Comments on: The Pylons are coming!

By: Brian Turner

Brian Turner — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:18:58 +0000

Looks like some excellent concessions have been won on account of the protests, not least in forcing lines underground through parts of the Cairngorms:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8495210.stm

By: cuddlycelt

cuddlycelt — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:11:02 +0000

The new pylons will begin as a blight on the landscape, but as with all other things that have been erected against the wishes of the masses, they will be accepted in a short space of time.How easy we forget all that riled us last month or so!!

By: Brian Turner

Brian Turner — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:22:08 +0000

Quite agree Cathy – I’ve seen various notes come up in the news about a push towards decentralised energy production – ie, small scale self-production from wind, solar, etc, in private residences. While it probably couldn’t replace the need for centralised energy production, the hope is that using home renewables would help reduce major consumption with far less environmental impact.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:21:17 +0000

We all ‘like’ electricity,and it would be unthinkable to go back to times where candles were rationed,people rose at dawn, worked til they dropped and then went to bed when the sun set. However in a good book by Prof David Mackay(see APT web site) he describes the efficiency of different methods of energy production. What he does say is that for all possible combinations of methods used we will still have to reduce our energy consumption. We have schools, hospitals, libraries, medical centres, workplaces and all of these energy to provide us with care and services.

By: Andy Arthur

Andy Arthur — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:27:45 +0000

As you say in the informative article above – It’s worth noting that there already are 800 pylons along this route. The project simply proposes building taller ones.

Additionally by increasing the height of the pylons along certain parts of the route from 135ft to 200+ft, the project proposes to reduce the number of pylons along the route from around 800 to around 600.

Speaking as a photographer who hates having pylons spoil a good landscape shot, having less of them around should make Scotlands beautiful landscapes more attractive not less.

Speaking as someone who likes electricity, establishing better connections between the renewable energy rich Highlands and the south seems like a good idea. Renewable energy could and should become Scotlands next major export product. We ain’t going to be running out of wind or water anytime soon and we need an infrastructure capable of exporting what we’re making.

I struggle to understand what all the fuss is about

By: Brian Turner

Brian Turner — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:44:07 +0000

Maybe so, nairnbairn, but with the UK population continually rising, energy demands rise with it – energy efficiency is something the government has tried to regulate (cf Npower’s free energy saving lightbulbs and the EU directive fiasco).

Hydro-electric sounds nice, but is Highland hydro only supposed to light up the Highlands, or is it supposed to be able to export down south where energy needs are greatest?

With or without wind and tide sources, energy use in Scotland alone is very unbalanced – isn’t it the case that with renewables – hydro, wind, wave, etc, – some of that balance is being addressed?

By: nairnbairn

nairnbairn — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:39:17 +0000

If the government were prepared to devote as much effort and resources to improving energy-efficiency as they do to subsidising and funding windfarms, nuclear power, and unproven/inefficient renewable sources, then consumption and emissions would be significantly lower and maybe there would be less need for massive increases in network capacity.

A rational energy policy would focus much more on insulation, energy saving and CHP. To provide more electricity, especially in Scotland, we ought (like Norway) to be developing more green and environmentally-friendly hydro power schemes from our lochs, valleys and rivers, rather than looking to the marginal and inflexible contribution that wind and maybe tide might make.