View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Tuesday 15 March 2011

Tuesday 15 March

A bright and sunny day, but not very warm. Nonetheless, bearing in mind the problems with snow on the mainland, there is little reason for complaint. Out of the wind and in the sun, it was quite pleasant.

Went to an exhibition in the town this afternoon, showcasing a proposed windfarm near Stornoway. It will comprise of 47 turbines, each standing some 300 ft tall, and visible from large swathes of the island. I just do not take to the idea of having those structures littering the skyline here. Furthermore, it was unfortunate that the windfarm expo was in the same room as one about the Pelamis seasnake (which generates power from the movement of waves in the ocean). It requires the laying of a large undersea electricity cable from a crofting township in the east of Lewis to the mainland, which means that little Gravir will be industrialised, and the district of Lochs polluted with large electricity pylons. Yes, I'm a Nimby.

The situation in Japan appears to be getting worse. After the quake and tsunami, the nuclear power plant at Fukushima, 150 miles north of Tokyo, appears to be creeping towards meltdown, in spite of all the efforts to prevent this. The latest news mentions a fire at a 4th reactor.