Why is wind power important as a future energy source?
Electricity from the wind is clean, renewable, and inexhaustible. Nothing is burned or "used up" to produce wind power. Using wind power in place of coal, natural gas, or oil avoids the environmental impacts of mining, drilling, transporting and burning these fuels. Furthermore, wind power does not pollute the air or water, does not create hazardous waste, and does not produce carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. A single utility-scale wind turbine can prevent the emission of 5000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. Which is very good for the UK because the UK government has set a target for generating 10% of electricity from renewable sources by 2010. This reflects growing environmental concerns about global warming and acid rain.
Where is the peak district national park?
- The Peak District national park is located in the middle of England. It is surrounded by several cities and villages starting form Holm firth in the North, Stocksbridge in the North East, Sheffield in the East, Chesterfield in the South East, Leek in the South West and Stockport in the West.
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The Peak District consists mainly of two parts the WHITE PEAK which is the Limestone landscape with flat plateaus cut by steep-sided valleys or 'dales' there are Strips of broadleaved woodland
- This is a clear, fast flowing, sometimes seasonal rivers and streams. There are small villages and towns connected by valley roads.
- The DARK PEAK in South which is the Grit stone landscape with dramatic, vast plateaus and long, rocky ridges and edges
and sheltered deep valleys or 'cloughs'.
There are some fast flowing streams from the plateau edges. This area includes some major valleys, some of which are flooded to form reservoirs.
- Around 17 million people live within 60 miles of the Peak District National Park and 30 million people visit it each year. It is the second most visited area in the world (Mount Fuji in Japan is the most visited area in the world).
What impacts the wind farm could have on the Peak district:
- The wind turbines are considered an eyesore therefore some people will stop going to areas with wind turbines.
- Noise pollution is caused by the wind farm and may annoy the visitors.
- The noise will scare animals away like birds and the ecosystem will be damaged.
- Interference with radio and television signals.
- Possibility of accidents in case of storms or lightning strikes.
- The prices of the houses will fall down.
Dear The Sheffield Star:
My name is Will Smith. I am a house owner in one of the villages in the peak district near Sheffield. I heard about the Sheffield city council’s plan for a wind farm near my house. I know that the wind farms are quite useful sometimes, but if Sheffield city council decides to build the wind farm in the peak district the price of my house will be reduced by 1/3. I will not be able to watch television or listen to radio normally because the wind turbines will interference with their signals. The wind turbines will create noise pollution, which will scare away animals and may annoy some visitors in the area. Imagine having a picnic in an area surrounded by 15 thick towers of metal 44 metres height I am sure no body would like this sort of picnic. It is important that we realise that the Peak District is not the only suitable place in the UK for wind farms and we do not need a large amount of electricity if we save some energy by using insulation in our houses. The Peak District is a very beautiful place and millions of visitors visit it every year so I don not think spoiling the views of nature in the Peak District is a good idea.
Yours truly,
Will Smith
The editor’s Views:
The Government's aspiration is that the UK should generate 10% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2010. If all that were provided by onshore wind turbines, we would need an area of land larger than both the North Yorkshire Moors and Peak District combined. In my opinion there are several solutions for this problem
offshore wind farms is a good solution for building wind farms and using renewable energy without effecting the Peak District in anyway.
