Wave generators
Posted: Tuesday, 14 March 2006 |
4 comments |
Awoke this morning to the sight of a large ship (no, this is not Boats-3) alongside the Arnish Fabrication Yard, ready to take the three wave generators away that have been manufactured for Portugal. According to Radio Scotland, the Portuguese have an option on another 30 or so.
These things are a darn sight less intrusive than those 234 windturbines they have been threatening us with, out here in Lewis. They just float in the water, and the movement of the joints between the elements generates electricity. Now, I have a local advocate of the windfarms on record as saying that they should have gone for wave and tidal energy when the various causeways were put in. I assume he is referring to the dams linking Eriskay to South Uist and Berneray to North Uist. That's all fine and dandy, but where is the electricity going to go?
The entire idea behind turning the Western and Northern Isles into a breeding ground for renewable energy contraptions is to generate power for the Scottish Central Belt and other industrial areas within the UK. In order to do so we need an interconnector. That is a heavy-duty powercable, for the un-initiated in gobbledegook. This is supposed to go from Lewis to Ullapool, from where an overhead powerline will traverse the 200 miles to Stirling. All to the detriment of the countryside. There was also talk of an interconnector all the way down to Hunterston in Ayrshire. If we're talking un-intrusive energy supplies, why don't we tap into AMEC's colossal profits and let them cough up the 拢1bn required for the cable to Hunterston? Give or take a few hundred million.
I think it would be a lot better if we just scrap the entire windfarm idea as it stands (209 turbines on the West Side + 133 turbines in Eishken), and go for wave and tidal power. Oh, the blessings of simplicity...
Posted on Arnish Lighthouse at 11:30
Comments
I think you're mistaken. The crane is in fact lifting Chrissie Mary on to dry land after a heavy weekend's partying on Skye. Annie B will keep us right on the matter.
calumadmiral from Murray Mews Ness
I was interested to see your blog topic reported on breakfast TV this morning. Are the 成人快手 using us a free reporters for their stories?
Backie from Westray
Backie, it would appear I beat them by a day LOL. Have a look at the IBHQ blog as well. My views over bacon and eggs every morning appear to be very interesting to Auntie Beeb!
Arnish Lighthouse from Stornoway
Forget wind power? No chance. According one of our local papers, a 3 turbine development in the West Mainland will have a capital cost of around 拢750 000, and a revenue stream of 拢300 000 per annum. With these sort of returns it is hardly surprising that those with the land and the means want to turn the landscape into a pincushion. The high subsidies also mean we will have to pay by higher power charges - someone has to foot the bill for subsidies.
hrossey from Mainland Orkney
This blog is now closed and we are no longer accepting new posts.