An electricity generation system the Victorians would be proud of

Quote of the month, or perhaps even the year/decade!

It is time that we started thinking of renewable energy technologies as our primary source, with fossil fuels and nuclear as curiosities to be put in a museum along with the other exhibits from our industrial past.

 

See full article by Rob Such at https://www.2degreesnetwork.com/groups/renewable-power-for-business/resources/electricity-generation-system-victorians-would-be-proud/

Wind turbine manufacturer Evans of Loughborough to supply Scottish Water

The Leicester Mercury reports that Evance, of Loughborough, is providing three of its small wind turbines at Scottish Water's waste water treatment works at Broadford, on the Isle of Skye.
Another three turbines will be installed in the town of Portree, also on the Isle of Skye, and a further three will be sited at the water treatment works on the nearby Raasay island.
Read more at http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Wind-turbines-maker-supply-utility-group/story-20013254-detail/story.html

Nuclear outage

Amongst all the familiar anti-wind propaganda and wind power-related ignorance, one can't help wondering what proportion of the British population is aware of the recent/current nuclear outage?

See http://nuclear.energy-business-review.com/news/dungeness-b-nuclear-power-station-shuts-down-due-to-power-loss-291013.

I wonder what exactly caused it? A plastic bag, perhaps? Or maybe a flying pig of the 'nuclear power is cheap, safe and reliable' variety?

Anyway, for a reality check on 'but the wind doesn't always blow'-type stories, see http://prowa.org.uk/variability.html.

On a lighter note, looks like pigs can fly after all - see below (no need to watch the whole clip, unless you want to - just focus on the first 20 seconds).

Michigan's new tourist attraction? Like them or not, wind turbines

Good article at http://www.freep.com/article/20131020/FEATURES/310200073/State-s-new-tourist-attraction-Like-them-not-wind-turbines.

Some quotes:

I was driving down the road when the sun was coming up one morning, and the sun hit the turbines and it was beautiful.

Some travellers see wind turbines as engineering marvels and symbols of energy independence.

Some see beauty in a sunset that makes the towers shine, or charm in a scene of a small house dwarfed by a turning blade.

Wind turbines are our new tourist attraction. We may as well make peace with them.

World’s Largest Wind Turbine

Impressive! See article here. They mention visitors. Anyone fancy a visit? :-)

67% of Brits favour local wind farms

More than two-thirds of UK citizens support building more wind farms in their immediate areas.

Read more at http://www.ewea.org/blog/2013/09/67-of-brits-favour-local-wind-farms

A green energy future

A team of University researchers have found that a large majority of the British public support moves to an efficient, clean, fair, and safe energy system but distrust remains a concern.

Transforming the UK energy system – public values, attitudes and acceptability brings together the findings from two in-depth phases of research carried out over a period of 30 months; a series of six in-depth deliberative workshops with members of the public held across England, Scotland and Wales, and a nationally representative survey of 2,441 members of the public.

Read the full article at http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/articles/a-green-energy-future-11372.html