christmasoompa

Just wondered if there was anybody else that worked in the wind or renewables energy industry on here? Looks as if we'll be heading over to Canada for hubby's new job which is in the wind industry and I was just wondering if we were alone!

Hope to hear from somebody, be nice to hear firsthand what the industry is like out there.

dbd33

We're interested in the wind industry to the extent of attending planning meetings to object to wind farms, cutting the wires from windmills, letting down the tyres of vehicles owned by people engaged in windmill maintenance, gentle protest stuff like that. We're not Monkey Wrench Gang type environmentalists and we don't shoot at wind farmers but we do try to make them unwelcome.

Steve_P

Grabs a bowl of popcorn, sits back and waits for the show to begin.

dbd33

Foreign wind mill erectors are, I reckon, about as welcome as foreign open pit miners.

Inse

Why?

christmasoompa

No show from me I'm afraid. Each to their own. The fact that my husband, who has only worked in the wind industry for only 1 1/2 years has already been offered 12 jobs over in Canada in that time (plus countless others all over the world including the UK/USA/South Africa/Oz etc) suggests to me that calling it a growing industry is somewhat of an understatement and therefore anybody who doesn't like it is just going to have to lump it! It's recruiting people like mad to meet targets and a huge industry now, growing every day. I know that he's encountered people that hate wind farms (every single one of them has been over the age of 40 or so interestingly enough - perhaps it's an age thing?) but personally I think they're beautiful - I remember driving through California and thinking they were stunning. I find them architecturally very pleasing and somewhat mesmirising and would much rather look at a wind farm than a huge concrete nuclear power station. And I have two young children, and for their sake, would rather the world tried at least to preserve what we've got.

But as I said, each to their own. Can't please everyone all time!

dbd33

They despoil the landscape and repatriate their profits. In the case of the wind people, profits that are derived from government subsidies (ie taxes) rather than from their product.

iaink

My great uncle has a wind farm at the end of his yorkshire farm. I guess like having a railway running through the back yard you would get used to it, but it certainly wasn't as quiet as a nuclear plant would have been!

The government subsidy / expatriated profit argument doesnt really wash in comparison with Nuclear and Fossil Fuel stations though...Nuclear is subsidised to the hilt and beyond, and all that oil and coal is mostly from overseas I suspect.

I like nuclear as a large output emmisions free strategy, but I'm not sure its economically viable on its own either once the waste disposal and decomissioning costs are factored in. 20 years ago at Uni large numbers of materials scientists were employed looking at containment systems for the waste. AFAIK they still are!

dbd33

I was indifferent but have been converted by partner, age 29, and my children, ages 26 and 23. Caring about the environment isn't exclusively something for old people.

christmasoompa

Not in all cases. Despoiling the landscape is a personal point of view, as I said earlier I think they're rather lovely.

And my husband works for a non for profit organisation so that doesn't apply to his company, or many others like his. I know there are commercial wind companies around but there are also lots that aren't so do bear that in mind before making sweeping statements.

dbd33

Photos of despoiled landscape to follow. It's not primarily the windmills themselves that are offensive but the pylons and cables dangling along the sides of the roads for miles and miles. Remember that nothing is buried here. That there should be such ugliness in order to generate neglible power solely in the interest of a tax break is quite sad.

Will your husband work for a non-profit in Canada? Are there such organisations.

Inse

Like you say, each to their own.
My opinion, for what it's worth, is that alternative energies should be encouraged. One day the oil will run out but, maybe more worrying for some, long before that it will become just too expensive to use.
Back in Ireland I was a builder of very energy efficient homes. My own place was built without the need for full central heating. Lots of insulation, triple glazed gas filled windows, ventilation with heat recovery, solar panels for hot water, solar pv panels along with a small wind turbine to generate some of our own electric. All in all it cost next to nothing to run the house and (says in a whiny voice) it was good for the enviroment.
We could see a windfarm close to our place and actually found it quite relaxing to sit out on the patio watching the blades slowly turning.
Been here now for 4 months and I'm surprised at how far behind the country is concerning energy efficiency. I know the newer houses are much better but I'm still a little puzzled by the apparent lack of, say solar panels, in my area where the amount of sunshine is quite high. It seems that, in general they are not even a consideration. Perhaps the government grants should be higher? as this was the factor the sparked of the use of sustainable energies in Ireland for Joe Public.
Anyway, time to get off the soapbox now (could be here all day else)
Any popcorn left Steve?

Inse

[QUOTE=dbd33;5769626]. It's not primarily the windmills themselves that are offensive but the pylons and cables dangling along the sides of the roads for miles and miles. Remember that nothing is buried here. That there should be such ugliness in order to generate neglible power solely in the interest of a tax break is quite sad.

Quite agree with that though

iaink

Historically the cost of oil has been so low here relative to Europe that little consideration was given to home heating efficiency, insulation etc. But of course that is changing now.

dbd33

I should say that I'm generally supportive of energy conservation and the use of alternative power sources. I just don't think the trade off entailed in the use of wind power; minimal power generation in return for cabling all over the place and the heavy use of oil trucking and flying windmills around, makes much sense. Nuclear power stations can be located in places already lost to humanity (Pickering for example) and the burying of the unspent fuel rods on reservations provides the native population with an income beyond gambling. Oh, and they can generate enough power to keep the lights on. They're a poor choice but a better one.