Ireland to build 'giant' wind turbines to power UK homes

Scarlet42 · 24-01-2013 03:13PM #1

Why doesn't this really surprise me ..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21147279

"UK and Irish ministers will today sign an agreement that could see some of the world's largest wind turbines built across the Irish midlands.
Stretching more than 600 feet (180 metres) in the air, the towers are set to generate energy for millions of UK homes from 2017.
The companies involved say the Irish power is a cheaper form of renewable than UK offshore wind.
But environmentalists have described the scheme as "crazy".
They say it risks damaging Ireland's landscape.
Under the plan, a number of companies are seeking to erect hundreds of wind turbines across the boggy midlands of Ireland. The power generated would be transferred to the UK via undersea cables that would join the grid at two points in Wales."

Richard Tol, professor of economics at University of Sussex, said he felt that the whole scheme was "crazy" and would not work in the long term .
"From an Irish perspective this is not selling the family silver; this is giving it away. There is no money staying in Ireland that I can see.
"But from the British perspective it is a good deal," he said.

WTF!

Quazzie · 24-01-2013 03:15PM

It provides green electricity. It's one of the best things to happen to this country. They are being built across the bogs of Ireland which due to EU rulings can't be used anymore to produce turd so is unusable for anything else. Plus it creates jbs. What exactly is your problem with it?

TouchingVirus · 24-01-2013 03:17PM

Now there's a protest I'd participate in - the scale of this plan is simply too big

SEPT 23 1989 · 24-01-2013 03:18PM

600 feet and 800 years:D

Captain Chaos · 24-01-2013 03:18PM

Quazzie wrote: »

What exactly is your problem with it?

How about actually using the power for ourselves before exporting it. Cut our own costs first then worry about others.

Scarlet42 · 24-01-2013 03:18PM

I have no problem with Green Energy ..but why is it being shipped out to GB??

Feathers · 24-01-2013 03:18PM

Quazzie wrote: »

It provides green electricity. It's one of the best things to happen to this country. They are being built across the bogs of Ireland which due to EU rulings can't be used anymore to produce turd so is unusable for anything else. Plus it creates jbs. What exactly is your problem with it?

Surely any deal to do this should be publicly owned where we collectively can reap the rewards, rather than Shell scenario all over again?

admiralofthefleet · 24-01-2013 03:19PM

should have been done years ago and included the coastlines as well

elefant · 24-01-2013 03:19PM

I don't know the full details of this scheme, but I've long believed that we should build thousands of wind turbines in Ireland. Clean energy that can be sold if a surplus is produced, and many many jobs to go with it.

I was struck travelling across Germany by the sheer number of wind turbines stretching across the horizon as far as I could see. Almost 100,000 people are employed by the wind-power sector in Germany, and the turbines weren't a major eyesore as far as I'm concerned either.

Kylo Ren · 24-01-2013 03:19PM

TouchingVirus wrote: »

Now there's a protest I'd participate in - the scale of this plan is simply too big

You'd be blown away at the sheer size of them.

dodderangler · 24-01-2013 03:20PM

Quazzie wrote: »

It provides green electricity. It's one of the best things to happen to this country. They are being built across the bogs of Ireland which due to EU rulings can't be used anymore to produce turd so is unusable for anything else. Plus it creates jbs. What exactly is your problem with it?

So nothing lives in bogs?
That what your saying. its useless and nothing lives in bogs and what of the land beside it and the eyesore it'll be aswell

gallag · 24-01-2013 03:21PM

Thanks for this lads, pints are on us next time.

24-01-2013 03:21PM

Wow, this one seems to be drawing in the intelligentsia already. Protest what, exactly? It seems to be "too big"??

Jesus.

In other news, welcome to the 21st century.

smash · 24-01-2013 03:21PM

Quazzie wrote: »

They are being built across the bogs of Ireland which due to EU rulings can't be used anymore to produce turd so is unusable for anything else.

Quazzie · 24-01-2013 03:21PM

Captain Chaos wrote: »

How about actually using the power for ourselves before exporting it. Cut our own costs first then worry about others.

Scarlet42 wrote: »

I have no problem with Green Energy ..but why is it being shipped out to GB??

Feathers wrote: »

Surely any deal to do this should be publicly owned where we collectively can reap the rewards, rather than Shell scenario all over again?

The simple answer to all this is we don't have the money to invest in the infrastructure for these, whereas the Brits do. They pay for them, and then they buy the production of them off of us. Plus they pay the rent to local land owners for the land thats used.

kneemos · 24-01-2013 03:22PM

700 turbines 600 feet high?let the brits put them on their own land,an absolute scar on the landscape,will never happen.

PseudoFamous · 24-01-2013 03:23PM

I don't understand why people call wind turbines an eyesore. They're less of an eyesore than smoke stack, and they don't stink up the place. In fact, what else was there going to be in these areas? The alternative is *nothing*, and such wastage of resources is a crime in itself.

yaargh8 · 24-01-2013 03:25PM

**** this is gonna cause trouble . Does don quixote know about this yet ?

kneemos · 24-01-2013 03:25PM

I thought the bogs were protected?

Quazzie · 24-01-2013 03:26PM

Half of the people calling them eyesores are living in poxy looking mock georgian bungalows dotted along every road in Ireland.

There is no doubt about which is more of an eyesore to me./

gallag · 24-01-2013 03:26PM

kneemos wrote: »

700 turbines 600 feet high?let the brits put them on their own land,an absolute scar on the landscape,will never happen.

Cheeky rapscallion, can you not see what an honour this is?

admiralofthefleet · 24-01-2013 03:26PM

me and my fayher in law were talking to a load of Portuguese lads a few weeks back that were here installing turbines in bunclody in wexford. the supervisor was telling us most wind turbines in Ireland arent connected to the grid
the electricity should definitely be sold to the uk and not just exported

Scarlet42 · 24-01-2013 03:28PM

Quazzie wrote: »

The simple answer to all this is we don't have the money to invest in the infrastructure for these, whereas the Brits do. They pay for them, and then they buy the production of them off of us. Plus they pay the rent to local land owners for the land thats used.

Yeah ...lets sell our soul to the devil!

24-01-2013 03:29PM

On the flip side, they might be able to get something done over at the Corrib now that all the dole junkies will have a new Satan (that dastardly and horrid renewable energy) to target.

admiralofthefleet · 24-01-2013 03:29PM

Quazzie wrote: »

Half of the people calling them eyesores are living in poxy looking mock georgian bungalows dotted along every road in Ireland.

There is no doubt about which is more of an eyesore to me./

NIMBY's the lot of them

24-01-2013 03:30PM

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

NIMBY's the lot of them

Moron, is the word I would use.

hardCopy · 24-01-2013 03:30PM

The headline should really read: "Ireland finds a way to make money from our ****ty weather, Brits pay millions"

elefant · 24-01-2013 03:31PM

Scarlet42 wrote: »

Yeah ...lets sell our soul to the devil!

Are we really going to start referring to Britain as 'the devil' here? Or to wind as our 'souls'?

What if we sold the energy to France? Is that okay?

Scarlet42 · 24-01-2013 03:31PM

kneemos wrote: »

I thought the bogs were protected?

they are .. for Her Majesty .. an EU ruling no less..

kneemos · 24-01-2013 03:32PM

Dig out concrete bases for these things and construct a roadway to service each turbine that's the end of the bog.

kneemos · 24-01-2013 03:33PM

elefant wrote: »

Are we really going to start referring to Britain as 'the devil' here? Or to wind as our 'souls'?

What if we sold the energy to France? Is that okay?

No.

Ireland to build 'giant' wind turbines to power UK homes

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