himagain Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Looks like there will be turbines in Highgreen Quote Proposals for a feasibility study to develop Sheffield’s first wind turbine site are set to be approved by the City Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday 13 February. A site at Westwood Country Park in the north of Sheffield has been chosen for a pilot scheme to test the potential for wind turbine energy generation in the city. An initial feasibility study has been carried out by the Council to help identify how the Council can develop and support renewable energy across Sheffield. Cabinet members are expected to give the go-ahead to invite proposals from developers interested in meeting all the financial risks for design, planning and development costs in return for a minimum 20 year lease on the site. A detailed feasibility and assessment of the site will be needed and the developers should be prepared to meet these costs as part of their final tender submission. The Council has ‘soft’ market tested the potential sites for the turbines and Westwood Country Park was identified, based on feedback from potential developers, as the most desirable option. It is believed that between 2 and 6 turbines of between 60 and 100 metres in height could be located on the site. These would provide a generating capacity of up to 12 MW, equivalent to providing enough electricity for several thousand homes. Consultation is seen as crucial in the development of the site and the local Area Panels will be involved to assist in this. The successful contractor will also be required to engage fully with the community once the contracts have been agreed. Westwood Country Park is owned by the City Council and does not have any formal recreation areas, but is used by the local community for informal exercise, dog walking and fishing. The public access rights would be maintained during the construction work and after the development is completed. The park is also used for grazing cattle and by the Concorde Flying Club, who have a licence to use the site. The development may make the park unsuitable for flying model aircraft, so the Council would work with a future developer to find an alternative site for the club. Councillor Mary Lea, the Council’s Cabinet member for Sustainable Environment commented: “I see this as a significant milestone in the Council’s commitment to developing sustainable energy sources. However, we are committed to consulting fully with local residents and users of the park to ensure we find the very best solution for all those involved.” If the proposal is endorsed by Cabinet on 13 February, it is hoped that the procurement process would be completed and a developer engaged by the end of this year, with a possibility of the site being operational by late 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angle20 Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Ugh! Another quote from Mary Lea: People need to get used to the idea that these wind farms are going to be all over the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephenr Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 I think its a good idea. They should also build some on the business park being built off of Nether Lane in Ecclsefield and the energy generated there could actually be used by the business park itself as the buildings do not look very enviromentally friendly. And yes i do live in the imediate area of the business park but I accept that we need turbines built and they have to go somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastair Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 I think its a good idea. They should also build some on the business park being built off of Nether Lane in Ecclsefield and the energy generated there could actually be used by the business park itself as the buildings do not look very enviromentally friendly. And yes i do live in the imediate area of the business park but I accept that we need turbines built and they have to go somewhere. Why do you accept the turbines need to be built? They are unreliable, uneconomic and if the EU wasn't paying for them they would never be built by someone wanting to make money on them. Look at the Danish experience, where they have enough wind turbine capacity to generate 19% of their power, but haven't shut one single conventional power station. That's because they have to keep them running for when the wind drops - total madness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TESTPASS Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Well I love the Idea of wind farms and yes I would have one in my back yard (litrally if I could) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angle20 Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 New Labour lining the pockets of the fat cats yet again: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3257728.ece LAVISH subsidies and high electricity prices have turned Britain’s onshore wind farms into an extraordinary moneyspinner, with a single turbine capable of generating £500,000 of pure profit per year. According to new industry figures, a typical 2 megawatt (2MW) turbine can now generate power worth £200,000 on the wholesale markets - plus another £300,000 of subsidy from taxpayers. Since such turbines cost around £2m to build and last for 20 or more years, it means they can pay for themselves in just 4 -5 years and then produce nothing but profit. The lucrative outlook has led to a surge in planning applications for new windfarms. There are already 165 wind farms operating 1,944 turbines in Britain but another 34 are under construction, a further 118 have planning consent and 220 are under consideration, according to new figures from the British Wind Energy Association. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewC Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Why do you accept the turbines need to be built? They are unreliable, uneconomic and if the EU wasn't paying for them they would never be built by someone wanting to make money on them. Look at the Danish experience, where they have enough wind turbine capacity to generate 19% of their power, but haven't shut one single conventional power station. That's because they have to keep them running for when the wind drops - total madness. I can't be sure without the figures and I'm certainly no expert, but my intial thought after reading that comment is that the power stations are probably all running at a lower capacity. Its not neccesarily as simple as build a hundred wind turbines - close a coal power station. Overall you still get a drop in the use of non-renewable fuels. In this case only 81% down from what would have been at one point 100%! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honeyb35 Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 I live at high green, wind farms dont bother me, I'd rather see them than yet more houses / apartments! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
himagain Posted February 6, 2008 Author Share Posted February 6, 2008 I live at high green, wind farms dont bother me, I'd rather see them than yet more houses / apartments! I think you might be bothered when you realise that a wind turbine can be very noisy they emit intrasound that is a very low level sound that passes through walls etc. You might be surprised to know that they emit in excess of 100Db and the sound can travels miles. Lets also remember that this is 24 hrs a day when the wind blows. http://www.barrhill.org.uk/windfarm/noise/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MATT M Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 they could put them on top of the fosters flats , then hopefully they would take off elsewhere !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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