Power to the people

What does annoy me is the money that is being wasted on these useless things, which appear to be sprouting up everywhere in a bid to appease the naive greenies.
Your money is being wasted but those building them and renting the land including the sea-bed are doing very well, thank you.

That is their purpose.

Yes and the Sea Bed is Crown Property, a good business investment for Royality
 
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The overriding problem in this country is that everybody wants electric power, but few people seem to know where it actually comes from.

Various pressure groups don't want nuclear because it will kill us all; people living in nice country areas don't want turbines because they spoil the view;
marine biologists don't want offshore turbines or barrages because it will kill all the nice little fishes, and of course mention coal, oil or gas and you're a social outcast.

So where the ****ing hell do we get our power from???
 
I have thought for a long time that a Morecambe Bay barrage would be a tremendously valuable source of tidal energy. Long ago, a similar scheme was postulated with a fresh-water reservoir upstream. The Severn could have another and we could plough up most of our other generation plant.

It would however change the environment for birdlife and prawns, and no doubt the local hospitality trade would change.
 
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It would however change the environment for birdlife and prawns, and no doubt the local hospitality trade would change.

Yes, the RSPB will be up in arms and the B&B landladies will protest, so as per usual in this country nothing will be done.

On a separate note, there were earth tremors in the Bristol area recently; at least they can't blame that on fracking.
 
The overriding problem in this country is that everybody wants electric power, but few people seem to know where it actually comes from.

Various pressure groups don't want nuclear because it will kill us all; people living in nice country areas don't want turbines because they spoil the view;
marine biologists don't want offshore turbines or barrages because it will kill all the nice little fishes, and of course mention coal, oil or gas and you're a social outcast.

So where the ****ing hell do we get our power from???

France. We get electricity without upsetting the greenies; France makes money out of us hand over fist. Everybody's happy!
 
Wind turbines are economically not viable.

By the time you factor in the infrastructure such as planning costs, design, testing, installation, maintenance and repairs they do not generate enough electricity to justify their existence.

You also have the ugliness of them along the skyline, (no point in putting them in a hidden valley or half way down a hillside), not to mention that when you get up close the noise of them humming as they rotate, whilst not being loud, is suspected in some quarters of damaging hearing due to the low frequency noise. Add to this they don't work if there is no wind and if the wind is too fast they have to be locked down to prevent them over running.
 
Add to this they don't work if there is no wind

Exactly.
In this country think of all the bitterley cold days we get in winter, with clear skies.
Not a breath of wind (high pressure), and what are the turbines doing then? f**k all.
 
So, to return to the original op... tides are constant and predictable, and the sea is rarely a millpond. So it seems sensible to throw research cash in these directions.
 
I wonder how many days of the year the wind is not blowing anywhere?

it's very rare on the coast and on high ground.
 
I wonder how many days of the year the wind is not blowing anywhere?

it's very rare on the coast and on high ground.
Evidence suggests that turbines rarely work at above 30% efficiency, plus the cost of running them is prohibitive due to subsidies being paid.
 
So, to return to the original op... tides are constant and predictable, and the sea is rarely a millpond. So it seems sensible to throw research cash in these directions.

From a technical point of view one could not agree more.

But in practice, all the Greens, marine biologists, coastal-footpath-walking-groups, National Trust for the presevation of coastal areas etc will be up in arms.

Reports will be commissioned from expensive consultants, which will take years, appeals will be launched etc etc and in the end nothing will be done while we sleepwalk into brownouts and power cuts.
 
Wind turbines are just silly and burning fossil fuels is obviously a frightful and ghastly thing to do, especially since it relies on staying "friends" with countries who we don't really like since they tend to supply the fuel. Safe nuclear fuel (and it's somewhat unfortunate by-products) seems to be out of the question.

So we're pretty stuffed. Unless, of course, we get all prisoners to spend their days on treadmills/cycling machines which are hooked up to generators. By doing this, at least we'd have some contenders for Conan the Barbarian, or some top-drawer olympic cyclists :idea: :mrgreen:
 
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