If you drive from Weymouth towards Wareham you pass a pub called the Red Lion at Winfrith Newburgh. Just after passing the pub, keep a look out to your left. About a mile back from road you will see a square pale-blue building mostly hidden by trees. This inconspicious building, in need a a paint job, is the remains of Winfith Atomic Energy Establishment. This was a research reactor (or reactors as there was more than one). It was not designed primarily to provide electricity to the National Grid but still, it regularly and routinely provided 62MWe. It was shut down early few years ago essentially due to the unfashionability of nuclear power at the time.
Continue on your journey to East Stoke. You will pass a beautiful 19th century church on a corner. Just near here a large corporation is planning to build three huge wind-turbines. Each one would be higher than Salisbury Cathedral and would produce a derisory amount of power (just over 2MWe each, and thats at full stretch). In fact in order to provide anything like a reliable source of power you need three wind turbines scattered across the country to provide the continuous rating of one. Even then you do not get anything like a guarantee of continuity.
But lets be kind. East Stoke would essentially provide, in total, on average, 2MWe continuous. To say that these things would be more intrusive and less productive than the old Winfrith nuclear plant would be the understatement of the decade. To match the power output of Winfrith (which was a tiddler, remember) East Stoke would need no less than 30 turbines of a similar size all running at full tilt.
Don't forget though that this never happens. You would need another 60 wind turbines scattered across the country to try and provide a semblance of continuity.
But it gets worse. Wind turbines, like all rotating machinery break down and need to be repaired and serviced. But unlike steam generating plant, they operate in an uncontrollable and chaotically variable environment. Consequently they will break down and need to be serviced more often than equivalent steam generating plant. You will always have a significant number out of service (even if the wind is blowing). It is easy to see the total number of windturbines (each the height of Salisbury Cathedral) needed to replace the very small nuclear reactor at Winfrith would number at least 100 (maybe many more)
The abortion they plan to impose on the people of East Stoke would essentially provide approximately 3% of the power produced of the old redundant research reactor at Winfrith.
This is lunacy.
The above is only one of many the arguments against the mass employment of wind turbines generally and specifically at the little village of East Stoke. I will come to many, many, more in future posts.
Wind turbines do have their place. Remote communities far from the grid may well benefit. But seriously, to try and use them to provide a significant proportion of energy to the National Grid is absurd. The only people gaining are the power companies (nice subsidies eh?) and the the political zealots. The people of East Stoke will be left to go to hell. Not only that they will end up subsidising this madness in their electricity bills.
You can find out more information about various campaigns against these pitiful modern day follys here at DART (Dorset Against Rural Turbines).
I hasten to add that while I fully support DART I am not a member or otherwise associated with them and these are strictly my thoughts. (Although I may decide to join up soon!)
6 comments:
Good post. Well argued.
Unfortunately the greens and global warmist religionists don't do debate.
They do shouting. And there's money to be made at our expense
Actually East Stoke church is 19th century.
Thanks for the correction. I will fix the post so it says 19th rather than 16th. It is, of course, still a pretty place and a fine building.
I hear a decision is imminent. Perhaps you should contact dart and offer up your talent to the cause.
Just to compliment you on your informative, entertaining website. It really makes you think. Some of the recommended blogs are also quite addictive -Watts Up was a revelation.
With regard to the above posting, the date of the planning meeting is 30th November 7.00pm at Purbeck School. As Woody Allen may or may not have famously observed 99% of success is achieved by turning up.
By the way its now 4 turbines(keeps changing)
November 30th - I will be there. Purbeck School 7.00pm sharp.
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