Windfarm anyone?

[Gremlin]

Originally Posted by Neil

Isnt the biggest hydroelectric we have the one in Wales that is not really a power station as such but more of a big water battery?

.

I had a tour around the hydroelectric power station at llanberis a couple of years ago. It is consists of two big lakes, one at the top of a mountain and one at the bottom. The turbines are hdden in the mountain and water rushes through during the day to produce electricty. At night, when electricity is cheaper the water is pumped back up again. There are no pylons to be seen anywhere and apart from a Visitors centre you wouldn't know about it. The tour takes you right around the underground installations in coaches, full size ones, that's how big the workings are.
The pictures below were scanned from the brochure they give you with your entrance ticket.







You get chance to get right alongside the machinery and we all had to wear hard hats.
.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Yes, we have been there too...it is called Electric Mountain.

[churchfcrules]

ugly? or add to the landscape? took this morning whilst at Jackhouse Res

[Alan Varrechia]

For me personally. The ugliness far outweighs there usefulleness.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Alan Varrechia

For me personally. The ugliness far outweighs there usefulleness.

I would rather have them on the hill near me than a nuclear power station up there

[churchfcrules]

im in two minds to be honest, i wouldnt like to see them up the lakes for example, but i think they bring something to the skyline of towns, and as neil says lot better than nuclear power on the outskirts of town, would i have one in the garden if it was cheap enough and it would reduce my eleccy bill, damn right!

couple more i took this morning

[susie123]

Originally Posted by churchfcrules

im in two minds to be honest, i wouldnt like to see them up the lakes for example, but i think they bring something to the skyline of towns, and as neil says lot better than nuclear power on the outskirts of town, would i have one in the garden if it was cheap enough and it would reduce my eleccy bill, damn right!

Well here in Morecambe we've got two nuclear power stations down the road at Heysham and turbines on various hills in the vicinity. If we want leccy I'm afraid that's the price we have to pay for progress - until they put a barrage across Morecambe Bay that is!

[churchfcrules]

artistic impression of alternative, i know what i would rather have above the town!

[susie123]

Originally Posted by Neil

I would rather have them on the hill near me than a nuclear power station up there

Originally Posted by churchfcrules

artistic impression of alternative, i know what i would rather have above the town!

Very unlikely to get a nuclear power station on the moors - they are built on the coast to use seawater for cooling and hence don't have cooling towers. Darren's pic is probably a nasty old fashioned coalfired beast.

[Gordon Booth]

It's been a lovely day today, sun, cold, no wind.
What was supplying the electric which kept your central heating pump running, your oven on etc.?

Not the useless windfarms which you pay subsidies for even when they're sat there 70/80% of the time not generating anything but an eyesore.
No. it was the coal, gas and nuclear power stations.

You can blanket the UK in wind farms and on a day like today you'll sit and shiver if you're relying on them for even a small percentage of your power. Industry will have to switch off, offices shut, electric trains stop.

Power has to be reliable and available 100% of the time- we rely on it totally. Wind farms can never promise that.

[Barrie Yates]

Originally Posted by Gremlin

I had a tour around the hydroelectric power station at llanberis a couple of years ago. .

Is it at Llanberis or Dinorwig? Went to the one at Dinorwig a few times during and after commissioning. Did not realise there was one at Llanberis.

Dinorwig Power Station (1,728MW)
The Dinorwig Power Station in Wales was commission in 1984 and has a huge 1.7GW power rating. 10 miles of underground tunnels buried beneath Elidir mountain carry water down from Marchlyn Mawr to the six 288MW turbine generators situated in Europe's largest man-made cavern. During construction 12 million tonnes of material was excavated and 1 million tonnes of concrete and 4,500 tonnes of steel used. A schematic diagram is displayed below:

- See more at: UK Hydro Power Stations - Hydro

[maxthecollie]

Originally Posted by churchfcrules

ugly? or add to the landscape? took this morning whilst at Jackhouse Res

Ugly, Obscene they blocked off my tv reception

[Gordon Booth]

Originally Posted by maxthecollie

Ugly, Obscene they blocked off my tv reception

Don't worry, with the generating gap they're forecasting in the next few years you won't be able to switch your tv on for part of the day. But you'll be able to entertain yourself watching your wind farm running(if it's windy) knowing that someone else is getting their share of that days energy ration from it.
If it's not windy you'll have to take up knitting-sweaters.

[Gremlin]

Originally Posted by Barrie Yates

Is it at Llanberis or Dinorwig? Went to the one at Dinorwig a few times during and after commissioning. Did not realise there was one at Llanberis.

Dinorwig Power Station (1,728MW)
The Dinorwig Power Station in Wales was commission in 1984 and has a huge 1.7GW power rating. 10 miles of underground tunnels buried beneath Elidir mountain carry water down from Marchlyn Mawr to the six 288MW turbine generators situated in Europe's largest man-made cavern. During construction 12 million tonnes of material was excavated and 1 million tonnes of concrete and 4,500 tonnes of steel used. A schematic diagram is displayed below:

- See more at: UK Hydro Power Stations - Hydro

It suppose it would be Dinorwig Barrie, I called it Llanberis because that is where the visitors centre is and where the underground tour starts.
If you look back at the pictures of the brochure I scanned it does state it is at Llanberis.

[churchfcrules]

i have virgin, so tv doesnt bother me, I'm alright jack! lol