Wind-farms: The Marmite of renewable energy?

“You either love them or you hate them”

I recently went on a walking holiday with my family to Snowdon, staying in Llandudno. On the first evening, as usual, we picked up a bag of fish and chips each and went to sit on the shore-front so we could enjoy our meal whilst looking out to sea. As we looked out and tucked in, the large formation of wind-turbines off-shore sparked the topic of controversy between my dad and me. He can’t stand them. And, as usual, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing – how on earth can you be against something so innovative and wonderful?

Sure, Dad, they aren’t natural-looking. And you’re right, they do stick out like a sore thumb on a horizon. But other than being offensive to your eyes (and your ears if you’re close enough… *whoosh*) what other argument can be made against highly efficient, electricity-producing machines powered by a free, clean, renewable fuel?

The Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm, nr Landudno, has 160-turbines that generates the equivalent energy of powering 400,000 homes. (Source)

It seems odd that two people, who have the same understanding and appreciation of the importance of wind farms in producing clean and renewable energy - particularly in light of the current global energy-ecological crisis - can have such opposing perceptions of wind farms because one, quite simply, doesn’t find them aesthetically pleasing.

Of course, divided opinions on aesthetics are not limited to my dad and me; it’s remarkable how fundamental these arguments are in wind-farm policy, particularly in the UK. In this Parliament briefing paper, it has been suggested that local planning authorities have been at fault rejecting too many applications for wind farms – appeals to inspectors has frequently resulted in rejection, normally on grounds of damage to the landscape. The problem is that wind is usually stronger in open countryside, which is often an area of high aesthetic value.  For example, seven wind turbines were rejected in the Grampian foothills as “it would have a significant adverse effect on landscape character and harm visual amenity.” Five 100m high wind turbines were also rejected at a site in North Yorkshire primarily due to landscape harm - an inspector stated “the landscape contributed to the area’s distinctive character”.

Can our society afford to be so insistent about landscape aesthetics? According to the Global Wind Energy Council, a typical wind turbine produces 6 million kWh in a year - enough to supply 1,500 average-sized homes with electricity. Let’s compare this to how much coal (the predominant fossil fuel in electricity production) is needed to generate the same amount. 1,904 kWh are produced per ton of coal, so it would take 3,151.26 tons of coal to produce the quantity of electricity that a single wind turbine would produce. Theoretically, this could have meant that the seven turbine project rejected in the Grampian foothills could have both supplied 10,500 houses with electricity each year and could have potentially saved 22,058 tons of coal a year.

The already-strained global energy situation will reach a critical level as the global population is expected to rise to 9.6 billion people by 2050. To deal with these global energy problems, there needs to be increased investment in technologies that improve energy efficiency as well as decreasing the environmental impacts of production. This is a critical transition that will not happen overnight, but it is obvious that there needs to be a move towards sustainable energy over the coming decades, for us to be able to cope with the unprecedented rise in population and energy consumption.

Projected light pollution growth in the United States 1950-2025, demonstrating the increases in population and the need for increased energy production over time. (Source)

It is no longer viable for the UK to be so precious about the aesthetic landscape when it comes to renewable energy. Until we’re ready to give up everything from our television to our heating, the power needs to come from somewhere, and it is no good being dependent on a finite source like coal that is quickly running out. Ask yourself this question, wind-farm opposers: Which are you more willing to give up, your electronic devices (and please bear in mind what you’re using to read this) or the view on top of a hill?

Whilst the need for sustainable energy increases, the energy needs to be produced sustainably – there must and will be compromises. We, as a society, need to become more accepting of the technological advances that are going to shape our landscape, for sure, but also a cleaner, sustainable future.

Bangladesh - Bearing the Brunt of Climate Change

The combination of the geographical location and the geomorphological conditions of Bangladesh's landscape has made it one of the most vulnerable countries to natural disasters. On top of this, there is a whole host of other problems that hinder the country's ability to cope: poverty and illiteracy, high population density and land shortage. With the increasing greenhouse effect and the consequent sea level rise (SLR), climate change is aggravating and increasing both the frequency and magnitude of the natural disasters that Bangladesh faces every year, stunting its development and economic growth.

World map giving a visual representation of countries ranked by their Climate Risk Index. Calculated by Munich Re NatCatSERVICE, the CRI uses quantitative data from a extreme weather events (e.g. fatalities and economic losses) to produce an average ranking of countries. The highest rankings (1-10 are listed) are the countries at the highest risk from both frequent events and the greatest disasters. (Source)

Severe tropical storms come from the south, stirring in the waters of the Bay of Bengal. These idyllic and sparkling waters are deceptively beautiful; 5.5% of the world's tropical cyclones begin in this ocean. The continental shelf below the bay amplifies the cyclones significantly as it approaches land and causes extreme floods along the coast. This has the most devastating effects in the central region, which lacks the protection from the Mangrove forests of the western region, as well as the hilly terrain of the east. This poorly protected region, combined with a large and dense population, makes it extremely vulnerable to the impacts of flooding and has seen the most disastrous effects of tropical cyclones.

Map of Bangladesh showing the population densities inside and outside of a low coastal elevation zone. The darker the red, the more densely populated that area is inside the LECZ. The map shows that the central coastal region to be the most densely populated, whilst also being the most active part of the delta. (Source)

The impacts climate change is likely to have during this century is bad news for Bangladesh. The IPCC (2007) predictions of a 2 °C-4.5 °C rise in temperature by 2100 would see increases in maximum cyclone wind speeds calculated to be 10% to 25%. Coupled with the SLR predictions this could see an unprecedented increase in flooding – just a 1 metre rise in sea level could see 13 million people displaced here.

This is a scary prospect. This country is one of the most vulnerable to the effects of global climate change, which is ironic since this is so disproportionate to its contribution to global warming. Therefore, there can be no doubt that there needs to be an international responsibility in reducing the consequences of climate change on the innocent.

However, like other vulnerable countries, Bangladesh’s voice is not always heard as strongly in the negotiations as others; the richest and biggest polluters dictate the debate. This is frustrating, because it’s the ones without a voice that desperately need to be listened to. In an attempt to overcome this, in the run up to COP21 in Paris this December, the United Nations Development Programme are supporting countries in engagement and discussions, as well as helping to develop and finalize targets and actions that will become part of the Paris agreement. Preparation is key, because an ambitious outcome at COP21 is one that will accelerate opportunities for climate change action in developing countries and be an important pillar in the post-2015 era of sustainable development.

If this outcome in Paris is not reached, the costs of climate change in this country could result in an annual loss of 2% of GDP by 2050 and 9.4% of GDP by 2100, so it is vital for COP21 to be a success. Even then, this would only be the beginning of an uphill battle of Bangladesh’s survival.