The Future of Power – Is It Wind?
The news is full of energy stories at the moment and the drive towards renewables is in full flow with wind farm after wind farm either proposed or approved for the near future. In Scotland there has been an announcement for three new developments in the waters around Shetland which are expected to power some two million homes when the wind blows. The Crown Estate Scotland owns the seabed around the nation and they are in the process of auctioning off the right to build wind farms. Some will be conventional upright fixed turbines and others may be anchored floating wind farms that don’t need the foundations pile driven into the seabed.
As Tall as the Eiffel Tower!
In order to get these licenses the successful companies will pay the Scottish government some £65 million quid. The Scotwind project will see the world's largest floating offshore wind generation. It’s a bit in the future though as the technology for floating turbines isn’t quite there yet, but trials show positive results so far. These floating turbines may well happen in the future, but for the moment the turbines are getting larger and larger. Some new German designed wind turbines are going to be taller than the Eifel Tower and offering greater output in lower wind areas, but at some cost to the visual environment. Indeed where I live they are proposing a wind farm just 8 miles out to sea, but I admit we all need the power.
The Bounty of the Sea
These farms aren’t popular with everybody, especially hard pressed fisher folk who wrest a living from the sea. The Shetland Fishermen's Association doesn’t like the projects and say that they could damage known haddock nursery grounds and pollock spawning sites. They are all in agreement that more green power is needed, but the fishers worry about possible damage to local ecology and local employment. It could be that fish will become even more expensive than it is at the moment, or that fishing will become completely unviable as the sea’s ecology changes. But the move to green energy is something that we all look forward to and the hope of lower energy bills in the future.
A Good Thing Too
To sound another positive note I can inform you that the much liked James Pirie Summer sale has been extended to help our loyal customers cash go somewhat further. The lovely Flower of Scotland range has some cracking bargains at the moment like this half price set , the Flower of Scotland Thistle Whisky Set in a pleasing thistle shape. It is unique, handmade and comes in a beautiful satin lined presentation box. It’s the cat’s pajamies.
