commissioned but what has this government done about replacing them? Approximately one-fifth of the electricity produced in the UK is from a nuclear power station. 56% of that power they produce will be de-commissioned by 2016, 100% by 2035. Of the existing power stations, according to the BBC, one-seventh will come out of service before 2012 due to the european Large Combustion Plants Directive (LCPD). Where is the power going to come from. Oh, I forgot, the wind-farms. Did you notive that during the recent cold spell the wind just wasn't there? Note then when I say it wasn't there I don't just mean inone place withion the Uk I mean the whole of the UK. As was pointed out on the excellent EU referendum website there was not enough wind in the Uk on January 1st to turn any turbines. What use is that?
Between the governemnt and the EU we have got ourseles into a situation where we cannot produce the power that we need. The point at which demand exceeds supply is curretnyl estimated to be around the time of the 2012 Olympics.
I hate this governemnt, I anot see any releif from either of the opposition parties, I detest the Eu and I don't beleive that climate change is a probelm or that it is a preblem caused by man. Is it wany wonder I spend a lot of my time being a grumpy old man?
The headline is that 500 jobs are to go in Anglesey. Not a surprising headline in the current econoic climate. However, this is nothing to do with the credit-crunch (where did that awful phrase originate from). This is due to the climate-change obsessed government that is incapable of doing the its job. The 500 jobs are at the Anglesey Aluminium Metals Ltd which cannot find anyone to supply its power when the current power supply agreement runs out. Despite working "intensively with Uk and Welsh government authorities and agencies to find a sustainable alternative to the power supply needs of a smelter, [it] has been unabel to reach a feasible solution".
The long and the short of it is that the Wylfa nuclear power station which currently supplied the plants needs is due to be de-commissioned in 2010 and there is no immediate replacement in the offing. Now, nuclear power stations are de-commissioned but what has this government done about replacing them? Approximately one-fifth of the electricity produced in the UK is from a nuclear power station. 56% of that power they produce will be de-commissioned by 2016, 100% by 2035. Of the existing power stations, according to the BBC, one-seventh will come out of service before 2012 due to the european Large Combustion Plants Directive (LCPD). Where is the power going to come from. Oh, I forgot, the wind-farms. Did you notive that during the recent cold spell the wind just wasn't there? Note then when I say it wasn't there I don't just mean inone place withion the Uk I mean the whole of the UK. As was pointed out on the excellent EU referendum website there was not enough wind in the Uk on January 1st to turn any turbines. What use is that?
Between the governemnt and the EU we have got ourseles into a situation where we cannot produce the power that we need. The point at which demand exceeds supply is curretnyl estimated to be around the time of the 2012 Olympics.
I hate this governemnt, I anot see any releif from either of the opposition parties, I detest the Eu and I don't beleive that climate change is a probelm or that it is a preblem caused by man. Is it wany wonder I spend a lot of my time being a grumpy old man?
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