Hold on to your hats

By PRSD, on Saturday, February 25, 2006

Experiments in renewable energy are taking place in South Devon.

British Gas has teamed up with Windsave to trial pole-fixed roof-top propellor-type wind turbines.

But before we throw our hats up in the air with a collective whoop of joy, only for them to be taken farÂ and wide on the prevailing winds, these turbines are not without their nay sayers, and what about the efficiency of turning theÂ rotational energy in electric energy – a common bleat of those who are generally against wind power. And what ever happened to the other urban roof-top wind turbine maker, Winddam?Â

And while we’re on the subject of efficiency, photovoltaic cells and solar power seem to have had a false dawn, and solar power in general has suffered by being sold in the same way as double glazing, creating mistrust in a tentative market.

Devon Dare (the Devon Association for Renewable Energy) carried out an efficiency study on hydro power on Dartmoor following the success of the Old Walls Farm project, and there was talk of a network of hydro-electricity producers supplying their own communities.

A combination of these technologies, and wave power, is surely the answer, and stuttering starts and lack of information aside these projects are all laudable, but we just need to take the next and often most difficult step and get them actually working on a larger scale.

That said, saving energy starts at an individual level and we can’t keep everything on standby until the problem is solved by someone else. Do what you can now.

If you have any information about renewable energy that you want to impart, contact the People’s Republic of South Devon, or visit the Plymouth Environment Centre (see links)

Posted by Cptn