Will global warming an imminent threat to the UK and beyond, the ongoing search for alternative energy sources is ever
intensifying. According to this article, in the UK, dependence upon wind energy could dramatically increase by 2030. With a majority of energy coming from a natural, infinite source, we can live in carbon-footprint-free bliss. Right?
Well, firstly, nobody seems to be weighing up the economic and environmental costs of actually making so many thousands of wind turbines. As stated in this article by one Dr Hare, "It will cost more. There is no such thing as cheap green power - that is a myth." Isn't it also a bit ironic that wind turbines i) are produced in large factories, powered by fossil fuels, ii) require vast amounts of petroleum to transport them to their final destination and iii) are not made out of environmentally friendly materials? And lastly, a final irony: the largest wind turbine factory in the UK was actually supplying turbine blades to wind farms in... the USA.
This article goes on to describe how power stations, run on fossil fuels, must remain permanently on standby just in case wind drops for a few days and the turbines fail to generate any power. These stations, although remaining unused potentially for many years, must still be run, maintained and funded, regardless of their idleness.
I think it can be concluded from this article that while, on the surface, wind power may seem like the answer to all our anti-global-warming prayers, a little deeper below the surface and perhaps they're really not such a brilliant idea. Although it is indisputable that we should be doing less to pollute the world, perhaps just reducing our waste and doing a little bit of recycling would be just as good in the long run.