Gary's views

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

Wind Turbines

Janet and I drove down to Cornwall on Saturday passing the two sets of wind turbines just beyond Indian Queens. Are they spooky or what? There has been much media comment recently about public attitudes towards these eerie friends, and it seems clear that anyone living near them is against them, because of the visual impact, the incessant whining noise they produce and fears about damage to health.

But the hunt for viable alternative sources of energy must continue. It was sobering news last year to be told that our North Sea oil and gas reserves will have expired within ten years and that we will shortly become a net importer of energy once again. That may not sound too serious, but when most of our fuel will soon come from notoriously unstable parts of the world – the Middle East and the Caucasus – we could easily find ourselves held to ransom.

Of equal concern is the impact being done to our planet by the way we produce power today. I am not yet convinced by the arguments on global warming because of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere, but we can all see with our own eyes that climate change is up and running all around us. Our weather patterns are changing, even in the UK. This may just be one of those cyclical changes that have happened throughout history or it may be because of damage we are doing to the ozone layer. It would be wise to err on the side of caution.

So whether for strategic economic reasons or concern for the planet, we have to push on towards more of our energy being produced in an environment-friendly way. And there is no doubt that wind turbines are part of the answer. But do we want to see hundreds of wind turbines plastered all over Dartmoor or lining the A38? I think not.

The answer surely is to develop as quickly as possible the technology of putting more wind turbines out at sea, where the impact on the eye and ear is virtually nil. This technology is available and some progress has been made, but it is obviously more expensive than building them on-shore. I would like to see enhanced government grants and fiscal incentives to make these vital developments become a living reality now, rather than when it is already too late. What do you think? E-mail me on mail@garystreeter.co.uk

posted by Nigel on Monday, February 02, 2004