The Dangers of Wind Power

I’m not sure how much I believe in the global warming/climate change argument.
However, I do recognise that pollution is a bad thing and therefore that reducing pollution would be a good thing. Thus, I find myself in cautious favour of any steps being taken towards the reduction of pollution.

Wind power is one of those steps. Good old renewable energy.
Less dirty than coal, less challenging than solar, less dangerous than nuclear – or is it?

Take for example, this NY Times article in which it is stated that Britain could become a global leader in electricity production from offshore wind farms by 2020:

Britain could become the largest producer of electricity from offshore wind by the end of the next decade, according to the Carbon Trust, a group funded by the British government.
With carefully targeted subsidies and regulations, Britain could build 29 gigawatts of capacity compared to a global total of 66 gigawatts by 2020, giving it 45 percent of the offshore power market, said the Carbon Trust. By comparison, Germany would have 12 gigawatts by 2020, the group said.

All sounds very promising – even if Vestas is about to go under. But have these sort of plans really been thought through thoroughly? Not according to concerned, angry and apparently terminally stupid commenter Lyle Vos:

I am very concerned that these wind farms will affect the natural wind patterns thereby affecting weather patterns. A consensus of my friends who are scientists believe that a wind farm of this scale will shift the earth off its rotational axis and send it hurtling toward the sun in a matter of decades. Who stupid are these Brits? Don’t they realize that human actions on such a scale have worldwide consequences? Such an attempt to destroy the planet should be considered an act against humanity and declaration of war. Where is the condemnation from the UN?

Where indeed? What are the UN doing ignoring this blatant act against humanity and declaration of war against the entire planet?

As a scientist, I’d like to meet with Lyle’s “friends who are scientists”, partly to discuss with them their hypotheses regarding the shifting of the planet from its rotational axis due to the suddenshift of meteorological patterns, but mainly just to see if they exist.
And of course, hurtling towards the sun will also probably make the world hotter, thereby negating any of the positive effects of reducing the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity. Which won’t help either.

Having given the matter a lot of thought, I think that the only way to combat these terrible implications is to build an equally big wind farm on the other side of the world and have it running the other way.

7 thoughts on “The Dangers of Wind Power

  1. It’s people like you (the big thinkers) who really keep the world spinning properly on its axis, and who make the world safe for science. Those crafty Asians have probably already started building their wind farms, on the other side of the world, where we can’t see them. So it’s a good job Britain’s on top of its game. It’s all a big balancing act, isn’t it?
    .-= expateek´s last blog ..Little children, little problems… =-.

  2. expateek > Damn those crafty asians. Unless, of course, those crafty americans have done the same thing.

    Delboy > Brilliant. And we could use the power to build giant rocket motors in Brazil to pop the world back wherre it belongs. Or something.

    Gob lin > Ah. Suddenly it all becomes clear.

  3. What about the ocean currents? Has anybody thought of that yet? I also hope all the atmospheric modelling people are aware of the change in wind patterns because they’d have to adjust their parameters when predicting the weather.

    On a serious note: I spoke to project manager working for Crown Estate on setting up wind farms around UK the other night and one of their major “real” concerns are U-boats and military sensitive areas.
    .-= theflipside´s last blog ..HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GPS =-.

  4. po > OK. Well, how heavy are you?

    theflipside > Don’t start him on ocean currents. He’ll flip (NPI).
    Why can’t submarines just avoid these windfarms? Pretend they’re rocks or something.

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