The future is here!

Let's hopr for the best in the next future.

Bei und nicht anders, nur noch 3 Atomkraftwerke am Netz, die jetzt auch abgeschaltet werden. Von Kohlekraftwerken verabschiedet man sich. Man hat sich sehr vom russischen Gas und Öl abhängig gemacht.
Angenehmes Wochenende

The UK, it seems has 11 working nuclear power plants producing 16% of todays electricity. We have lots of oil and gas around our shores but the prices of oil and gas are controlled by world prices, also most of the oil and gas from there is exported due to long term contracts. This results in us being in the same boat as most of our European neighbours ie having to import expensive liquid gas and buying electricity from Norway. At least we depend very little directly from Russia.

Enjoy the weekend. Herb

Pff , triste paysage
Perso je pense les éoliennes antiécologiques

You think then that having nuclear power stations with the thousand year waste is better or shipping liquid gas across Oceans in oil guzzling ships after the oil wells have laid waste to their parent sites. Even solar cells produces hazardous waste in the long term. These windfarms - OK so the sails will one day have to be scrapped but all in all that is still a far greener result than the alternatives.

It is maybe a short term solution but what with the waste? Those awful “wings” are not sustainable, are we going to multiply waste cemeteries in poor countries as we are doing?
I agree with Neira, they are not ecological. Neither solar panels are, and in my area they are destroying nature to put more and more, we have hills of them, no more trees, less animals…

I can see your point Isabel. I reality don't like to see these wind farms on our hills (and we have many already) but as I grow older - I turn my heating up -not down. (NW England is 9 months of the year cold and wet). My house is not so very well built nor insulated. I could get over that by knocking it down and rebuilding a new one with triple glaze windows etc. Neighbours are starting to install toxic wood stoves to heat their homes. A big push here for people to buy new electric cars with their giant toxic batteries etc. I heard yesterday that if one has to scrap a old car especially to buy a new electric one, it cost more ecologically than sticking to the old one. Everything comes with a price. In your country, energy is spent cooling down homes. The other answer is to continue to support Russia with its war efforts and let them destroy their own countryside with mines, oil/gas wells etc. Our choice!

Enjoy the week my friend.

What I say is that we can reduce our use, e.g. in my South some people leave AC on all day and night long, it is really wasting. The old system was opening opposite windows and have shutters down, we have “persianas” that leave the air and some light filter through and it is very pleasant and enough in the hot hours.
In winter it is not so warm here even if we don’t have very low temperatures. I don’t heat most of the time except for one bathroom, I wear warm clothes and have a hot water bottle on my lap when sitting with a book, tv or computer.
I think there are ways to reduce our energy consumption and still be comfortable… each one has to find his own according to one’s needs and circumstances.
Enjoy the week too, my friend

A view to the future, Herb ! We have to support this kind of energy production very fast and effective !

IMHO, you are so right Ulrich.

Nice capture, Herb! I agree with Isabel. On the other hand there are currently no promising alternatives and the electricity unfortunately does not come from the socket!

It is our way of life that has to change, reduce demography too… planet cannot support this much longer…

Hi. See my personal answers to Neira-Dan and Isabel above.

Herb

It is really difficult to discuss this online, Isabel. Maybe a small step of change would be if we all would turn off our laptops, computers etc. So no more picture uploads from cameras with batteries or discussions online. Just imagine how much that would save if done world wide and much less electronic waste. I´m not trying to offend you Isabel. It is not that easy just to say we must change our way of life. But as I already said, discussing this online would just take too long.

Don't need to be so drastic… just be more careful in our way of using energy !
I do it, specially with water because we always had little, but with energy too, there are so many little gestures to save wasting it… and that would already change conjuncture, even if not enough, at least a little.

De l'énergie propre..Il n-y a pas mieux. Superbement rendue.
Bon week-end salutaire.

NOt clean at all Malik. Produces not recyclable waste that will be sent to Africa’s ans South America poor countries…

Far better to try and send them some of our old nuclear waste than old wind farm sails Isabel!

I just meant that it is not clean energy, some are cleaner than others but say they are clean is a lie. Clean energy doesn’t exist… yet…

I don't like them Herb, but I guess I will have to get used to them. I think the ones at sea are the most efficient. We have lots of fields of solar panels around here....what can I say other than they are ugly but I suppose they do their job! As long as we stop buying anything from Russia I will be happy.
All the best & good weekend, Rosa.

Hi Rosa. I have just found some more photos taken of these, and this wind farm is actually out to sea, not on a hill, as I has supposed. (that 170mm acts as a 255mm so a very long telephoto - hence too, the blurred foreground.). I don't get to see any solar farms at all but I imagine, they really do have an impact on natural life as the sun does not even get to the ground beneath them, so most life will be extinguished. All a great pity - bring back coal -one might shout :) The second point about buying energy from Russia is another shared agreement by me.

Keep safe. herb

Hi Herb,
thought you might be interested in some YouGov questions from yesterday
Are Onshore Windfarms seen as attractive?
www.ipernity.com/doc/vitalsparks/51261268
How do they look in the landscape?
www.ipernity.com/doc/vitalsparks/51261266

So for most people surveyed it looks like they are out of sight and not on their minds

I assume someone will come up with how to reuse the blades at end of life.
Colin

Thanks for this Colin. The results here are pretty much as I would have expected, as a large percentage of our population live in towns and cities. I can understand the slight vote of them being worse for the landscape (a little surprised that the percentage swing was not bigger). There never was a question abut these making the natural landscape look nicer. I think you would suspect, that as an self- acclaimed landscape photographer, I do in fact dislike these on the horizon but they look better than giant nuclear power stations and even a myriad oil wells like they have in the US. As said elsewhere, I wish to heat my home, run my car and turn on my computer and oven. What other answers have we got? - I would like to think that the blades could go to some good cause eventually but sadly that is also not likely to be the case.
Cheers, Herb

In our region wind power is one the possibilities of the future. Naturally there are many discussions because it' s a massive change of the landscape - same idea for the off- shore-version.
Wish you a fine weekend, Herb !

No wind in Lima! Should I be sorry about that? I do love the photos and don´t mind the new windmills, though I suppose no Don Quixote would try to fight with them.

No wind!!! It might be nice for a short time but I don't think I would like that very much Eva. We have these over every hill it seems nowadays and the look often like an invading armada when out at sea but they do provide much need electricity at not a big price to our ozone layer. I think you are right about Don Quixote -he tried to fight many things!

Best Wishes. Herb

I like the photo Herb but what's the answer ?????????????
Gordon

This is the best way to go for our electricity here in the north of Britain, as you know Gordon. Not much point in having solar cells with our meagre sunshine. I'm not keen on Nuclear and our hills are not big enough for hydro. Maybe we all need to go back to the middle ages!

Keep safe. Herb

so let's hope....