B & Q wind turbines ?

[Richard]

What a bloody laugh.

Just been doing a few calculations on those bloody B & Q wind turbine things, I reckon that by the time they have paid for themselves, the bearings will have gone and the unit will be shafted. So for all your troubles you will end up with a free scrap wind turbine, which ironically will have created roughly the same amount of carbon emissions in its production and subsequent disposal, as it saves by coming into existence. Its enough to make you want to roll about on the bloody floor laughing, you may as well get one of those kiddies windmills from the seaside and stick it on your roof, the effect on your wallet will be pretty much the same.

[PeTe33]

I was laughing a lot when I looked at them and their output of 500w at a windspeed of 12m/s !

We are exposed to the full force of the S/W winds up the Severn and even over the last few weeks the average speed has been hovering around 2 - 3 m/s so not really worth the hassle for such a small output IMHO

[Broadback]

I hate these wind turbines with all my heart. How they can be called environmentally friendly I do not know. The are a blot on the landscape and noisy. Also the amount of power they generate is pathetic, only those in Scotland get anywhere near the 30% the government forecast, and the loss to transfer the power wipes that advantage out.

[Mary Fisher]

LOL! While you're busy hating those you'll not be wasting your energies hating other things :-)

Mary

[Guy King]

The message from Broadback contains these words:

I think they look rather nice, and having camped and walked near them I've never noticed them being much noisier than the wind that's powering them when up close - further away they're inaudible.

[Mary Fisher]

I agree wholeheartedly, for the large ones. I thought the OP was talking about the small, 'domestic' sized ones. I've never seen one in action. A supplier told us that our situation wasn't suitable, too much turbulence from other buildings and trees.

Mary

[HLAH]

I'm thinking about marketing ones with empty shells and no control gear at a much lower cost. I think they will sell well to those who want something to point to when people criticise their big 4X4s. Maybe I will add electric motors so they turn and still fulfil their role when the wind isn't blowing. They will sell well to politicians as well I expect.

H

[Dave Liquorice]

We are talking about small doemestic jobbies not commercial ones. These small ones are noisy.

Doesn't mean they are not noisy but that is a different and very poorly researched area.

[Guy King]

The message from "Autolycus" contains these words:

Because that doesn't involve enough "technology" so isn't considered marketable.

[Bob Eager]

If you do that, Mr Hansen will demand that the electric motors are solar powered..

[Mary Fisher]

The pump on our solar hot water panel is solar powered. Excellent idea.

Mary

[David Hansen]

On Mon, 11 Dec 2006 17:07:11 -0000 someone who may be "HLAH" wrote this:-

Rather like the television aerials some people are supposed to have had fitted to their houses in the 1950s, despite not having a television set.

Your idea might well appeal to those who only want to install a local turbine to follow the fashion.

[Bob Eager]

Proof that green supporters have no sense of humour?

[The Medway Handyman]

I went to a comedy club a while ago and one of the acts did a bit on wind farms.

He reckoned he had discovered where the wind comes from - he had seen these great big fans in Cornwall that made it. He knew it was true because the faster they ran the windier it got! He also said he wouldn't like to pay the electric bill to run them :-)

[Peter Parry]

I thought that was the greenwashers aim - change fashion, change attitudes. No facts, no thought, simple propaganda.

I note a report this week from the Renewable Energy Foundation showing most large wind turbine installations in England operating at under 25% capacity and our local hideous blot on the landscape at McAlpines political arm operating at a massive 7.7% of capacity. When there isn't enough wind to generate power RES leave their pet windmill freewheeling to create the impression it is doing something useful to "change attitudes".

The report also commented upon the disproportionate subsidy given to wind generation (who was it who said they had no subsidy?).

RES countered with "Situated in low wind speed Hertfordshire, the RES turbine was never intended to generate huge amounts of electricity". Someone should tell B&Q and Windsave who think this is prime wind generating country.

Andys' favourite at Green Park in Reading staggered up to 15% of capacity

is also quite interesting.

[David Hansen]

On Mon, 11 Dec 2006 23:35:13 +0000 someone who may be Peter Parry wrote this:-

Yawn.

It is reassuring when the best someone can do is to misrepresent the views of others and then attack that misrepresentation. It is a tactic favoured by party politicians, journalists and some academics. It may fool the uninformed some of the time, but that is all it can do.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'll bet it's not made in the UK, though.

[Mary Fisher]

No - proof that you don't reecognise it :-)

Mary

[Mary Fisher]

It certainly doesn't fool the informed.

Mary

[Owain]

And it won't last 350 years...

Owain