Plans are afoot to build another wind farm on Thornton Moor – old home of the Brontë sisters. Opinion is divided: although some are in favour of wind farms, others think they will damage the landscape and impact on tourism.
Personally, I am all in favour of wind turbines as I think they are really important.
The UK has 40% of Europe’s entire wind resource and plenty of coastlines for offshore wind, so we should make the most of it.
It’s easy to be against wind farms unless you have considered all the alternative options.
We need new power
Yes, wind turbines are visible in our landscape and we need quite a few of them to produce the same amount of energy as a traditional power plant, but what if we don’t build any? We would have to keep relying on imported energy as well as building new power stations.
Of course, we can upgrade existing power plants but we are likely to need new ones too, and nuclear power plants are seen as a low carbon alternative. How would people react if the go-ahead was given for a nuclear power plant near their home?
With its great wind capacity, the UK already has 339 wind farms in operation, generating over 6,000 megawatts of electricity. That’s enough to power more than 3.6 million homes. And there are a further 50 wind farms under construction and 272 other projects that have been given the go-ahead.
Wind farms – an eyesore?
But some people don’t like wind farms. They object by saying that they’re an eyesore, can impact on tourism, are noisy and can kill birds. But for me, when I see a wind turbine, I don’t see ugliness – I think of clean technology, innovation, modernism and sustainability.
I also find wind farms reassuring, because I know this is electricity we are producing here in the UK, simply from the power of wind. The energy we produce doesn’t depend on anyone else, on importing any gas or coal and it should provide us with energy security and shield us from rising oil prices in the future.
And while it might cost us all a bit more on our energy bills now, I believe it’s important to take a long-sighted view and see the benefits for the future, especially if oil prices keep rising as they have in the last few years.
Do you think we should be planning more wind farms in the UK? Or should we look to other forms of energy to see us through to the future?
Do you like wind farms?
No - I think they're awful (48%, 487 Votes)
Yes - I think they're a great idea (40%, 399 Votes)
I kind of like them, but not in my back yard (9%, 90 Votes)
I'm not sure yet (3%, 32 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,009
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