Wind farm zone off Dorset coast (From Bournemouth Echo)

Just like putting another IMAX out to sea! What an eye sore!!! Why can't they put these farms of the coast of somewhere without such natural beauty? Coastal walks will never be the same again.

Melanie Vass, which artist's impression is that? Is it from the actual plans or simply the Echo dabbling with Photoshop?

Even if it were representative, it doesn't look bad. Like a line of yachts. Certainly more attractive than the oil rigs in Poole Harbour or the remains of the nuclear power station in Winfrith

It is something that is needed to ensure we can have sustainable energy in the future. It is unlikely that they will be that visible from the shore because of their structure, and although it does not bother me, to some it will be better than having them strewn across open land.

I think it is a great idea, and Councils, the Public should support this form of future energy to the full.

The horizon has never been much to look at except when the Sun rises and falls so the wind farm will be an added bonus to my view.

Got to move forward faster than ever.....

Finally!! Something good is being done in terms of energy. If its here in Dorset so what.

It creates jobs and energy. Thats pretty much great for everyone!!

We have to move with the times as well!! Were not living in the time of never ending fossil fuels anymore.

mikeafcb wrote:
Just like putting another IMAX out to sea! What an eye sore!!! Why can't they put these farms of the coast of somewhere without such natural beauty? Coastal walks will never be the same again.

Well said, Mike. I just can't believe the insensitivity of this whole thing. Just foisted on us with apparently no consultation whatsoever. We moved to the coast to see the sea, not a clump of expensive machinery that is not really proven technology despite what its protagonists will have us believe. Wave power is far more reliable and far less intrusive. Goodbye to the Jurassic Coast and all the jobs that go with that?

quote :And Cllr Stephen MacLoughlin, leader of Bournemouth council, said councillors had previously expressed their support for the plans.

lol i wouldnt listen or belive that bloke if he was the last person on earth he is full of it

What is to happen when we get the wrong sort of wind, too much or too little?
The electricity from wind farms can't be regulated to match the demand or easily stored until the supply meets the demand so we will always be dependent on alternative forms of generation.
The electricity also has to come ashore somewhere either by overhead or undersea cables to be able to connect to the National Grid.
I read elsewhere that we currently do not have the capacity to build wind farm components in this country and also that the technical expertise to build the wind farms at sea is lacking in the UK.

Although global warming is a big thing at the moment, not that i believe a word of it, i suppose that other forms of energy need to be found, but what never ceases to amaze me is that all the climate change donkeys claim to support the need to find alternate enegy sources but when ideas such as wind farms are mentioned its these same sad sacks that start protesting about their locations, they dont want them in fields because it will kill a few worms or lizards, not in the sea because it will disturb the fish or ruin the view, well they have to go somewhere, make up your minds if you believe all this global warming claptrap then accept that the only solution is to have wind farms such as the one in this story and stop getting in the way of getting the job done, we have to get away from this not in my back yard attitude.

tt52 wrote:
Although global warming is a big thing at the moment, not that i believe a word of it, i suppose that other forms of energy need to be found, but what never ceases to amaze me is that all the climate change donkeys claim to support the need to find alternate enegy sources but when ideas such as wind farms are mentioned its these same sad sacks that start protesting about their locations, they dont want them in fields because it will kill a few worms or lizards, not in the sea because it will disturb the fish or ruin the view, well they have to go somewhere, make up your minds if you believe all this global warming claptrap then accept that the only solution is to have wind farms such as the one in this story and stop getting in the way of getting the job done, we have to get away from this not in my back yard attitude.

I couldn't give a monkeys about Global Warming! I think it's a load of hippy, Liberal, scare mongering, revenue raising, unsubstantiated, bunch of crap. I refer you back to my first post. I just love the Dorset countryside and the unspoilt views acrcoss the sea. Stick the **** eyesores in an Industrial Estate in Rotherham or off the coast of Blackpool for all I care. Just not on my beautiful doorstep here in the Bournemouth.

mikeafcb wrote:

tt52 wrote:
Although global warming is a big thing at the moment, not that i believe a word of it, i suppose that other forms of energy need to be found, but what never ceases to amaze me is that all the climate change donkeys claim to support the need to find alternate enegy sources but when ideas such as wind farms are mentioned its these same sad sacks that start protesting about their locations, they dont want them in fields because it will kill a few worms or lizards, not in the sea because it will disturb the fish or ruin the view, well they have to go somewhere, make up your minds if you believe all this global warming claptrap then accept that the only solution is to have wind farms such as the one in this story and stop getting in the way of getting the job done, we have to get away from this not in my back yard attitude.

I couldn't give a monkeys about Global Warming! I think it's a load of hippy, Liberal, scare mongering, revenue raising, unsubstantiated, bunch of crap. I refer you back to my first post. I just love the Dorset countryside and the unspoilt views acrcoss the sea. Stick the **** eyesores in an Industrial Estate in Rotherham or off the coast of Blackpool for all I care. Just not on my beautiful doorstep here in the Bournemouth.

Dont get me wrong, I believe this global warming rubbish is all about raising revenue.
I also dont want to see all the land and sea taken up by these giant hair dryers, what i was trying to get across was that all these tree hugging friends of the earth **** who keep preaching about how we are all going to burn to death in a few years from now want all these different energy powering devices but when someone says yea ok we wil put one here or there they start on about destroying the open land or sea, they dont know what they want half the time.
As i said i dont believe one single word about global warming especially if the last few weeks are anything to go by.
I think that their all a bunch of nutters who should be consigned to the loony bin and let the planet sort its self out.

If they are going to put anything out in the bay to generate electricity why can't they put in water driven ones, tides will always be around, wind is nowhere near as reliable. It is not necessary to dam estuaries like the Severn causing ecological problems, see this site for example

http://www.swanturbi
nes.co.uk/

or Google tidal power for plenty more.

LN

I am not an advocate of Global Warming, but I do know we do need sustainable sources of energy. Therefore, if that means erecting a Wind Farm off the Dorset Coast, so be it. I do not know how anyone can whinge about having it on their coast and in the same breath state it should be on someone elses. Have you seen the existing Wind Farms around our coastline. Take a look, they are not intruding, and they are not sticking out all over the land. It is needed, it is going to happen, so get use to it.

Is that the onset of a natural surf reef off Sandbanks that I can make out in the foreground of the Artist's Impression?....or is it because Old Harry looks bigger than Gibraltar? Rock on, Echohoho. Which monkeys are you trying to fool with your deception?!

Some of the comments already made have made me realise just how stupid and selfish some people are. NIMBYs and ostriches. The Jurassic coast will still be the Jurassic coast, regardless of whether these are built. More people will have jobs. (what's wrong with that?) Dorset is beautiful but a whacking great nuclear power station or coal fired power station would be much more obnoxious. We will get another much needed source of power rather than having to rely upon our "neighbours" to sell it to us. For those who think snow is proof there is no global warming, and believe the rubbish that tabloids print, then I do feel sorry for you. Our climate is getting more extreme and any natural cold snaps/extreme heat are made worse by the destruction of the ozone layer which is caused by burning of fossil fuel and increased carbon emissions. So keep on burying your head in the sand and just see what happens. It will be your children and your grandchildren who suffer for your selfishness. And why should Blackpool have more of them? They are already doing their bit and its about time we did ours.

Are many people more likely to believe ill-informed whingers on here than hundreds of scientists :)
These same moaners are probably the ones that refuse to use low energy lights, drive enormous cars (with no passengers) and complain about the tax on petrol, but refuse to walk 100yards. They'll only be happy when there is just tarmac across the entire country.
Get them all in one town and build a MASSIVE nuclear or coal-fired power station right next to it, then they'd really have something to complain about.
Until that happens, keep posting your clueless drivel as it brightens my day ;)

molehill59 wrote:
Some of the comments already made have made me realise just how stupid and selfish some people are. NIMBYs and ostriches. The Jurassic coast will still be the Jurassic coast, regardless of whether these are built. More people will have jobs. (what's wrong with that?) Dorset is beautiful but a whacking great nuclear power station or coal fired power station would be much more obnoxious. We will get another much needed source of power rather than having to rely upon our "neighbours" to sell it to us. For those who think snow is proof there is no global warming, and believe the rubbish that tabloids print, then I do feel sorry for you. Our climate is getting more extreme and any natural cold snaps/extreme heat are made worse by the destruction of the ozone layer which is caused by burning of fossil fuel and increased carbon emissions. So keep on burying your head in the sand and just see what happens. It will be your children and your grandchildren who suffer for your selfishness. And why should Blackpool have more of them? They are already doing their bit and its about time we did ours.

I hate to tell you this but the hole in the ozone layer actually REDUCED the efects of global warming!
This was a study done in the Antarctic regions.
Read the study done on the island of South Georgia!

Hurrah for wind farms...so much more attractive than nuclear or coal fired power stations...and a lot less dangerous.

I've lived in Yorkshire and the wind farms on the moors there look grand.

Laurie Marsh - you "hated to tell me" that the hole reduced the effects of global warming. That was one study. My point was that by human actions and the effects of them, climate change is occurring. For example, burning fossil fuels causes concentrations of greenhouse gases. Research shows that it is extremely likely that human activities have exerted a substantial net warming influence on climate since 1750.
I refer you to the research: The Physical Basis for Climate Change IPCC. ISBN 978 0521 88009-1.
Take a look- you might learn more.

molehill59 wrote:
Laurie Marsh - you "hated to tell me" that the hole reduced the effects of global warming. That was one study. My point was that by human actions and the effects of them, climate change is occurring. For example, burning fossil fuels causes concentrations of greenhouse gases. Research shows that it is extremely likely that human activities have exerted a substantial net warming influence on climate since 1750. I refer you to the research: The Physical Basis for Climate Change IPCC. ISBN 978 0521 88009-1. Take a look- you might learn more.

O.K.
Dont take my word or the word of Al Gore (who, amongst a lot of others is making a lot of money out of this).
Try it YOURSELF.
Build a greenhouse, only a small one. You have heard of the greenhouse effect?
Record the temperatures for a year.
Then paint the inside of the glass with whitewash (fossil fuel emissions).
Record the temperatures for another year.
Then punch a hole in the glass (ozone level) and record the temperatures for another year.
Of course you will need to take the outside temperature as well during the three years and work out the variation in temperature.
Or of course you can take a short-cut and build 1 greenhouse divided into 3 parts.
We can all sprout facts and figures from other people but who the hell is telling the truth?
You?
Me?
I hope, (for the sake of my grandkids) that I am right and you are wrong!
Have a good life!

So they have given the go ahead for wind farms off the coast.
In some ways I think it is a good idea, I would prefer to see them off shore than destroying the views of the British Countryside as some already do.
However as a photographer the Dorset/Jurassic coast is a much sought after location for photographers with its lovely coastline and sunsets/rises. This could lead to a reduction in people visiting the coast to take photo's and the impact on the businesses of photographers who run courses in the area.
Next we have the impact on wildlife will this impact on migrating birds as has been claimed in other area's that migrating birds are killed by the wind turbines.
However we are told we have to cut back on fossil fuels as they are not green and running out. Then we have the other alternative of nuclear which again no one wants in their backyard.
So what is the solution, where is the power going to come from?
It seems pointless fr the UK to be doing this when countries like China and the US are not cutting back on their emissions (If climate change is not a myth, which at the moment there is no conclusive proof on either side of the argument, after all what happened to the Ice Age, that wasn't due to global warming caused by man!). As the saying goes "you can't please all the people, all of the time"

Global warming PAH, I use low energy bulbs all over my house to reduce my bill and thats the only reason, most people do this and would be stupid not too, I also drive my car less because of cost, my heating is set lower, just like most people.
I believe that most people in this country use less energy to reduce their outgoings, but the fact still remains that we are told year after year that global warming is on the increase.
The whole world is a lot cleaner than 30 years ago but we are still be preached to about what the temperature will be in 50 years by the very same people who cannot get the weather right for the next day, hogwash the whole lot of it.
Even if these wind farms are built at extreme cost to us all it will probably make not one jot of difference.
Most who back and spout this scaremongering nonsense are hypocrites any way they spout one thing and do another, just look at the recent climate change conference in Copenhagen, reports suggest that all the people that attended and the means of transport they used increased the carbon pollution by hundreds of thousands of tons. so that was pointless wasn't it.I dont believe it and dont want to believe all the hype and rubbish these people spout.

Errr, most people that accept Climate Change as reality are now using cars less, insulating their homes properly and campaigning for sustainable electricity.
No, I won't be flying off to some foreign country for my holiday this year either, but thanks for asking ;)

rainbowjen wrote:
Hurrah for wind farms...so much more attractive than nuclear or coal fired power stations...and a lot less dangerous.

I've lived in Yorkshire and the wind farms on the moors there look grand.

You must be one of the few people that thinks the Moors look better for a stack of these huge windmills. These monstrosities are almost as ugly as powerline transmission pylons. The fact that the good people of the Lake District were up in arms about a few windmills in their area a couple of years back suggests the more usual reaction to this intrusion.

On a more general note, I would also like to know why the Poole Bay area was chosen rather than further down the coast where I would have imagined the wind would be stronger. Probably because the people making these antisocial decisions have their second homes on the Devon and Cornwall coastlines?! Makes you think doesn't it. And I still say - as many other correspondents have implied here - that wind power is very expensive (in construction cost as they have a very large carbon footprint already; effectiveness because the wind doesn't always blow; and visual pollution to name but three) that there needs to be a proper debate not an arbitrary foisting of this 'solution' on those of us who are against placing them in areas of natural beauty like Poole Bay.

mr_bean wrote:

mikeafcb wrote:
Just like putting another IMAX out to sea! What an eye sore!!! Why can't they put these farms of the coast of somewhere without such natural beauty? Coastal walks will never be the same again.

Well said, Mike. I just can't believe the insensitivity of this whole thing. Just foisted on us with apparently no consultation whatsoever. We moved to the coast to see the sea, not a clump of expensive machinery that is not really proven technology despite what its protagonists will have us believe. Wave power is far more reliable and far less intrusive. Goodbye to the Jurassic Coast and all the jobs that go with that?

Well, if you moved to the coast to see the sea, then we should obviously stop this project at once. Because your sea view and property price is obviously far more important than clean and sustainable energy.

Depressing.

Kevicious wrote:

mr_bean wrote:

mikeafcb wrote:
Just like putting another IMAX out to sea! What an eye sore!!! Why can't they put these farms of the coast of somewhere without such natural beauty? Coastal walks will never be the same again.

Well said, Mike. I just can't believe the insensitivity of this whole thing. Just foisted on us with apparently no consultation whatsoever. We moved to the coast to see the sea, not a clump of expensive machinery that is not really proven technology despite what its protagonists will have us believe. Wave power is far more reliable and far less intrusive. Goodbye to the Jurassic Coast and all the jobs that go with that?

Well, if you moved to the coast to see the sea, then we should obviously stop this project at once. Because your sea view and property price is obviously far more important than clean and sustainable energy.

Depressing.

Sorry but you're the depressing one as you've apparently been seduced by this whole charade (as many others appear to have been too) that presumes that wind power is the best answer to renewal energy.

Don't you see that 'they' (ie the establishment) have found a convenient way of avoiding a proper discussion of what is the best solution and are riding roughshod over anyone that has another point of view? This is a form of governmental bullying (which they're very good at - look at Iraq) and I can imagine a new word entering the lexicon soon along the lines of 'racist'; 'homophobic'; 'anti-semitic' et al to intimidate those of us that think differently and want a balanced debate and not have inappropriate and inefficient solutions rammed down our throats. Maybe something like 'windophobics' or 'windmillists' would be good - we should have a competition to think of one!

How much power do the giant windmills produce? Well the best answer that I can find is that the existing wind generators are producing about 0.01% of the electricity requirements for the UK.
If you visit Scotland or Cornwall, you will see that they have become part of the landscape, I think that these were areas of outstanding natural beauty, maybe even more that a stretch of sea off the South coast.
Remember also that they have to get all this energy connected to the grid. The proposal in Scotland is 600 200ft transmission towers (pylons) running down through the Great Glen. The Jurassic Coast has got no chance!
There are already 'wind farms' in the North Sea, they don't seem to affect ships or migrating birds.
So there you have it, I cannot really say much against them except that they don't seem to be doing very much at the moment apart from requiring huge amounts of energy and resources in their production and upkeep.
To all the converts to the New Religion I would just say one thing - 'Vollcanos'. They produce vastly more carbon dioxide that even the worst Chinese factories, what measures to you intend taking against them? ( A Carbon neutral Vesuvius anyone?)
If anyone is really serious about reducing their carbon dioxide output then maybe they should try breathing less.

Laurie H Marsh wrote:

molehill59 wrote:
Laurie Marsh - you "hated to tell me" that the hole reduced the effects of global warming. That was one study. My point was that by human actions and the effects of them, climate change is occurring. For example, burning fossil fuels causes concentrations of greenhouse gases. Research shows that it is extremely likely that human activities have exerted a substantial net warming influence on climate since 1750. I refer you to the research: The Physical Basis for Climate Change IPCC. ISBN 978 0521 88009-1. Take a look- you might learn more.

O.K.
Dont take my word or the word of Al Gore (who, amongst a lot of others is making a lot of money out of this).
Try it YOURSELF.
Build a greenhouse, only a small one. You have heard of the greenhouse effect?
Record the temperatures for a year.
Then paint the inside of the glass with whitewash (fossil fuel emissions).
Record the temperatures for another year.
Then punch a hole in the glass (ozone level) and record the temperatures for another year.
Of course you will need to take the outside temperature as well during the three years and work out the variation in temperature.
Or of course you can take a short-cut and build 1 greenhouse divided into 3 parts.
We can all sprout facts and figures from other people but who the hell is telling the truth?
You?
Me?
I hope, (for the sake of my grandkids) that I am right and you are wrong!
Have a good life!

Indeed we can all spout facts and figures from other people. I do not listen to Al Gore, though. I expect you believe what you say, just as I believe what I say. As an educated person myself, I do take notice of research, yes, and look at the pros and cons of arguments from both sides. And I have heard of the greenhouse effect, there's no need to be sarcastic.The problem is, unless we ALL take some action, then things will just get worse. Not making the effort to use renewable energy sources here or anywhere is not an option. We need more energy to satisfy a growing population and a growing demand for power and I would much rather these schemes succeeded than having to go and beg for more from Europe or see power cuts. I imagine it was just the same in the days when some people still believed the world was flat.
Have a good life yourself.

mr_bean wrote:

rainbowjen wrote:
Hurrah for wind farms...so much more attractive than nuclear or coal fired power stations...and a lot less dangerous.

I've lived in Yorkshire and the wind farms on the moors there look grand.

You must be one of the few people that thinks the Moors look better for a stack of these huge windmills. These monstrosities are almost as ugly as powerline transmission pylons. The fact that the good people of the Lake District were up in arms about a few windmills in their area a couple of years back suggests the more usual reaction to this intrusion.

On a more general note, I would also like to know why the Poole Bay area was chosen rather than further down the coast where I would have imagined the wind would be stronger. Probably because the people making these antisocial decisions have their second homes on the Devon and Cornwall coastlines?! Makes you think doesn't it. And I still say - as many other correspondents have implied here - that wind power is very expensive (in construction cost as they have a very large carbon footprint already; effectiveness because the wind doesn't always blow; and visual pollution to name but three) that there needs to be a proper debate not an arbitrary foisting of this 'solution' on those of us who are against placing them in areas of natural beauty like Poole Bay.

p.s. Sellafield is in the Lake District.

And your point is....?

What, two wrongs actually do make a right?!

Come on, lets have a proper discussion here, don't throw red herrings (even if they do glow in the dark at Sellafield) into the pot.

And anyway, the natural visual beauty of the Lake District isn't particularly compromised by Sellafield/Windscale - you wouldn't generally have every view ruined by it whereas there will be no escape from the many huge windmills to be spread over miles of seascape like in Poole Bay.