Wind Power

Knabs Ridge Windfarm, Harrogate –Under construction

Construction work got underway on 1st March 2007 on North Yorkshire's first new wind farm in 15 years. The wind farm at Knabs Ridge lies south of the A59 Harrogate to Skipton road, west of Harrogate and is the first development of its kind for Harrogate. Construction is due to take around 11 months and once operational the wind farm will comprise 8 x 2 megawatt (MW) wind turbines and will power thousands of local homes with green electricity The plan!

Location A59

Controversy?
Only after a government inquiry was the wind farm allowed to be built!
Harrogate Borough Council had vetoed the plan for eight 300ft high turbines at Kettlesing in Nidderdale.
But a government planning inquiry has overruled the council and decided that NPower Renewables can go ahead.
Coun Richard Cooper said “the decision flew in the face of common sense. NPower said wind farms were graceful”

Why did the local council oppose the plan?
Is it an example of NIMBY? (not in my backyard!)
What are the broader arguments in favour of developing wind power?

Report by Harrogate Borough Council

Wharfedale & Airedale Observer September 8 2005
Airport concerned at wind farm application U-turn By Jim Jack
Airport bosses are trying to find out why permission has been granted for a wind farm which could interfere with their air traffic control system. Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) and the Civil Aviation Authority both warned that building eight, 320ft turbines at Knabs Ridge – near Menwith Hill – could produce “severe disruption” to radar signals. The £10 million plan by npower renewables was also opposed by Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) who claimed it would create a blot on the landscape just 50ft from the protected area. Harrogate Borough Council upheld the concerns and turned the application down last year, but now a Government planning inspector, following a public inquiry, has overturned that decision. The airport, which in a letter sent to Harrogate in 2003 warned that the turbine blades could “effectively blank out a large segment of the radar control provide by LBA”, is refusing to comment in detail until it’s had a chance to scrutinise the inspector’s findings. LBA Operations Director Andy Judge said: “We will not be making any comment until we have had the opportunity to study the report.” But Harrogate Council has had no qualms about revealing its disappointment at the ruling, with Councillor Richard Cooper, Cabinet Member for Planning, warning that “nowhere is now safe from development.” He said: “This decision flies in the face of common sense. For a Government inspector to come to our district and ignore all the good planning reasons why these towering metal structures should not be allowed is a smack in the face to local people and the council.

Compare this with my first photo! Only 3 built so far Turbines ARE more visable than suggested

The 2MW turbines, which comprise a 58 metre (m) tower with a 70 m rotor diameter

We have taken steps to minimise disruption to local people during the construction phase and will as far as possible minimise disturbance resulting from increased construction traffic during busy site periods. There will be no working on Saturday afternoon, Sundays and bank holidays and all construction will cease at 6pm in the evening.
Short term impact?

Yes2Wind?
UN panel of scientists and over 160 governments agree that the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) is causing our climate to change dramatically. Last year the UK Government predicted that global warming will expose many millions more people to the risks of hunger, drought, flooding and diseases like malaria, and produce irreversible losses of species.
Clean, renewable forms of energy, such as wind power, are essential if we are to tackle climate change. They are also vital in ending the threat of nuclear power, which would leave a legacy of nuclear waste that will remain a threat to our health and the environment for hundreds of thousands of years.

from
It's clean. Wind power does not produce dangerous waste, nor does it contribute to global warming.
It's abundant and reliable. The UK is the windiest country in Europe and the resource is much greater during the colder months of the year, when energy demand is at its highest. Wind power, in combination with a full range of renewable energy technologies, such as wave and solar, could meet all of our electricity needs. Technology is being developed to store wind power as hydrogen which can then be used to power fuel cells in power stations and in vehicles.
It's affordable. The first offshore wind turbines in the UK are producing power more cheaply than our newest nuclear power station. The UK Government's figures show that all wind power will be cheaper than nuclear power by 2020.
It works. Denmark already gets 20% of its electricity from wind power.
It creates jobs. The wind industry could bring thousands of new jobs to the UK, many of them using offshore engineering skills used by the declining oil and gas industry. If offshore wind were developed to supply just 10% of the UK's electricity, then 36,000 jobs could be created.
It's safe. Unlike nuclear power stations, wind turbines are unlikely terrorist targets.
It's popular. Wind energy is one of the most popular energy technologies. Opinion surveys regularly show that just over eight out of ten people are in favour of wind energy, and less than one in ten (around 5%) are against it.
http://www.yes2wind.com/whywind.html

Misinformation and myths about wind power are often spread by people who want to oppose wind farms. Here we look at 5 of the most common myths, and give you the facts to counter them –from Yes2Wind
.
Myth 1. Wind turbines spoil the landscape Myth 2. Wind turbines kill lots of birds Myth 3. Tourists hate wind farms Myth 4. Wind turbines are noisy Myth 5. Wind power isn't reliable Myth 6. Turbines are taking over the countryside

Summarise the arguments for and against the construction of Knabs Ridge windfarm. Was the government right to over rule the Harrogate Borough Council decision on environmental grounds?

Wind Farm for Hook Moor?
In July 2007 an article appeared in the Wetherby News, stating that plans were being considered for a windfarm on Hook Moor, just to the south of Bramham.

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Wind Power

by jacksonthree on Nov 11, 2007

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Wind Power — Presentation Transcript