Changing Places听 tells stories about greening Britain - intiatives by听individuals, local communities,听government or multi-national corporations that contribute to a sustainable future.
Wind Power and Birds
Friday听13 May
Chris Sperring and Dylan Winter (not in picture) investigate wind power and it's impact on birds and surroundings.
Wind turbines are being put up in the UK at a rate of knots as a source of renewable energy听and there are development plans for many further on-shore and off-shore wind farms.
Some consider wind turbines to have a negative impact on our surroundings: they can be noisy, viewed as eye sores and they can injure birds.
Chris Sperring went to Vestas Blades for Changing Places to find out more about the technology.
The Danish owned company has a large wind turbine blade manufacturing base on the Isle of Wight and currently produce blades 40 metres in length made out of Finnish beech and carbon fibre.
They are developing a 49 meter blade, which would make the diameter of the turbine a massive 100m.
Changing Places presenter Dylan Winter went to the British Ornithologist's Union (BOU)听Wind, Fire & water: Renewable Energy & Birds conference at Leicester University in early April 2005 to discover what biologists think about wind turbines.
Many of the natural history experts at the conference agreed that wind power was necessary, but placing the turbines in places where birds don't fly has to be the best way forward.
