Sunday 29 June 2008

Blown Away

Wind turbines are becoming an increasingly familiar sight in this formerly green and pleasant land, filling the gaps between motorways and power distribution pylons like anorexic windmills - a high-tec throwback to the days of Windy Miller.

They're tall (obviously), ugly, noisy if you're unlucky enough to live close enough to one to hear the blades cutting through the air, and are generally an all-round blight upon the British countryside. And now it seems that, on top of all these problems, they're flimsy too.

According to the Sun, a huge propeller broke off a 190ft wind turbine sited close to a major motorway, triggering safety fears - and red faces when it was found to have been damaged by... the WIND. It's mind blowing, isn't it?

Minds at Sheffield University (who own the out-of-puff gizmo) and the Government (who plan to spend £100 billion on 7000 of the towering monstrosities by 2020) certainly seem to be in a spin if they really think wind turbines are going to provide one third of Britain's electricity by then. Even if they can master the task of building wind-proof wind turbines by then (and, given the state of our education system, I wouldn't bet on that!) the system is simply too capricious to be reliable.

The whole idea, appealing as it may sound, is more hot air than hot prospect, and I fully expect Britain to be paying the price for this mental enviroist folly long after Gordon Brown-Trousers has been unceremoniously bundled out of Downing St.

Billy Seggars.

No comments: