Scout Moor wind farm: Do the wind turbines spoil or enhance the Pennine landscape?

[aidanorourke]

Today I was driving across Barton Bridge on the M60 and noticed a set of striking structures on the Pennines to the north of Manchester - 26 of them to be exact.

They are the wind turbines of Scout Moor wind farm.



The upper image shows the hill as seen today Sunday 15 June 2008 from Simister. The lower image is a detail from my Manchester Mega-Photo, looking from the Hilton Tower on Friday 10 February 2006.

Are they a blot on the landscape, just striking or even beautiful?

Feel free to discuss the pros and cons of wind power

[aidanorourke]

Here are two more images taken today - a panorama and a detail from the panorama.



Does the moorland look better with or without the wind turbines?



To find out more about them, go to the official website www.scoutmoorwindfarm.co.uk.

[Sparkly]

I like them, they're graceful and dramatic, more like sculptures - perhaps they should fit a few to the Angel Of The North. I've been to the USA where they have farms of 100's of turbines as far as the eye can see.

The argument that they 'spoil the view' is I think a little weak as the view often isn't a natural one anyway as the countryside where they are sited is usually farmed, or has electricity pylons, farm and industrial buildings, housing, roads, quarries, and other non natural features.

I have no knowledge of the noise they make if you live nearby, but I'm sure it's not as bad as living near a road or 24 hour building like a power station. As the noise is probably fairly consistent, you'd probably get used to it after a few days anyway.

I expect that the impact on the land is minimal other than a few holes left behind and no toxic waste?

They apparently kill birds, but fossil fuels do a good job of that too?

The anti-lobby(s) seem not to like wind farms for many reasons, usually when it's in their 'backyard', but some the other alternatives seem like worse choices. If we want/need the generating capacity, we'll have to make some compromises.

ps you can stick one in my backyard, it might drown out the noise of the traffic and noise of the neighbours at pub chucking out time!

[aidanorourke]

Thanks very much for that, a clear view expressed there. I will be reserving judgement for the time being.

Any more opinions on Scout Moor Wind Farm and wind power in general?

By way of contrast, here's a view of Fiddlers Ferry power station

[Phil Blinkhorn]

I'm very much in favour of them both as providers of renewable energy which should, in the long term, be cheap power and as potential icons of a period that is likely to change the world as much as the industrial revolution did.

Here in Kerry there are a number of wind farms. Two, on the Stacks Mountains, are visible from my home and I've seen them in Europe and the US - the Tehachapi Wind Farm on the edge of the desert near Mojave provides a particularly stunning vista.

Each unit is a masterpiece of simple but stunning form and, either taken individually or en masse, are unmissable.

There are those who say they deface the countryside or seascape - if they do, they do it in a way any other structure from the Eiffel Tower to Stonehenge defaces the landscape by simply being placed there by man instead of nature.

[Ashtonian]

Originally Posted by Phil Blinkhorn

I'm very much in favour of them both as providers of renewable energy which should, in the long term, be cheap power and as potential icons of a period that is likely to change the world as much as the industrial revolution did.

Here in Kerry there are a number of wind farms. Two, on the Stacks Mountains, are visible from my home and I've seen them in Europe and the US - the Tehachapi Wind Farm on the edge of the desert near Mojave provides a particularly stunning vista.

Each unit is a masterpiece of simple but stunning form and, either taken individually or en masse, are unmissable.

There are those who say they deface the countryside or seascape - if they do, they do it in a way any other structure from the Eiffel Tower to Stonehenge defaces the landscape by simply being placed there by man instead of nature.

Tehachapi Wind farm is my local wind farm but a favourite of mine is Coal Clough wind farm in Cliviger

I always felt that Coal Clough wind farm added something to the overall Cliviger vista from the Bacup Rd. Scout moor seems not to generate that feeling. So for me, some look great and others not so good. Returning from Dublin on the ferry the ones in the Mersey estuary seemed ok!

Still, alternative energy sources are a necessity now that oil production has peaked and insatiable demand from China and India now competes for those limited fuels.

[aidanorourke]

Here are the wind turbines on the Mersey Estuary. These look fine, blending in well with the dockland industrial backdrop.

[Phil Blinkhorn]

Those that are actually out in the estuary don't look too bad from Crosby beach and somehow gel well with the sculptures on the beach. They also look stunning from the air as seen if departing Liverpool for Ireland.

[Max]

I have been documenting the construction of the Scout Moor Wind Farm since it began last November

Pictures can be found on the geograph web site and the Rossendale on line website

[Max]

Interesting pictures above

I have been documenting the construction of Scout Moor Wind Farm since it began in November 2008

Almost 300 pictures can be found in the gallery on the geograph web site

Also i have almost the same amount of pictures on a local web site called Rossendale on line