For less than half the cost of the Olympic games to the nation a tidal barrage over the Severn Estuary could have built giving the UK 7% of its daily electricity needs for the next 120+ years.
Gordon Brown and his cronies dismissed the idea despite the huge subsidies given to non UK companies to help them make profits and little of it being taxed.
The next lot with their back handers from the wind companies are no fecking better.
Basically were are fcuked ernergy wise in this country and at the mercy of companies who cannot and will not be tempered by the toothless OFGEM with regard to pricing.
Windfarms are really inefficient, the turbines last around 20 years max and given the 100% subsidy for onshore/200% offshore the companies are laughing all the way to the bank never mind the landowners who have them.
Jobs are being lost and despite the 'green' energy cry the money would be better spent elsewhere to reduce CO2 SOX NOX emissions. On top of that people are being effected health wise when near to the turbines.
An example below re the inefficiency/costs:
North Kent coast, the operator, Vattenfall, said that its capacity was 300 megawatts.
Its measured output has been an average of 80 megawatts.
This is one tenth of that of a typical gas-fired power station.
The turbines cost 780 million to build. They will receive subsidies of 60 million per year (for the next 20 years) and will receive 30-40 million for the electricity they produce.
For that amount of money, you could build a new gas fired power station which would give 1000 megawatts of power, continuously, 24 hours a day.
The wind power is therefore about 12 times the price.
