government" we must wean ourselves off oil"

[mammooman]

The government may be backing wind/solar energy being generated by person(s) in their own properties but try getting planning permission for it. If you search the web you can find examples of people submitting the same plans written up in many different ways just to appeal to the planning office...if these renewable sources were really wanted surely the whole process would be easier. The word wind power does give the impression of miles upon miles of wind farms but does it have to be like this? Why not a small turbine on each new build? Turbines above sky scapers and city blocks, really making use of the space we have.

I dont personally dont find them bad either, had a holiday cottage in north Wales underneath 3 of the things (they were about 100 yards away) and didnt hear them once.

Would much rather windmills to a large concrete mass, ducts, piping, towers that nuclear would bring.


But should this even be an issue, the way it looks? Surely we should be utilising areas that we have little to no use of. I feel that a nuclear power station would render much of that area useless to any other activity, certainly not residential, with populations rising could this be a problem? Potentially, maybe.

I think we should utilise areas of the sea, be that underwater, on the waves or with windmills. Is this as efficient though? No idea would be my answer.

 

[Reggie T42]

Am I alone in thinking they look alright?

I think windmills are great too!

 

[Mr Jinx]

New Labour did their best to bury renewable energy:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/21/wind-turbine-factory-occupation

 

[Antony Moxey]

But should this even be an issue, the way it looks? Surely we should be utilising areas that we have little to no use of.

Yes actually, the way it looks should be a huge consideration. As I've said previously, to generate the same amount of energy as a nuclear power station a wind farm would have to be massive - literally miles square. Would you really want the entire horizon covered with them? Really? The visual impact would be overwhelming.

And utilising areas we have little to no use of? Hark at me sounding the eco-warrior here, but are you really advocating covering the whole country, and everywhere else, with solar panels and windmills just because we aren't using the area? I'm sure Dartmoor would look lovely plastered in them, as would the Lake District.

Nuclear is safe, clean and efficient, far more so than wind and solar can ever be, and certainly more so than coal or oil fired power stations. Trouble is, nuclear doesn't have an 'eco' image, despite being more bloody eco than any of the other hairbrained schemes for generating this country's energy needs.