Author: simon
Cheverton Down: Island’s First Big Wind Farm Site? (Podcast)
Wednesday, 4th June, 2008 at 1:38 pm, Isle of Wight
We bumped into David Pugh, leader of the IW Council, at the Big Green Picnic and grabbed an interview with him, covering quite a few different subjects, not surprisingly with a lot of discussion centering on green/eco issues.
Inevitably wind farms came up.
Wind Farms On The Island
The fact that the blades for wind turbines are produced on the Island by Vesta, but there are no wind farms on the Island is widely noted, and indeed got one of the strongest reactions from the audience at the Eco Island Conference.
An application to build one at Wellow was turned down at appeal about a year ago.
Cheverton Down: Change to a larger win turbine?
David Pugh revealed that there was currently planning permission for three small wind turbines at Cheverton Down, between Brighstone and Shorwell.
Where the discussion got even more interesting, was where he spoke about possibly altering the current planning permission to allow for a large wind turbine site.
From what David Pugh said, it looks like there will be Wind Farms coming to the Island, “I’ve made it quite clear, if we’re to be a Eco-Island, we have to have some on-shore Wind turbines.”
He knows that it’s not going to be an easy ride, saying he, “realises that it will involve some difficult decisions of where we place them.”
He stated that his approach was to “need to look at it as if we were cut off from the mainland,” questioning where the power would come from.
David Pugh raised the spectre of a nuclear reactor on the Wight, which could make it more a glowing green Island than green Island, “Do we want a Nuclear powerstation as was proposed for Newtown a few decades ago or wind turbines up on the hills?”
It’s clearly not as stark a decision as that, but it does draw attention.
Have a listen to the interview for yourself …
We faded out the end of the interview as it trailed into discussions about schools.
THWART - Wellow Wind Farm
Yes2Wind - Cheverton Down
Cornwall Light & Power Company
1st Image: Benleto’s Photos
2nd Image: .Martin.
Environment, Green Issues, Island-wide, South Wight, podcast
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June 4th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
“The fluctuations caused by non-firm generation of electricity from wind turbines are not noticeable above the normal rises and falls in demand on the system. In fact, it is possible to have up to 10% of the country’s needs met by intermittent energy sources such as wind”
is a direct quote from the BWEA site
“At present the National Grid can be operated effectively and economically with up to 20 per cent of the electricity capacity being provided by variable energy sources such as wind.”
is a direct quote taken from the YES2WIND site.
Come on people! At least start singing from the same hymn sheet instead of making stuff up!
Which is it? 10? or 20?
It is the least effective form of energy there is.
If we’re gonna do it, lets use the only reliable source….tidal turbines. Tide comes in..tide goes out. Not brain surgery is it?
June 6th, 2008 at 8:33 am
[...] on the Wight, we’ve been in touch with Cornwall Light & Power who own the site on Cheverton Down with the current wind turbine planning permission on [...]
June 27th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
The figure varying between 10 and 20 per cent is not really the issue. The fact is that in a windy place - the Isle of Wight - these turbines could easily produce 10% of our electricity. Three turbines near Stanley on the Falkland Islands have led to a reduction in diesel use of their power station of 20%.
In the future we can have tidal turbines, once funding is made available and issues such as hazards to shipping are sorted out.
Oil and gas prices are rising and Climate Change is happening – we do not have the luxury of time being on our side.
Yes to the turbines at Cheverton!
June 27th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
The Footprint Trust is urging individuals, businesses, councillors and community groups to back the proposed wind farm at Cheverton Down. At the charity’s AGM its advisory group and board further committed the organisation to support wind and other renewables. The educational organisation will seek to counteract inaccurate and misleading information being circulated against wind technology.
Ray Harrington-Vail, the organisation’s general manager said, ‘We do not have the luxury of time being on our side to wait for other forms of renewable energy such as tidal current turbines…we need to use wind power now…and other renewables as the technology becomes available..”
“Soaring oil prices and thus fuel prices will continue to be the norm. The days of cheap energy, something we have enjoyed for the past 50 years, is now history. 50% of all the world’s oil has now been used up – the remaining 50% will be far more difficult and costly to extract, and will be used up so much quicker. As oil becomes a scarce commodity its price will climb…no amount of fuel protests will change that fact…”
“The Isle of Wight is almost completely dependent on imported fuel from further-a-field. Even with the new gasification plant, we will only make a small contribution to the National Grid.”
“Power Stations are often sited a fair distance from where the energy is needed. This means that a percentage of electricity is ‘lost’ in transmission and nearly all the thermal energy is lost (in the region of 60-70% of the energy in the fuel). Producing electricity nearer to home is the ideal if we are to reduce waste of energy and use the waste thermal energy heating commercial or domestic premises.”
“The biggest threat to the Isle of Wight is not a few wind turbines but climate change – which could see parts the Island’s unique landscape being lost to rising sea levels within the next 75 years.”
“The Isle of Wight is an ideal site for a nuclear power station and people need to bare that in mind when opposing renewable energy options for the Island…”
“These graceful wind turbines are a welcome sight in the ever-changing landscape of the countryside. They offer a vision of the future – one in which we harness natures energy. They are an opportunity for investment, diversity and enterprise for rural landowners, whilst only taking up a small amount of land.”
The Footprint Trust was set up to look for ways of reducing the Isle of Wight’s ecological footprint, and supports energy conservation, reducing dependency on fossil fuels and increased use of renewable energy.
June 27th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
“We faded out the end of the interview as it trailed into discussions about schools”
Shame! I’d love to ask him how he squares his ‘eco-island’ project with the additional (and longer) bus journeys shortly to be imposed on pupils as a result of his reforms! Also, if he’s trying to get people out of their cars, why the hideously expensive PFI project to make their use easier?
As I duck below the parapet, I should add that I don’t believe that we created climate change. The climate has been changing since it was invented, and I’m old enough to remember the big ‘global cooling’ scare of the 70’s (also when there was an oil crisis, funnily enough). Now it’s become a fast moving gravy train for researchers, PR men and politicians, none of whom now have the nerve to jump off. More here: http://tinyurl.com/4b7×8u
June 27th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
@ James - it just so happens that we do have his view on that subject. Coming soon on VB. Keep your eyes peeled.
June 27th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I look forward to it, although I anticipate the usual weasel words about all the schools being within 2 miles (although not necessarily the one you want to go to), how everyone should catch the bus (which appear to be duplicated on some routes, due to administrative cock-ups), and how wonderful life will be on planet Pugh, where the aerobatic pigs are ready for take-off…
Cynical, moi?
June 27th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
“The figure varying between 10 and 20 per cent is not really the issue.”
Yes it is. It is precisely the issue because those whose future depend on convincing the rest of us that “we” are to blame for all this, cannot even agree on basic percentages.
They then quote unprovable “statistics” which the gullible then believe as fact.
“Rising sea levels” are predicted at anything between 3 to 25 metres.
Which is it to be 3 or 25? Make your mind up.
“Graceful” wind turbines have to be switched off if the wind exceeds a certain M.P.H. and will not work if there is no wind at all.
“50% of all the world’s oil has now been used up”
Where does this “statistic” come from? BP? Shell?
“which could see parts the Island’s unique landscape being lost to rising sea levels within the next 75 years.”
Places like Blackgang and Luccombe have been subject to soil erosion and disappearing into the sea for hundreds of years, but if we embrace wind turbines,… it will stop?
If you believe that you should really get out more.
James P, do not duck below the parapet. That is what these people bank on. Fear!
It has become very fashionable to prophesy untold doom whilst earning a living or gaining funding by doing so.
The next time we are enduring a force 10, disrupting shipping, fallen trees, etc., ask yourself, are these charlatans a serious threat to take on mother nature with their sound bites?
June 30th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
What’s up Ray, cat got your tongue?
June 30th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
“50% of all the world’s oil has now been used up – the remaining 50% will be far more difficult and costly to extract”
That sounds like a non-sequitur to me. Iraq has 112bn barrels ready and waiting (so now you know what the war was really about) and several other major producers have enough to maintain current production levels for over 100 years.
Clearly, demand is now affecting price, so we need to get used to paying rather more, but I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. Anything that encourages local production and discourages the unnecessary transport of food and livestock around the world is fine by me, but we still have time to develop some sensible green alternatives, i.e. things that are not quite so weather-dependent as windmills!
July 1st, 2008 at 11:22 am
[...] You can read more about the proposed wind farm at Cheverton Down on Ventnor Blog [...]
July 1st, 2008 at 11:46 am
Wind and tide are one of the few abundant natural resources this Island has available. Scotland will generate 40% of it’s energy from renewables in a couple of years time. The technical challenges have been overcome. We should encourage and not challenge development of renewables here on environmental and economic grounds.
There may be plenty of oil left, but we have to be around to use it….
July 1st, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I was discussing these issues with a few of our younger residents on Saturday and it was very refreshing to hear their scepticism of these “statistics” produced by those with vested interests.
One of them did however say to me “If your generation didn’t fly everywhere, things would not be as bad.”
I gently reminded him that, according to OFFICIAL Directgov stats, the UK is responsible for just under 2% of the worlds CO2 emissions.
Air travel in the UK is responsible for 6.3% of all UK emissions, or put another way..0.126 of 1%.
His face was a picture. Slam dunk!
July 24th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Wind farms are marvellous. They’re graceful and dignified, they look fantastic, they’re one of those things like waves that you can’t take your eyes off, they leave a very small footprint, and once they’re in all the electricity they produce is free. OK, so you have to recoup your investment, but with energy prices going up all the time that will be a shorter period than we might expect. I say put them up and enjoy them, and be the envy of all those elsewhere paying more and more for resources that are going to be scarcer and scarcer. People who talk about how much oil there is are forgetting that China and India’s needs for oil are growing at something like 30% per year. I’d rather not have to fight them for it.
October 2nd, 2008 (2 weeks ago) at 12:22 pm
For some reason I have missed seeing the details of the planned Cheverton Down installation. Please remind me folks, what was the route of the necessary pylons? I doubt the output could ever be clipped on to the existing supply - far too many amps involved surely.
And what was the “Capacity Factor” quoted - its usually hidden in the small print? That’s the actual output they expect to get instead of the up-front salesman’s figure which refers to an ideal circumstance of what would be produced if the wind blew at above Force 5 and below Force 10 without variation. To the best of my knowledge, in this country a figure above 30% of the ideal has never been achieved yet. In addition the capacity factor may not include down time for maintenance and repair. These machines are not always that reliable : I have read that a Thames estuary installation has needed much repairing.
As for some people trying to scare us about a Newtown atomic powerstation, I think that idea is a total non-starter. Newtown is a notorious area for subsidence and the last thing you want in an atomic power station is cracked foundations! Not that proximity to such a power station worries anyone on the Island presently - we all know that there are several just seventy miles down wind of us in France.