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

sfwcork · 24-01-2013 03:35PM

How much cash is this bringing in?

GalwayGuy2 · 24-01-2013 03:35PM

They say it risks damaging Ireland's landscape.

I can think of worse environmental damage.

Um aren't we selling it...

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

Nice and unbiased...

Cienciano · 24-01-2013 03:39PM

Dey tuk ar wind

yaargh8 · 24-01-2013 03:39PM

Why are people complaining . We are selling wind its hilarious . Now we just have to figure out how to sell sand to the arabs .

Bipolar Joe · 24-01-2013 03:39PM

Here is an honest question to everyone against any sort of money making scheme; how do you propose Ireland starts generating income? We have basically no money, it's all too clear that the magical disappearing money isn't going to magically reappear, so what are your plans for Ireland to start having an economy again?

Dodge · 24-01-2013 03:40PM

the use of inverted commas in the headline

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

makes me think we're actually building tiny wind turbines and the OP is using them sarcastically.

I'm not reading the rest of the post as I like this image too much

Fratton Fred · 24-01-2013 03:40PM

kneemos wrote: »

I thought the bogs were protected?

not the ones that produce turds, they're crap

Quazzie · 24-01-2013 03:42PM

kneemos wrote: »

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

Unknown to most the roads in a lot of the locations to be used have ben upgraded over the last three years. Yet another upside to the local residents.

CucaFace · 24-01-2013 03:44PM

What a bunch of moaners we truly are.

All you hear is that our Govt are doing nothing for jobs/ they are giving away our oil ect bla bla bla.

Then the moment they go an announce some news about a possible good opportunity to create some cash and jobs for the country, people are straight away looking for the negatives.

Some people need to get real.

This country's real natural resources are the green one's of wind and wave power, and it’s about time we started to make some money from this, as this is the way the world going and this should bring us some wealth in the future.

Let’s make some easy money from this crap weather we have to endure.

Cienciano · 24-01-2013 03:45PM

If it annoys local nimbys then that's a bonus.

catallus · 24-01-2013 03:51PM

I could be way off the mark here but i remember reading a while ago that wind energy in Germany had to be subsidised by the traditional energy companies because it wasn't economical in the medium term. I must dig a bit to find out where I read that.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/problems-prompt-germany-to-rethink-energy-revolution-a-852815.html

Tazz T · 24-01-2013 03:52PM

This is a good idea. Ireland could easily become the powerhouse of Europe using wave and tidal generators the whole way around the island - but not until at least 90% of our own energy comes from renewables.

D1stant · 24-01-2013 03:54PM

Rumour has it that teh Queen liked the rock od Cashel so much that they are mounting the first turbine on that

Scarlet42 · 24-01-2013 03:57PM

but if its going to make so much money and create so many jobs why are aren't they doing this in the UK themselves? are they not going thru a recession aswell? do they not have wind?

"One of the developers, Element Power, says the plan would save UK consumers around £7bn over 15 years compared to other renewable sources."

what about Irish consumers?

starlings · 24-01-2013 03:58PM

I haven't read enough about it yet, and I am worried that the deal will be as ridiculous as the Corrib Gas field one, i.e. ripping ourselves off. But I am open minded to it in terms of green energy and innovation. And I don't think the turbines are an eyesore; on the contrary I think they're quite elegant in all landscapes I've seen them in.

An agreement to work on a deal has been signed; plenty of time to iron out details, unless we all start shouting, of course.:rolleyes:

Wossack · 24-01-2013 04:01PM

thought this was on the cards for decades, and one of the main driving forces behind the east-west interconnector

Heroditas · 24-01-2013 04:03PM

All the investment money will come from foreign investment funds ... if it even surfaces.
The electricity will be exported so any benefit to the economy will be through the VAT applied to it (if any) and nothing more.
All the construction jobs will be temporary and maintenance jobs will be done by the manufacturers for the duration of the service contracts, i.e. not too much employment here.

bluecode · 24-01-2013 04:04PM

A friend of mine spoke to someone involved with this project. He asked him if was really that efficient. No of course not he was told. It was all about the subsidies. It's a scam of giant proportions. In Britain owners of wind farms are actually paid NOT to generate power when there is a surplus. Also on those cold calm days in Winter, wind farms generate nothing, just when they're needed.

Also this;

Because the bog lands are relatively windless, the company behind the scheme says they will need to stretch high into the sky to catch sufficient wind to generate power.

They're going to build them in places with little or no wind! Are they actually insane! They're going to built these 600 foot monsters all over the countryside. You will literally be in sight of one or more of them all the time.

But we Irish gain nothing from it. The only people to benefit are the land owners and the companies. The only reason they're doing this in Ireland is that they wouldn't dare attempt it in Britain. People there are waking up to this scam.

For once I'm on the side of the environmentalists on this one. It's absolutely ridiculous. I wouldn't mind if wind turbines were actually efficient. They're not even close. This is all about making money off government subsidies. Wind farms could not survive without subsidies. That is you taxpayers paying private individuals to make expensive electricity which pushs up the cost of your energy bills.

You will all pay for those turbines not just in ruining your view.

irelandrover · 24-01-2013 04:04PM

It makes a lot of sense depending on the deal. Wind turbines are not reliable enough yet to provide power to the country, so backup power would be required. If this deal was to install the turbines and then decommision them in 15 years then the UK pays money for the rental of the sites for 15 years.

However at that point you would expect the technology to have moved on and that it would be possible to install turbines that would be reliable and would be sufficient to provide power to the grid. The sites would already be there and already set up for the installation of the turbines and it would all have been paid for by the UK. If the technology isn't there in 15 years then you still have the 15 years rent money.

suicide_circus · 24-01-2013 04:06PM

Great news, except for the part where our homes wont receive this power, wtf like
also why dont we put these turbines on the coast where there is basically constant wind?

starlings · 24-01-2013 04:08PM

Mr W might be our friend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mTLO2F_ERY

DipStick McSwindler · 24-01-2013 04:10PM

This post has been deleted.

BOHtox · 24-01-2013 04:12PM

Captain Chaos wrote: »

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

We net export fuel do we not?

Trade is important for various reasons. We trade with the UK for loads of reasons and vice-versa. We use it to get UK sterling which can be used in trading instead of Euro. Sterling is stronger and can be more valuable when trading especially as there is a lot of countries using the Euro and only the UK using sterling. Bringing in this sterling allows us to trade with other countries so we can open up new areas of trade.

awec · 24-01-2013 04:14PM

I fail to see how they are an eyesore. It's not as if Ireland is running low in bogs and fields that people can go look at if they want.

Selling wind, sounds the ticket to me.

Larbre34 · 24-01-2013 04:16PM

Ive always thought we should empty Longford for the purposes of building a large nuclear plant - they should have publicised that as an idea before rowing back and saying its just wind turbines instead, imagine the relief from the Boggers!

50% taller than the spire of Dublin? Anyone who wants a job putting them up is welcome to it in my book. Itll look like War of the Worlds driving through the Bog of Allen though!

I cant link to Youtube now, but there are some really cool vids of wind turbines getting over-torqued on stormy days and exploding, how awesome would that look if a few 180 metre ones did that before setting fire to the turf they were built on!

Crazy englishers.

ZETOR_IS_BETTER · 24-01-2013 04:24PM

Scarlet42 wrote: »

but if its going to make so much money and create so many jobs why are aren't they doing this in the UK themselves? are they not going thru a recession aswell? do they not have wind?

"One of the developers, Element Power, says the plan would save UK consumers around £7bn over 15 years compared to other renewable sources."

what about Irish consumers?

Exactly. Recently a member of the british government was saying they did not want anymore turbines ruining their country side.
( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2226051/Coalition-war-wind-farms-Cameron-backs-minister-heralded-demise--fury-Lib-Dems.html )

Why the f*ck are we exporting power and not reducing or own energy bills?

Mr. CooL ICE · 24-01-2013 04:24PM

Eyesore my arse. They look pretty cool.

Heroditas · 24-01-2013 04:25PM

IrishFeeney92 wrote: »

Wind farms will create a massive amount of jobs!!! maintenance and not only that, KNOWLEDGE, we could actually learn from this and build them to use for ourselves, cutting heating costs, water charges etc. but nah.....lets complain about the Brits instead

LOL

They create short term construction jobs.
As for knowledge, it's hardly rocket science. We already build them to use the energy ourselves in this country. What do you think the 1900MW of already installed turbines in this country are doing?

Grayson · 24-01-2013 04:26PM

GalwayGuy2 wrote: »

I can think of worse environmental damage.

dodderangler wrote: »

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

Our bogs are an incredible natural environment. But this can't be less damaging than Bord na Mona. An entire semi state set up for the purpose of ripping them to shreds. 98% of our bogs were destroyed. It got to the stage where the dutch had to buy them to stop us destroying them

http://www.friendsoftheirishenvironment.net/paperstoday/index.php?action=view&id=14130

bluecode wrote: »

For once I'm on the side of the environmentalists on this one. It's absolutely ridiculous. I wouldn't mind if wind turbines were actually efficient. They're not even close. This is all about making money off government subsidies. Wind farms could not survive without subsidies. That is you taxpayers paying private individuals to make expensive electricity which pushs up the cost of your energy bills.

You will all pay for those turbines not just in ruining your view.

So, where's all the figures to back this up? As far as I'm concerned it's pretty efficent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power#Cost_trends

Micky Dolenz · 24-01-2013 04:27PM

I for one will not stand for Ireland being used as a battery for the Brits. what next, they'll hook us up to machines like that documentary, the matrix.

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

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