Would you support a windfarm in your area?

Birdnuts

No

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120351876#Comment_120351876

So you think plastering habitats with windfarms that need near constant back up from conventional power sources will make any difference to that - given that Irelands Carbon footprint is tiny anyways??

Birdnuts

No

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120352130#Comment_120352130

Germany has spent 500billion on windfarms after shuttering their nukes in the last 10 years - see how that has worked out for them in terms of energy prices and dependency on Gas and Coal🙄

Cyrus

Yes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120356087#Comment_120356087

Yes and they will spend 500bn more, what's your point exactly? When they started their energy transition did your own model have them as completely decarbonised by now? Or do you just like the sound of 500bn?

Grayson

Yes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120356085#Comment_120356085

So your answer is that you want fossil fuel. All this stuff about birds and the environment is just a smoke screen. You really just want fossil fuels and you don't care about the actual environment. Glad we cleared that up.

SeanW

No

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120353958#Comment_120353958

It's hilarious when people who cosplay as eco warriors don't give a crap about nature, biodiversity or habitats when it comes to killing all the eagles and bats with wind turbines. And seem to maintain an omertà about it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120352130#Comment_120352130

Not killing all the eagles and bats is just one of many reasons why I advocate nuclear over weather-dependent renewables.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120351876#Comment_120351876

I didn't focus on Exxon Valdez. You brought it up, I responded. As to the species at risk because of climate change, Ireland's actions will not be decisive in that regard. India and China are now producing the majority of the worlds CO2 and their volumes will continue to increase. The only thing we can decide is whether we kill our bats and eagles on top of all that.

Cyrus

Yes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120358506#Comment_120358506

Battery storage installations can resolve the weather dependency of renewables and help balance out wind and solar, rather than focusing on a technology that will take decades, we cant afford, and wouldnt survive the opposition anyway.

And whatabout india and china isnt a reason not to do the right thing.

SeanW

No

"Battery storage installations" are a fantasy. There is not enough material to make batteries to provide all the energy storage needed, at least on a global basis. Not by orders of magnitude. Even finding enough resources to make batteries for electric cars is going to be a massive undertaking.

My point about India and China was simply that Ireland reducing emissions won't save Irish species from extinction, but that not carpet bombing the country with windmills actually might save Irish species from extinction.

Yes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120358550#Comment_120358550

Nobody is proposing to do long term storage with lithium.

• Short term (0-4 hours) - lithium
• Medium term - (0-12 hours) - pumped storage, flow batteries, compressed air etc etc
• Long term (0-7 days) - hydrogen and a few others like medium done on a larger scale

The issue of storage and the way the amount needed is over estimated is covered in the video below

https://youtu.be/kHA0pcMizQM

Cyrus

Yes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120358550#Comment_120358550

We are taking about Ireland, you appear to need to go global every time you want to try and make a point

SeanW

No

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120358683#Comment_120358683

Crikey. They've got their work cut out for them down under:

Co2IntensityAustralia.png

Also it should be noted that Australia has a lot of advantages that Ireland does not: a large landmass, consistent weather, mild to nonexistent winters, lots of desert and finally, lots and lots of raw materials. The presenter in your video was keen to stress that Australia mines the majority of components for Li-ion batteries and could mine the last element as well. Though the video does contradict itself when it states Australia's huge land mass is both a positive (in the sense that if the wind isn't blowing in one area, it probably will be somewhere else) but also a negative (it may not be feasible to build large scale interconnection between the states). Still I love her optimisim that an Australian Energiewende won't cost Aussies any money considering that the Germans have already lost at least €500,000,000,000 or AUD 802,175,702,251.12 (where 1 EUR = 1.60435 AUD) on their insane Energiewende, and have little to show for it besides sky high electricity bills.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120359128#Comment_120359128

I'm speaking in general terms. Grid storage doesn't really exist as a general rule.

Birdnuts

No

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120356159#Comment_120356159

a bit slow on the uptake aren't you given my point about windfarms needing fossil back up?? I also suspect I do far more for the environment via my soon to be organic landholding in North Mayo that already hosts several types of Orchid, 20 breeding bird species etc, then your type ever has or ever will🙄

Birdnuts

No

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120356151#Comment_120356151

Yeah cos money grows on trees and stuff like energy poverty is just for peasants to worry about🙄

Grayson

Yes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120358506#Comment_120358506

I said you ignored in my post that 25% of species would be extinct because of climate change and instead focused on where I mentioned the exxon valdez. I never said that you brought up the exxon valdez.

You're just dishonest in your arguments.

So once again, do you think that Ireland should

a) focus on renewables.

b) focus on fossil fuels.

And don't give me crap about the US and China. Yes, they're huge polluters but small countries have to do their bit. We can't force it all on larger countries and expect them to do nothing if we won't do anything. Besides, there's still plenty of deaths in Ireland from fossil fuel pollution. There's still plenty of impact on our ecosystem from the pollutants we pump out.

Grayson

Yes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120360162#Comment_120360162

What type is that exactly? Please, be explicit.

Cyrus

Yes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120360163#Comment_120360163

so the solution is what burn as much coal as we can? you wont need to worry about much at all soon enough.

Cyrus

Yes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120359854#Comment_120359854

grid storage does exist and will be a major part of our energy infrastructure over the next 10 years.

Birdnuts

No

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120360236#Comment_120360236

Huge amounts of peat silt are polluting watersheds around the West and midlands due to windfarm construction and operations - the latest EPA figures and maps highlight that in terms of these windfarm locations and peat silt pressures on water quality. EG. The Midshannon Wilderness Park group have loads of footage on their social media pages of BNM continuing to pump vast amounts of peat silt laden brown water from bogs like Derryadd in Longford into water courses feeding the Shannon due to their aggressive plans to construct massive windfarms on these bogs.

Markcheese

Yes

Wind energy needs gas back up ,

Nuclear also needs gas back up ,

ballyharpat

No

This is like the homeless questions,

We should provide housing for the homeless and unemployed-but when they apply for planning, well I don't want them living near me.

I'd take a stab that most that support the windfarms, in theory, do little to change their own lives. They still drive a big suv, justify that it's electric, but no clue about the damage to the environment for producing them. Still use a car for short journeys and prefer being stuck in traffic thatn walking or cycling.

Still shop in Penneys, buy christmas jumpers etc. that they just wear for one day then throw out, buy balloons and all the xmas plastic decorations and throw them out after one use.

Reduce is the way to improve our impact on the environment.

Water John

Yes

Generalisations. We have an electric car, at present installing solar pv panels and heat pump. Just saying.

Cyrus

Yes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120368159#Comment_120368159

Homeless and unemployed people applying for planning big electric suv drivers shopping in penneys

Whatever next

SeanW

No

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120360236#Comment_120360236

The 25% of species are irrelevant because - as a practical matter - nothing Ireland does will have any impact on them whatsoever. I accept that as a weakness in my own argument as well; Ireland going nuclear won't save a species whose main risk is Anthropogenic Climate Change. But it might save species of birds and bats, and avoid all the other negative consequences of industrialising our landscape in a manner almost unprecedented in human history. India and China will be the clear deciding factors in climate change and their emissions WILL only go skywards. They've committed only to limiting the rate of increase to multiples of their current levels. You can still argue that Ireland should "do the right thing" but you can't argue that it will make any actual difference.

As to your false dichotomy, Germany shows you can't just do a) in isolation (Germany have basically done a) and b) ) and if you really do care about carbon dioxide emissions, you should be looking at France instead, which has actually meaningfully decarbonised and done so decades ago. By accident, I might add.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120360459#Comment_120360459

I'll believe it when I see it. Until then, it's just talk.

Markus Antonius

No

County planners turn down windfarm in Galway due to "negative impact on the surrounding landscape, as well as on designated scenic routes"

https://galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-fm-news-desk/plans-for-windfarm-at-maam-cross-rejected-by-county-planners/

How dare these county planners stand in the way of our bleeding heart windmill developer's efforts to save the planet!

Yes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120424876#Comment_120424876

Still bitter about your poll not going the way you thought?

Water John

Yes

It's called 'planning permission', the clue is in the words. Some developments and others don't. This is based on the system, flawed and all as it is of planning officers, county council and ABP having inputs.

So they haven't planning for this. Haven't read the file so have no opinion either way.

redlough

Yes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120424876#Comment_120424876

Planning permission, standard for all building to have to adhere to the process.

How is the poll going?

Markus Antonius

No

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120424922#Comment_120424922

what do you think the county planners mean by "negative impact"?

John_Rambo

Yes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120358506#Comment_120358506

1.17 million birds are killed by wind turbines in the US each year, 0.016% of the estimated 7.2 billion birds that live in the US. It is also significantly less than the 5–6.8 million killed each year by communication towers, the 60–80 million killed by automobiles, the 67–90 million killed by pesticides, or the 365 million to one billion killed by cats each year in the US.

So you going get the hands wringing & ban cars, cats, pesticides and communication towers Alexander Von Humboldt?

Less of the faux outrage please.

redlough

Yes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120425208#Comment_120425208

Other concerns included the potential for the windfarm to negatively affect traffic movements on the N59.

From reading the locals had rejected, no surprise with that. The negative impact was about traffic.

Markus Antonius

No

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120425269#Comment_120425269

The Galway Windpark has 58 turbines and is on a far busier section of the N59, so this is nonsense.