I agree that in the right place, they can certainly go a long way to creating electricity. Pantokrator is probably not a bad place for it, not in anyone's 'face' up and out of the way I suppose.
The off shore farm however is a different matter altogether. There are 3 habited islands there all needing regular ferries, and many people earning a living fishing in the area. The proposed HUGE number of turbines would cause havoc with them. There is also the enormous cost to construct them there. The amount of concrete required and the depth of the sea there, should put it out of the picture according to some of the requirements I have read. There is also the question of where it will all go, will they build a sub station in Agios Stephanos in the middle of a tourist area? That amount of uneven electrical power cannot just be fed straight into the grid.
Message posted by MartynG on 10 January 2011 at 4:12pm - IP Logged
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There are two massive problems with wind farms, as I see it. Firstly, the "land take" - that is the amount of land required to support each plyon and the way that these strctures destroy rural environments. Secondly, they are highly inefficient: is there really enough wind above the required speed (15mph?) needed to turn the blades? Judging by the number of times I have been becalmed whislt sailing, I would have thought not.
During the recent spate of cold weather in the UK, the wind turbines produced little, if any, electricity (at a time of peak demand) as there was no wind.
Nuclear (fusion) is probably the only answer - but there are (as I understand it) control problems and the process involves weapons grade uranium, so not necessarily a safe bet. I also believe that there are insufficient supplies of uranium in the world to fuel an expansion of fission reactors.
Martyn
Message posted by windmill on 10 January 2011 at 9:07pm - IP Logged
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We have several wind farms in our region.
1) even if working 24/7 they produce very little power.
2) most of the the time, several are not working.
3) if wind too strong, they are out of commision.
4) not enough wind? well.
5) consider the amount of electricity needed to produce the raw materials and construction in the first place.
6) only the operators and the farmers on whose land these stand get any benefit.
Future is wave power as is being developed off St Ives.
Message posted by Dasia on 11 January 2011 at 5:11am - IP Logged
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Our local utility wants to plant a wind farm just off the shore of Lake Ontario east of Toronto. People living near the proposed site are concerned about possible harm to migrating birds,ill effects of infrasound on human health, destruction of scenic views, etc.
Last fall I spent a week in a the Netherlands, in a town on the North Sea with a large 'experimental' wind farm 10 - 18 km offshore. What a good opportunity to discover the effects, if any, of these wind farms and report back to my neighbours! Given the generous distance between the turbines and the shore, people said they were not bothered by noise. But those who had experience with turbines on land said that at 2 - 4 km, the planned offset here in Ontario, we certainly would hear them. Some felt they spoiled their view of the North Sea and made the horizon look crooked. The turbines were clearly visible, even at that distance on an overcast day.
The wind never abated the whole time we were in Holland. You had to walk braced against it; sand from the beach permeated everywhere even far from the beach. Houses had names like "The South Wind" and "The West Wind"; the only people in the pounding waves were windsurfers. It seemed to me that if there is anywhere suitable for wind turbines, it is off the North Sea! I've never experienced wind like that in either Canada or Greece, and wonder if installing them in either place is worth the expense and negative effects on human and animal life.
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