Eishken
Posted: Thursday, 04 October 2007 |
Comments
Moan, moan, moan...yawn, yawn, yawn... Wisen up the world is changing and we all have to do our bit if we want the power for our computers so that we can continue to blog...pitty the poor folk who have had to live under the cloud of an old type coal fired power station, or who live in the glow of a nuke station...there is not enough cake to go around anymore how bigger slice do you need ?
Off shore view from a global perspective
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming
Offshore View from an expedition looking for oil in the sahara
THIS IS NOT AN INEVITABILITY. I wonder if it's possible to consruct a wind factory by making numerous mini-applications? I wonder what the community benefit for this 16 turbine application will be? Will the benefit be small change in comparison to that being sought by the Developer? If the Comhairle lets this one through, will that set a Precedent that successive Developer Applicants will seek to enforce in the future? I reckon that if a tough stance is taken i.e everyone writing individual letters of objection to the planning department, then this one will fall by the wayside. However, if you leave it to 'someone else' to scribble the missives, you could be opening the floodgates to furture multi-applications. And the landscape on this beautiful island will be forever blighted. This is not an inevitability, so get writing folks !!!
sam the cat from stornoway
I was walking the hills where these 16 turbines are to be located yesterday, and I came back home seething. This is fantastic walking country, one of the undiscovered jewels of Lewis, and has great tourism potential. How dare one rich eejit ruin such an island asset purely for his own financial greed. And to be fair, the owner has made no bones that he is in this for the money. Ever wondered how much is involved? Well, a small 2MW community windfarm can generate at least 拢100k profit a year after all the development,maintenance, insurance, etc. is taken into account. This suggests that the latest planning application would make its owner 拢2.4 million a year - for sitting on his humf and watching the blades spin. Gives you some idea of how much his original schemes would make. (Incidentally, using similar back of the envelope maths on the huge Lewis Wind Power scheme, gives a profit to Amec over the lifetime of their windfarm of around 拢1 billion - before any economies of scale are taken into account). Might be worth pointing out to the Comhairle, though, that this new planning application for Eishken now has to consider the cumulative impact with the Pairc windfarm - unlike the original Beinn Mhor Power application, which was submitted before Pairc.
Padraig Puist from Lewis
Interesting to see the divergent views expressed in the comments. Shows the rift that these projects have caused in the island community. Another negative.
Arnish Lighthouse from Stornoway
"THIS IS NOT AN INEVITABILITY" Couldn't agree more with 'Sam the Cat'. The temptation is to think that as an individual objector, you're bobbing about on an ocean, on tides outwith your control. You wonder what effective paddle you can dip in the water. I agree that it's too important not to accept this application as an inevitablility. As Islanders our right to object is not merely nominal. I have personally spoken with seven of my friends today and we have each decided to write to the council with our individual letters of objection. I'd ask every one of you who visit this web page and who object to this vandalism of our Island to take 10 minutes this weekend to write a letter of objection to the council. A copy to your local councillor would not go amiss either as they're frequently asked how many letters of objection they've received. Here are some of initial ideas for valid grounds of objection: Visual Intrusion, Irreperable damage to the land, the SIZE of these turbines, what's in it for us VERSUS what's in it for them?,effect on tourism that we've spent years building up gradually, it could help other developments get in , 'by the back door', Combined or cumulative impact with the monstrosity that is the Pairc windfarm application, etc. Right, I'm away to write my letter.
Selling My Shares in SSE from Lochs
When did we all have a right to a view?
Flying Cat from looking at the house next door
I suggest you all get on your bikes and disconnect your electrical appliancies...Harris is admittedly a beautiful place as are so many places, I presume you don't use public transport to go walking there?...pehaps you are happy for our grandchildren to suffer the concequences of our carbon crazy world, or are you just jealous that somebody has to make a profit. Can you honestly swim against an ever rising tide of opinion that alternative energy is one of the few probable options we have to slow our part in climate change. A view is simply a view, the location wasn't chosen to screw up your short term out look but was based on constant wind velocities in the area and existing infrastructure...if the 'View' was such an important factor in the life of the indigenous people of Harris and Lewis surely nobody would be passing the pebble dash monstrosities that have over the last 30 years blighted the area...oh but I forget they are the cheaper option again...short term fix. As for the tourist industry been damaged, who visits the Islands without travelling by ferry or plane, we are all in this mess together...you want to offset your carbon footprint ? turn your TV off standby mode, change your light bulbs...stop popping down the shops in the car, turn your central heating off when you are not in the house,etc, etc...educate yourselves on the bigger picture and ignor the power barons wallet...then put pen to paper...hope you enjoy your cake. It's all just another case of not on my door step...poppycock.
Offshore View from stick in the mud, head in the sand
Brilliant, Offshore View!
Flying Cat from wishing I'd said all that...
Wow, Offshore View. Can I just remind you that alternative energy sources do not just consist of wind energy? Solar energy, wave- and tidal power? One of the reason why I am opposed to these massive windfarms is that the other sources are overlooked. Islay gets most of its power from a tidal generator at Port Charlotte. If someone is stuck in mud, it is those people that will only see windpower, to the exclusion of all other sources.
Arnish Lighthouse from Stornoway
The enthusiasm of Offshore View for saving the planet is most commendable. His grasp of the science involved is not. Thermal power stations are not the main source of global warming and, even if they were, Britain bears a small and declining share of the blame. Since 1990, our emissions of CO2 from these stations has been falling, due partly to gas-for-coal conversion (with fuel better usage rates) and the growing use of combined-cycle generation. It is motor vehicle emissions that are mainly to blame for gobal warming and, despite the big increase in the number of cars in Britain since 1990, I doubt whether their total CO2 output has increased. This is partly because of vastly improved fuel usage, but also because of the larger share in the total vehicle fleet of small modern cars producing less than 4 tons/yr of CO2 compared with old, large cars generating more than 16 tons a year. My brother in law in California has just bought a new car doing 16 miles to the gallon and churning out 24 tons/yr of CO2. He bought it because all his friends have got one, and he couldnt care less about global warming. You could ruin the most beautiful place place in Britain, if not the world, by covering every square inch of the Western Isles with wind turbines, and their effect on global warming would be wiped out in less than one day by my brother in law and his idiot friends. These wind farms will have NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT on the global warming problem.You should take your campaign to California, Offshore View, where you might do some good. One final question. If you have to ruin such a beautiful place to "save the planet", then why bother trying to save it.
Malkie from Glasgow
We now have a wind farm on what was a beautiful large bay (Goulais Bay) the local community does not benifit-our power is consently diverted to larger populations in the south and we are paying 30% more for the privilege.
Marth McKendrick from Lake Superior, Ontario Canada
Responding to Marth McKendrick from Lake Superior - I have property on south Batchawana Bay and now I hear that the power barons are not content with destroying Goulais Bay, they are now looking at the north Batchawana shore and all up the Heritage Coast to Montreal River. I am currently trying to get some answers from the local MNR district office and from Brookfield - I have a copy of the proposed developments - if you email me at lynda.bowyer@hotmail.com I will send the email I received from MNR to you.
Lynda Bowyer from Batchawana Bay
I have been in Lewis since late 2004 and am observing life on this fascinating island from an outsider's perspective. I look out at the lighthouse every day - as it looks out over the island and the sea. 
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