Alan Stainer

Tech head through and through.

UK switches on the world’s largest wind turbines

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UK switches on the world’s largest wind turbines

According to this a single revolution of the turbine can power a home for 29 hours. That’s pretty amazing.

Originally shared by Engadget

UK switches on the world’s largest wind turbines http://engt.co/2q5ZHFV

http://engt.co/2q5ZHFV

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Liam Duncan says

    I am a supporter of British Green power. I live in England UK ! Question what is a house for 29 hours 4 Bedrooms 2 beds or 3 beds could be a one bed house if it is in the UK so please talk British English not Danish American it gives a false impression of Greens.

  5. Liam Duncan says

    I am a supporter of British Green power. I live in England UK ! Question what is a house for 29 hours 4 Bedrooms 2 beds or 3 beds could be a one bed house if it is in the UK so please talk British English not Danish American it gives a false impression of Greens.

  6. Liam Duncan says

    I am a supporter of British Green power. I live in England UK ! Question what is a house for 29 hours 4 Bedrooms 2 beds or 3 beds could be a one bed house if it is in the UK so please talk British English not Danish American it gives a false impression of Greens.

  7. Alan Stainer says

    Liam Duncan that’s a good question. I am in England as well and have seen some of the shoe boxes they expect people to live in. What is the average considered over here?

  8. Alan Stainer says

    Liam Duncan that’s a good question. I am in England as well and have seen some of the shoe boxes they expect people to live in. What is the average considered over here?

  9. Alan Stainer says

    Liam Duncan that’s a good question. I am in England as well and have seen some of the shoe boxes they expect people to live in. What is the average considered over here?

  10. Julian Bond says

    195m tower. 80m blades. 8MW rated power per turbine.

    I wonder how many birds per hour this will kill. /s Seriously, I think the “turbines kill bird life” has been vastly overstated. But it’s damn hard to find credible studies and research.

  11. Julian Bond says

    195m tower. 80m blades. 8MW rated power per turbine.

    I wonder how many birds per hour this will kill. /s Seriously, I think the “turbines kill bird life” has been vastly overstated. But it’s damn hard to find credible studies and research.

  12. Julian Bond says

    195m tower. 80m blades. 8MW rated power per turbine.

    I wonder how many birds per hour this will kill. /s Seriously, I think the “turbines kill bird life” has been vastly overstated. But it’s damn hard to find credible studies and research.

  22. Per Siden says

    Julian Bond​ there are quite a lot of studies and estimates, and while they do show there are problems with wind power, they also show the industry and governments are learning and working to reduce bird and bat deaths. Surprisingly simple measures are having a great impact.

    Even if the studies vary slightly in their estimates, they make it very clear that to birds wind power is a very small problem compared to other issues. Pollution from coal is by far killing the most birds, and other factors, such as windows and glass buildings, traffic, power lines, and domestic cats, are also magnitudes worse than wind turbines.

  23. Per Siden says

    Julian Bond​ there are quite a lot of studies and estimates, and while they do show there are problems with wind power, they also show the industry and governments are learning and working to reduce bird and bat deaths. Surprisingly simple measures are having a great impact.

    Even if the studies vary slightly in their estimates, they make it very clear that to birds wind power is a very small problem compared to other issues. Pollution from coal is by far killing the most birds, and other factors, such as windows and glass buildings, traffic, power lines, and domestic cats, are also magnitudes worse than wind turbines.

  24. Per Siden says

    Julian Bond​ there are quite a lot of studies and estimates, and while they do show there are problems with wind power, they also show the industry and governments are learning and working to reduce bird and bat deaths. Surprisingly simple measures are having a great impact.

    Even if the studies vary slightly in their estimates, they make it very clear that to birds wind power is a very small problem compared to other issues. Pollution from coal is by far killing the most birds, and other factors, such as windows and glass buildings, traffic, power lines, and domestic cats, are also magnitudes worse than wind turbines.

  25. Julian Bond says

    Per Siden When I said hard to find, this is what I’m talking about. That news report is almost content free. But it does link to this report.

    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320713003522

    That’s a meta study that points out how wide and uncertain the numbers are. And it’s about on-shore US wind turbines where the article above is about off-shore UK turbines.

    At this point see also https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/20/scotland-birds-at-risk-windfarms-gannets-kittiwakes-puffins about objections to an off shore turbine array in Scotland from the UK RSPB.

    I tend to agree that turbines are much much less of a problem than windows, coal, cats or many other things. I have this sneaking suspicion that they’re not a problem * at all *. But like I say more or less scientific proof of that from reputable, believable sources is very hard to come by.

  26. Julian Bond says

    Per Siden When I said hard to find, this is what I’m talking about. That news report is almost content free. But it does link to this report.

    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320713003522

    That’s a meta study that points out how wide and uncertain the numbers are. And it’s about on-shore US wind turbines where the article above is about off-shore UK turbines.

    At this point see also https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/20/scotland-birds-at-risk-windfarms-gannets-kittiwakes-puffins about objections to an off shore turbine array in Scotland from the UK RSPB.

    I tend to agree that turbines are much much less of a problem than windows, coal, cats or many other things. I have this sneaking suspicion that they’re not a problem * at all *. But like I say more or less scientific proof of that from reputable, believable sources is very hard to come by.

  27. Julian Bond says

    Per Siden When I said hard to find, this is what I’m talking about. That news report is almost content free. But it does link to this report.

    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320713003522

    That’s a meta study that points out how wide and uncertain the numbers are. And it’s about on-shore US wind turbines where the article above is about off-shore UK turbines.

    At this point see also https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/20/scotland-birds-at-risk-windfarms-gannets-kittiwakes-puffins about objections to an off shore turbine array in Scotland from the UK RSPB.

    I tend to agree that turbines are much much less of a problem than windows, coal, cats or many other things. I have this sneaking suspicion that they’re not a problem * at all *. But like I say more or less scientific proof of that from reputable, believable sources is very hard to come by.

  31. Alan Stainer says

    I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that more birds are killed by automobiles than wind turbines. As far as arguments against wind turbines go, it is ‘an’ argument, but it has by no means been proven to be a ‘good’ argument. It’s the sort of thing the oil and gas lobby throw out into the stratosphere to confuse the public, like when they said that electric cars were more polluting than diesel, because of the particulates coming off of the tyres due to the car’s weight…

  32. Alan Stainer says

    I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that more birds are killed by automobiles than wind turbines. As far as arguments against wind turbines go, it is ‘an’ argument, but it has by no means been proven to be a ‘good’ argument. It’s the sort of thing the oil and gas lobby throw out into the stratosphere to confuse the public, like when they said that electric cars were more polluting than diesel, because of the particulates coming off of the tyres due to the car’s weight…

  33. Alan Stainer says

    I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that more birds are killed by automobiles than wind turbines. As far as arguments against wind turbines go, it is ‘an’ argument, but it has by no means been proven to be a ‘good’ argument. It’s the sort of thing the oil and gas lobby throw out into the stratosphere to confuse the public, like when they said that electric cars were more polluting than diesel, because of the particulates coming off of the tyres due to the car’s weight…

  37. Francis Anderson says

    The argument isn’t “let’s adopt the perfect energy solution” .. that doesn’t exist. It’s the comparison of impact across the board, and in that respect wind power is a vital part of the energy mix along with other renewables and research and development in power storage which without, we’ll have to always have some form of non renewable to deal with peaks and troffs.

    It’s a great step in the right direction, it’s a shame we (the UK) don’t have a government that supports it.

  38. Francis Anderson says

    The argument isn’t “let’s adopt the perfect energy solution” .. that doesn’t exist. It’s the comparison of impact across the board, and in that respect wind power is a vital part of the energy mix along with other renewables and research and development in power storage which without, we’ll have to always have some form of non renewable to deal with peaks and troffs.

    It’s a great step in the right direction, it’s a shame we (the UK) don’t have a government that supports it.

  39. Francis Anderson says

    The argument isn’t “let’s adopt the perfect energy solution” .. that doesn’t exist. It’s the comparison of impact across the board, and in that respect wind power is a vital part of the energy mix along with other renewables and research and development in power storage which without, we’ll have to always have some form of non renewable to deal with peaks and troffs.

    It’s a great step in the right direction, it’s a shame we (the UK) don’t have a government that supports it.

  40. TheShreester says

    Julian Bond​​​​​ Plant a tree for every turbine built :-)

    Seriously though, if it’s really a problem, perhaps there could be a way to deter birds from coming too near? (E.g. High frequency sound or something that effects their magnetic compass…)

    Bird deaths (presumably via collisions) shouldn’t be a reason not to build turbines but to work with ornithologists to innovate a solution somehow by thinking laterally.

    As an aside I think it’s strangely hypocritical to care about seagull deaths yet happily farm chickens!

  41. TheShreester says

    Julian Bond​​​​​ Plant a tree for every turbine built :-)

    Seriously though, if it’s really a problem, perhaps there could be a way to deter birds from coming too near? (E.g. High frequency sound or something that effects their magnetic compass…)

    Bird deaths (presumably via collisions) shouldn’t be a reason not to build turbines but to work with ornithologists to innovate a solution somehow by thinking laterally.

    As an aside I think it’s strangely hypocritical to care about seagull deaths yet happily farm chickens!

  42. TheShreester says

    Julian Bond​​​​​ Plant a tree for every turbine built :-)

    Seriously though, if it’s really a problem, perhaps there could be a way to deter birds from coming too near? (E.g. High frequency sound or something that effects their magnetic compass…)

    Bird deaths (presumably via collisions) shouldn’t be a reason not to build turbines but to work with ornithologists to innovate a solution somehow by thinking laterally.

    As an aside I think it’s strangely hypocritical to care about seagull deaths yet happily farm chickens!

  43. mongkol chegwang says

    ข้อดีคือ เราได้พลังงานสอาดและกำจัดนก

    ข้อเสียคือ เราไม่ศึกษาว่า นกบินสูงกว่ากังหันลม แต่ชอบกังหันลม

  44. mongkol chegwang says

    ข้อดีคือ เราได้พลังงานสอาดและกำจัดนก

    ข้อเสียคือ เราไม่ศึกษาว่า นกบินสูงกว่ากังหันลม แต่ชอบกังหันลม

  45. mongkol chegwang says

    ข้อดีคือ เราได้พลังงานสอาดและกำจัดนก

    ข้อเสียคือ เราไม่ศึกษาว่า นกบินสูงกว่ากังหันลม แต่ชอบกังหันลม

  49. Per Siden says

    TheShreester​​​​​​ I’ve been following Swedish official studies on the effect of wind plants on birds and bats. The conclusion so far is that wind turbines are a more severe problem for bats than for birds, but in both cases there are effective remedies.

    The main finding is that it’s important to survey areas properly before selecting sites for wind farms. You wouldn’t want eagles, king fishers or other rare predator birds to be affected, so better avoid locations where they nest for example. Knowing the habitat also means type and operation mode of wind turbines can be chosen accordingly. For example, in areas with bats it appears that idling the turbines when the wind is particularly weak, during a certain month of the year, almost entirely eliminate the problem of killing bats.

    The newer generation of larger, slower turning, turbines appear to be much less dangerous to birds than the older, smaller ones, with blades that turn faster. This is good news, because turbines are getting bigger all the time. There are also indications that painting the turbines in different colors may be effective, but those tests are still in progress. Another test in progress is deterring sounds whenever large birds are approaching.

    Also promising is that it appears that after a couple of years migrating birds learn to avoid offshore wind parks that have been constructed in their regular flight paths.

    There’s more to be done, but clearly avoiding locations where large predator birds nest, and sites with lots of bats, seem to be most important, and luckily it’s also a simple remedy. Following up new wind farms, and adapting the operation if there are bird casualties appears​ to be a good remedy.

    We learn, all the time, and improve.

  50. Per Siden says

    TheShreester​​​​​​ I’ve been following Swedish official studies on the effect of wind plants on birds and bats. The conclusion so far is that wind turbines are a more severe problem for bats than for birds, but in both cases there are effective remedies.

    The main finding is that it’s important to survey areas properly before selecting sites for wind farms. You wouldn’t want eagles, king fishers or other rare predator birds to be affected, so better avoid locations where they nest for example. Knowing the habitat also means type and operation mode of wind turbines can be chosen accordingly. For example, in areas with bats it appears that idling the turbines when the wind is particularly weak, during a certain month of the year, almost entirely eliminate the problem of killing bats.

    The newer generation of larger, slower turning, turbines appear to be much less dangerous to birds than the older, smaller ones, with blades that turn faster. This is good news, because turbines are getting bigger all the time. There are also indications that painting the turbines in different colors may be effective, but those tests are still in progress. Another test in progress is deterring sounds whenever large birds are approaching.

    Also promising is that it appears that after a couple of years migrating birds learn to avoid offshore wind parks that have been constructed in their regular flight paths.

    There’s more to be done, but clearly avoiding locations where large predator birds nest, and sites with lots of bats, seem to be most important, and luckily it’s also a simple remedy. Following up new wind farms, and adapting the operation if there are bird casualties appears​ to be a good remedy.

    We learn, all the time, and improve.

  51. Per Siden says

    TheShreester​​​​​​ I’ve been following Swedish official studies on the effect of wind plants on birds and bats. The conclusion so far is that wind turbines are a more severe problem for bats than for birds, but in both cases there are effective remedies.

    The main finding is that it’s important to survey areas properly before selecting sites for wind farms. You wouldn’t want eagles, king fishers or other rare predator birds to be affected, so better avoid locations where they nest for example. Knowing the habitat also means type and operation mode of wind turbines can be chosen accordingly. For example, in areas with bats it appears that idling the turbines when the wind is particularly weak, during a certain month of the year, almost entirely eliminate the problem of killing bats.

    The newer generation of larger, slower turning, turbines appear to be much less dangerous to birds than the older, smaller ones, with blades that turn faster. This is good news, because turbines are getting bigger all the time. There are also indications that painting the turbines in different colors may be effective, but those tests are still in progress. Another test in progress is deterring sounds whenever large birds are approaching.

    Also promising is that it appears that after a couple of years migrating birds learn to avoid offshore wind parks that have been constructed in their regular flight paths.

    There’s more to be done, but clearly avoiding locations where large predator birds nest, and sites with lots of bats, seem to be most important, and luckily it’s also a simple remedy. Following up new wind farms, and adapting the operation if there are bird casualties appears​ to be a good remedy.

    We learn, all the time, and improve.

  52. mongkol chegwang says

    Francis Anderson ขอบคุณนะครับกับข้อมูลดีๆ

    แต่บางที สายพัฒนาการ และ วิวัฒน์นาการ ก็สวนทางกัน ครับ!

  53. mongkol chegwang says

    Francis Anderson ขอบคุณนะครับกับข้อมูลดีๆ

    แต่บางที สายพัฒนาการ และ วิวัฒน์นาการ ก็สวนทางกัน ครับ!

  54. mongkol chegwang says

    Francis Anderson ขอบคุณนะครับกับข้อมูลดีๆ

    แต่บางที สายพัฒนาการ และ วิวัฒน์นาการ ก็สวนทางกัน ครับ!

  55. mongkol chegwang says

    Per Siden

    ขอบคุณนะครับ ที่มีการศึกษาและวิจัย ปัญหาใดๆย่อมเกิดผลกระทบ ครับผ้ม การแก้ปัญหาคือหนทางในการพัฒนา และ “ขอโทษนะครับ” ที่ใช้ภาษาไทย(Thailand’s)

    ขอบคุณนะครับ ยินดีที่ได้พูดคุย!

  56. mongkol chegwang says

    Per Siden

    ขอบคุณนะครับ ที่มีการศึกษาและวิจัย ปัญหาใดๆย่อมเกิดผลกระทบ ครับผ้ม การแก้ปัญหาคือหนทางในการพัฒนา และ “ขอโทษนะครับ” ที่ใช้ภาษาไทย(Thailand’s)

    ขอบคุณนะครับ ยินดีที่ได้พูดคุย!

  57. mongkol chegwang says

    Per Siden

    ขอบคุณนะครับ ที่มีการศึกษาและวิจัย ปัญหาใดๆย่อมเกิดผลกระทบ ครับผ้ม การแก้ปัญหาคือหนทางในการพัฒนา และ “ขอโทษนะครับ” ที่ใช้ภาษาไทย(Thailand’s)

    ขอบคุณนะครับ ยินดีที่ได้พูดคุย!

  61. Caz Mclaughlin says

    When all is said and done a lot is being said but how much is being DONE? I am enjoying this discussion and the data being put forward. Unfortunately, birds and wildlife have already suffered the fate of land clearing and loss of habitat. Yes, we do need to think about the numbers left and how to go about protecting them. As usual, it is often too late for many species in the grand scheme of the web of life.

  62. Caz Mclaughlin says

    When all is said and done a lot is being said but how much is being DONE? I am enjoying this discussion and the data being put forward. Unfortunately, birds and wildlife have already suffered the fate of land clearing and loss of habitat. Yes, we do need to think about the numbers left and how to go about protecting them. As usual, it is often too late for many species in the grand scheme of the web of life.

  63. Caz Mclaughlin says

    When all is said and done a lot is being said but how much is being DONE? I am enjoying this discussion and the data being put forward. Unfortunately, birds and wildlife have already suffered the fate of land clearing and loss of habitat. Yes, we do need to think about the numbers left and how to go about protecting them. As usual, it is often too late for many species in the grand scheme of the web of life.

  64. Hernan Capati says

    Don’t worry about the birds. They’ll learn to avoid that wind turbine fàrm. What’s important is the good thing that this wind turbines will do to nature and human beings.

  65. Hernan Capati says

    Don’t worry about the birds. They’ll learn to avoid that wind turbine fàrm. What’s important is the good thing that this wind turbines will do to nature and human beings.

  66. Hernan Capati says

    Don’t worry about the birds. They’ll learn to avoid that wind turbine fàrm. What’s important is the good thing that this wind turbines will do to nature and human beings.