offshore wind

Scarweather sands: no negative environmental impact

Last edited 22 July 2003 at 8:00am
wind turbines at sunset

wind turbines at sunset

A crucial part of getting the go-ahead for any wind power proposal is an assessment of the potential environmental impacts that may occur. By law, the developer has to pay a consultant to assess these impacts. This process is called an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). It covers all stages of the development (building, operation, and decommissioning). The EIA looks at potential ecological effects and also any potential impacts on natural processes like coastal erosion, or on human activities such as fishing.

Article tagged as: hachette, offshore wind, renewable energy, scarweather sands, wind power

Scarweather Sands: wind farms are safe and clean

Last edited 22 July 2003 at 8:00am
wind power at work

wind power at work

Wind energy is clean and endlessly renewable. Along with wave, tidal and solar it is the cleanest, safest form of energy there is. The Scarweather Sands wind farm won't affect 'Blue Flag' status of local beaches. It won't damage the surf. Unlike gas and coal power stations, it won't contribute to global warming and unlike nuclear power it won't leave us with a legacy of dangerous radioactive waste.

Article tagged as: climate change, hachette, offshore wind, renewable energy, scarweather sands, wind power

Scarweather Sands: The wind farm could boost the local economy

Last edited 22 July 2003 at 8:00am
Offshore wind farm, oeresund

Offshore wind farm, oeresund

Article tagged as: climate change, offshore wind, renewable energy, scarweather sands, wind power

Scarweather Sands: Why we need wind power

Last edited 22 July 2003 at 8:00am
Offshore wind park near Nysted, Denmark

Wind turbines at sea

Article tagged as: climate change, incineration, offshore wind, renewable energy, scarweather sands, wind power

Scarweather Sands: turbines won't harm the surf

Posted by bex — 22 July 2003 at 8:00am - Comments
wind turbines at sea

wind turbines at sea

This wind farm won't harm the surf. The waves at Porthcawl are powerful - they have travelled across the Atlantic. They also have a long average wavelength which means that they are physically big. To absorb or diffract any noticeable amount of their energy would take an enormous obstruction. The wind farm is simply not big enough to have a significant effect on the power of the waves. Even with the biggest of the foundations (concrete gravity foundations which use blocks around 3m high) the waves simply won't 'notice' that there is an obstruction. The turbines are so widely spaced (each one at least a third of a mile apart) that from the waves point of view over 98 % of the wind farm is just open sea!

Porthcawl is a significant surfing location and an important part of the UK surf scene and industry. The wind farm at Scarweather Sands will in no way undermine this. In fact it is part of an important shift to clean energy in the UK that will help tackle climate change (that threatens all our beaches) and marine pollution - so it is good for water users and the environment.

Article tagged as: climate change, hachette, offshore wind, renewable energy, scarweather sands, wind power

Government announces green light for wind power

Posted by bex — 17 July 2003 at 8:00am - Comments
wind turbines at sea

wind turbines at sea

The government has given the go-ahead this week for an ambitious programme of offshore wind farms to be developed around the UK coastline. Under plans announced by the Secretary for State and Industry, Patricia Hewitt, 1 in 6 households will be powered by energy harnessed from wind power by 2010. That's equivalent to every home in the south-east of England.

Article tagged as: climate change, offshore wind, patricia hewitt, renewable energy, wind power

Offshore wind: Global wind power potential

Last edited 31 July 2001 at 8:00am
Publication date: 
1 May, 2001

Despite the increasing frequency of very high energy gales, the power of the wind is hard to fully appreciate, probably because it seems to come out of 'thin air'. But a single modern wind turbine of 2MW power will produce as much electricity over a year as the electricity used by 1200 households i , and offshore wind turbines are set to be 3MW and even more powerful in future.

The combined global onshore and offshore wind resource that is technically recoverable is 53,000 Terawatt hours per year about four times bigger than the world's entire electricity consumption in 1998.

Download the report:
Article tagged as: offshore wind, renewable energy, reports, wind power