you dont need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows

#You dont need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows series

More from Richard Littlejohn for the Daily Mail. They just stand there, ominously, like invaders from outer space laying siege to the town.

#You dont need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows series

Swaffham, the picturesque location of Stephen Fry’s TV series Kingdom, is virtually surrounded. Some of them will be up to three times the size of the present structures.Įvery time I drive up to North Norfolk, another crop of turbines has sprouted from the soil, disfiguring the scenery for miles around. Yet the Government is ploughing ahead with plans to erect 12,500 of these War Of The Worlds windmills in the sea and across our green and pleasant. To make matters worse, there is no way of storing the electricity generated on the rare occasions when they are working. And in high winds they have to be switched off altogether to prevent damage.Īt best, the combined output of these monstrosities is equal only to that of a single, medium-sized, gas-fired power station.

Consequently, they have been consuming more electricity than they generate.Įven on a good day they rarely work above a quarter of their theoretical capacity.

As the temperature has plummeted, the turbines have had to be heated to prevent them seizing up. Over the past three weeks, with demand for power at record levels because of the freezing weather, there have been days when the contribution of our forests of wind turbines has been precisely nothing. Yesterday afternoon, the figure was just 1.6 per cent, according to the official website of the wholesale electricity market. The correct answer is: none of the above. Is it: a) five per cent b) ten per cent or c) 20 per cent? Come on, I’m going to have to hurry you. In percentage terms, how much electricity do Britain’s 3,150 wind turbines supply to the National Grid? So fingers on buzzers, here’s your starter for ten. A whole lot of wind: 'They have been consuming more electricity than they generate'