Thursday 16 July 2009

The March Of The Greens….

Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, announced yesterday that planning rules would be changed to make it easier for 6,000 onshore wind turbines to be built. Britain's "default position" would be to accept new onshore turbines, he said.
Because we’ve got to press forward with the big green con, or the public might start to realise that it is a con…

Still, good luck trying to hide it from them when their bills go up:
Government figures show that household energy bills could rise by up to £250 a year to pay for more renewable energy, although it claimed that efficiency measures would keep the increase down to £77 by 2020.

As part of the plans, motorists and air passengers were warned that they could face more "green" tax increases – although ministers refused to give details. And seven million homes would receive "green energy makeovers" to increase energy efficiency.
Ah, of course. The usual suspects victims. Motorists (Ministers have chauffeurs) and air passengers (Ministers get the public to pay their air fares).

And what houses are supposed to receive these ‘green makeovers’? Public housing?
Critics of turbines, which can be more than 300ft high, say they disfigure the landscape and cause noise. Some engineers also question whether they are efficient enough to be economically viable but Mr Miliband said people must come to accept wind farms as a necessary part of Britain's energy sector.
NuLabour in all its authoritarian glory – the people (who vote them in) must do as the politicians want, or else…
He said ministers would be sensitive to residents' concerns about turbines, but insisted: "They have to go somewhere."
Then I vote for them to go slap bang outside the house of every Minister and politician who voted for it. In the case of most of them, that’ll be ALL their houses.

And if that’s not enough, then we can move on to all those high profile green campaigners. Put your money where your mouth is, George Monbiot!

But it may all come to naught anyway. Like these other bold plans:
The government is expected to announce a scaled-down version of its grand plan to create up to 10 "eco towns".
Yet another of Brown’s ideas is quietly shelved once its usefulness – gaining headlines and green votes - has expired.

When are they going to do the same with the man himself?
But the zero-carbon developments - some earmarked on open countryside - have caused protests and a legal challenge.

The government is now likely to confirm a first wave of just three or four towns in areas with council support.
Note that: council support. Not the public’s support, but their local government lords and masters. Who may (or may not) have considered their views…
Opponents have included actress Judi Dench, author Jilly Cooper and former tennis star Tim Henman's father Tony Henman.

The Conservatives have also been critical of the way eco towns have been handled, but say they would not cancel schemes that enjoyed local support if they win the next election.
They need to clarify just what they mean by ‘local support’.

If they, too, consider that getting the council onside is all that needs to be done, they can think again…

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Critics of turbines, which can be more than 300ft high, say they disfigure the landscape and cause noise."

There is that and the bloody great hole that has to be dug to pour in 500 tonnes of concrete in as the support base, plus digging up the countryside to bury the cables to transport the leccy to the national grid.

Wind turbines are not, to borrow a ecoloon phrase, carbon neutral. The amount of energy expended in the manufacture of the turbine and all it's consituent parts far exceeds that which it can produce during its working life. When there's not enough wind they do not produce and when it is too windy they have to be switched off as the blades cannot take the strain and the motors burn out.

JuliaM said...

"Wind turbines are not, to borrow a ecoloon phrase, carbon neutral. The amount of energy expended in the manufacture of the turbine and all it's consituent parts far exceeds that which it can produce during its working life."

Ah, but those are facts that any rational person would, of course, take into account.

The gaia-worshippers don't care about that - wind turbines are just big fashion statements to them, saying 'I'm green and therefore good! In your face, Earth-rapers!'.

Dick Puddlecote said...

The classic one-sided equation again. Although, unlike with lifestyle choices, this time the benefits are highlighted and costs ignored.

wv = sessed (very apt if prefixed with ob)

Anonymous said...

I would be interested to see your supporting data. Cheers
Ben

Anonymous said...

I bought a 40k wind turbine 7 years ago and have just broken even after costs. I bought it through my sip so it cost considerbly less. I then installed an air compressor to convert excess wind to compressed gas then rigged a genoestor to it to smooth out poor wind periods the rest I sell to he grid. One of my better investments. Hoping soon to by a CAT car for seriously cheep motoring not what I would call a totally bad investment.