Crosby Sands (Again)

[poliphilo]

One more photo of Crosby sands, featuring, not the iron men but that sticky-up thing (whatever it is) and the off-shore wind farm.



I love wind farms. I think they're awesomely beautiful. People love old-style wind-mills- and what's the difference- except that modern wind turbines are so much more elegant? I've read that wind farms will never supply all our energy needs- but why not, if we build enough of them?

Comments

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

Well, for one thing, they are hell on birds. And they are noisy.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

But no-one can hear them if they're out at sea.

I'm sorry about the birds. I'm very fond of birds.

[daisytells.livejournal.com]

Birds have adapted to the noise of city traffic, smog and other pollution. In my city we have wild ducks, swans,seagulls,falcons, and hawks, as well as an occasional bald eagle or two. Certain songbird species, such as cardinals now winter over in Boston. We also have jet aircraft and helicopters galore that carry patients to the Massachusetts General Hospital, not to mention the constant sirens of police, fire and ambulance crews. The birds do not seem to mind a bit.
I do not think that birds will mind the noise of wind generators too much. I do think that boaters might find them somewhat inconvenient, though.

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

It's not the noise of the wind turbines, it's the turning of the wind turbines. If they are in a migration path, they'll literally chew up a flock of birds.

[nostoi.livejournal.com]

This study seems to allay fears in that direction:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4072756.stm

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

This is really interesting! I know almost nothing of offshore wind farms--I don't know of any in the US. I've seen several on land, and I know that one in California had a lot of problems with birds.

I live in an area that gets more than 300 sunny days per year, so solar is a much more logical thing for us; I haven't looked much into wind energy.

[saare-snowqueen.livejournal.com]

We have a lot of wind-mills here on Saaremaa and the island is also a major resting stop on the migration path of thousands of birds and we have seen no great incidence of birds harmed by the turbines. They learn to avoid them.