Turbines

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This post was “Freshly Pressed” by WordPress on Thursday 28 June 2012, my thanks go out to all who have read, liked and commented. It has certainly made for a lively debate! 

Love them or hate them, wind turbines are a part of the landscape in many parts of the country now.

Last week I was in East Sussex for a few days, staying in a lovely blue painted clapper board house. To the left of the house there were imposing sand dunes formed of sand so fine and white you could be forgiven for thinking you were on a Caribbean island.   To the right lush green marshland spread out as far as the eye could see dotted with grazing sheep, fence posts, trees and turbines.

As happens when you have a small child away from the familiarity of his own bed, much of the night is spent getting in and out of your own warm bed to settle them back. 4 am seemed to be a favourite time to wake which, if you ignored the bleary eyes and the raging need for a strong cup of tea, was a beautiful time of day. The sun was rising and the sky clear. The marsh had a fine blanket of mist hovering above it. The row of electricity generating wind turbines stood silent and barely turning in the early morning breeze.

Over three mornings between settling J back to sleep and padding back across the landing carpet to my own bed I took my camera to the window and took pictures of the turbines.

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172 thoughts on “Turbines”

      • Nothing to do with being a blot on the landscape and a bird and bat mincer. How can you possibly love an item that uses tons of the rare earth metal neodymium that cause massive pollution in China where it is mined, that creates thousands of kilos of CO2 during it’s manufacture and implementation – more than it will ever save in it’s short life time of around 15 years before bits have to be replaced, and which would not produce electricity economically if the taxpayer was not subsidising it.

        If the wind turbine is such a good idea, remove all the subsidies but retain the carbon emission taxes so the wind turbines are not penalised and just see how long people want to erect them. They would be gone in a couple of years.

        Facts people are that they are uneconomic and are only good for profits to shareholders paid for by the taxpayer who gets not benefit what so ever from them. Rather than looking at them dreamily, as I used to, go find out what they are really all about.

      • I don’t believe I actually said I loved them, sure I have said I like them aesthetically as a photo subject which is what this post was about (and the changing light).

        However comments like the one you have made have been very thought provoking and will definitely make me consider them differently.

        I appreciate your comment and thank you for taking the time to write it.

      • I do appreciate that it was about the photography aspect rather than the actual turbines. I guess my point really is that if honesty had been employed in the implementation of wind farms they would never have happened, and thus there would be no subject!

        Your photographs are indeed excellent. For me it is just a shame about the subject material.

      • I’m not really sure about what source of electricity you should use – I think that we should think about using less energy, and change our lifestyle rather than our source of energy, because they all have their pros and cons. (I’ve done my research. There are actually more adverse and horrifying effects of wind turbines. But same applies to all other energy sources.)

        Would you like to suggest an alternative to wind farms?

      • I’m all in favour of all renewables and see nothing wrong with windfarms. I think the people complaining about them are doing so because they haven’t had to live in the shadow of a traditional power station and are generally in areas where they are not likely to have to either. What it comes down to is that they’re perfectly happy for everyone else to generate their electricity for them but won’t tolerate any kind of contribution to the national grid in their own areas.

        For people to also think that either birds or bats are stupid enough to fly into them, or that the turbine blades are turning so fast they somehow can’t see them astonishes me! It’s not as if the actual turbines are on the move so such creatures will just give them a wide berth.

        Your photos are beautiful anyway. I also think wind turbines are too!
        Carol

  8. The last time I drove by windmills (turbines) I thought, “How fascinating they are! Mesmorizing, interesting, real works of art.”

    And best of all, they generate electricity! Why is that best of all? Because the way the EPA has us on lockdown with no new sources of energy, a lot of people would otherwise be without. :(

  9. No matter WHERE I am, I get overly excited at the INSTANT sight of a turbine! Something about it always makes me smile and warm all over! Amazing photos with the softest of pastel colours!

  12. They’re so much lovelier than belching smokestacks and less eerie than nuclear power plants. Seeing the size of some of the propellers on the turnpike to Maine, however, was a revelation: each one was longer than many commuter airplanes.
    Still, I’m left wondering about critics who will admire an old-fashioned windmill but oppose turbine generation. No source of power will be without its downside. This, at least, seems to be among the better alternatives. Now, to get the birds on board …

  14. Thanks for sharing your lovely photos. I know there’s so much argument back and forth on them, but, however you feel about them, they can be quite beautiful.
    Have a great day!

  15. I live in the Cambridgeshire Fens where sights like this are common place now. I used to admire the beauty of these sleekly designed “necessities” but there are so many springing up now it hard to go anywhere in the UK without our natural rural landscape being filled with them. I worry that we need so many to produce the power we need that there just is not enough land and since they will not grant permission to put them off shore I think we may see more and more of these collections appearing so all we will have is towns and cities conjoined by wind turbine farms.

    Great photos, you’ve really captured the spirit of the landscape. Also good to find another UK based blogger who takes an interest in this subject.

    • Its true that there are a lot of them now. I once read that they were pointless any place south of Watford as it wasn’t windy enough. I don’t know how true that is but these were about as far south as you can get! Thank you for your comment.

  16. In Kansas we’ve got a lot of places where there’s enough wind turbines to be considered as a wind farm. As many photos as I take though, I can’t seem to get the strange beauty of it captured. Maybe it’s the lack of trees in the western part of Kansas in general. Lovely photos!

    • How many turbines do you need in one place for it to be considered a farm? Perhaps if the turbines were painted green the lack of trees wouldn’t be as obvious! Just an idea. Thanks for your comment.

  18. I love your photos. I thought I was the only person to like the sight of wind turbines but seeing your comments has made me realise I wasn’t. What a breathtaking view you have from your window. I’m so envious. Lovely. :)

    • The view from my window at home isn’t bad but this one from the holiday let was quite lovely. I am blown away by the amount of positive comments I have had. You and I are not alone in our liking for turbines it seems.

  19. Great pictures. I’ve always wondered why we don’t use (smaller) wind turbines more within cities. It might be a stupid comment, but I’d garner that city folk wouldn’t be as bothered by their presence and the electricity generated could no doubt power a few lightbulbs.

    • You may be right. I don’t know if you get them in cities but I can’t see why a smaller version couldn’t be put atop a tall building – but then again I am not an engineer! Thanks for your comment.

    • As a once and sometime wind-turbine engineer, I can partly answer this.
      Some turbines have been put on houses and on larger buildings, we see small ones quite often in britain powering roadside signs. The problem with turbines on buildings strat with the way buildings affect airflow. Turbines like nice tidy coherent air, all moving at pretty much the same velocity, and in the same direction. Unfortunately, buildings tend to mess up airflow, so it’s all tumbling and roiling about, which reduces the amount of energy the turbine can extract from it. Cities and towns created chaotic airflow.
      To get any sort of efficiency, you need to raise the turbine on a pole or tower, into clean airflow. Most existing buildings aren’t designed for the structure to take these kinds of dynamic loads.
      New buildings might be designed for power generation, in the future, but for the moment, turbines are better away from them.

      Little turbines are often used on boats and caravans, but their power output is fairly trivial, handy for topping up batteries, but not much more.

  20. Your photos are neat – the way they show how diverse the sunrise can look from one day to the next. :) All three pics look completely different, even though they’re of the same exact spot. Beautiful.
    - R

  21. I’ve never seen wind turbines in real life… it really depends where you live. The weather was pretty cooperative in those pics… and I appreciate the electrical lines!

  22. Funny how your kid actually made you work for these photos that you otherwise would have never gotten! I often wonder just how much of life we miss by being set in our own little routines that never change! Love the pictures. I know some people don’t want turbines near thier homes, but I find them very calming and soothing to listen to and have no problem with them. Once you get used to hearing them it’s kind of like listening to the rain. Which I hear a lot of living in the Pacific Northwest of America!!!!

    • You are right, you see all sorts when your usual routine is turned on its head. I can imagine that you a very familiar with the sound of rain living in the NW of America. Thanks for your comment.

  25. Wow – I come from an area where a lot of the people are none too fond of the turbines, particularly because one company wants to put them in our lake, not far off shore–we have them on farmland–and I find them haunting – your photos though, make them look beautiful

  26. Beautiful pictures! I love the sight of wind turbines, I think they’re very elegant and I admit, it makes me feel good that it’s a clean energy, too!

  27. It’s so refreshing to read so many ‘positive’ comments about wind turbines. Here in Southern Ontario there is a lot of controversy. One complaint is that the ‘noise’ is making people sick. My sister is surrounded by them where she lives and has not experienced this problem. I also think that they’re beautiful. Congratulations on being freshly pressed.

    • I am blown away by all the positive comments, I really am. The noise is a big issue for people here too. I don’t mind the swishing noise they make but then again I don’t live right next to one. As for the making people sick, that is the first time I have heard that.

  31. We are in the thumb of Michigan and have the turbines all around our area,as a matter of fact the people that put them up store their parts at the stone quarry where my husband works so we have seen all of the parts of them up close.They look so massive to me and I think they are a wonder.Loved your pictures.

  33. I too get excited to see a turbine! Here in the US there is a lot of controversy about them. It all seems so silly to me. I would much rather see a bunch of turbine’s than one Nuclear Power Plant! My dream is to someday have a home completely off ” the grid” and that includes having a turbine.
    Lovely photos. Congrats on being Freshly Pressed also!

  34. I have a real fondness for wind farms. Your photos capture them wonderfully – very atmospheric. Well done on making the most of a disturbed night’s sleep. It can be so hard sometimes, travelling with a little one!

    • I seem to spend more and more time up in the wee small hours. Judging how well these pictures have been receives I should perhaps start looking for more things to photograph in the early morning sun.

  36. Thanks for these beautiful pictures. I’m still torn about the aesthetic beauty of wind turbines*–when I was younger I saw them as a blight, but it is true there is a certain modern elegance to them. And they of course serve a good purpose. But it is indisputable that these photographs are lovely–an eye-catching blend of the natural and mechanical. Great work.

    (*PS — if you’re curious, I wrote an article about the wind turbine question–specifically from a Christian perspective–online at http://www.qideas.org/blog/stewardship-or-blight-on-gods-creation.aspx)

  39. Amazing photographs! They really capture the beauty of something useful. We have a number of wind turbines near my home in Ontario, Canada. There has been much debate within the community as to whether they are good or bad. There are signs tacked to trees, arguing either way.
    These photos show that they are something you can get used to. I also agree with a previous comment that states that they look much better than the nuclear power plants and smoke stacks. I agree!

    http://www.thetravellingsock.wordpress.com

    • It has been interesting to hear all the positive thoughts on the subject of wind turbines but it is also clear that there is still a lot of controversy surrounding them. Thanks for your comment.

  40. Very nice photos. It’s amazing how thinks can look different at different times of day… of course you need the sensitivity to see it and the ability to capture it on camera. I mostly like wind turbines, however there is much discussion going on even here in Italy. I find strange that many echologists hate them.

    • I think that many people find them aesthetically pleasing as I do but I have only ever seen them in small groups of five or six. I am not sure how I would feel about a big gang of them. They are a controversial subject but for the purpose of this post – the photography and the changing light – they are great.

  41. I am fascinated by wind turbines. I was actually watching some spin today while I waited for the train in Willebroek, Belgium. It was such a calming scene to me. There’s something so hypnotic about them.

  43. A little education for you and those who have made comments that appear like they have no idea what is happening. Your photos are interesting of the Wind Turbines, and like anything in moderation they are unique and different and yes (as a fellow photographer) photographically interesting. You have captured some very unique images. Unfortunately, the comments about getting energy from wind show that the people who are making comments have not done any research into the full story. Have you ever heard the children’s story about the Emperor who wore no clothes story? This is exactly what is happening with wind, people want “free” clean energy so bad, they are willing to believe anything vs. really looking at the cost vs. the benefit.

    In Illinois alone, to meet the current Legislative goal of 25% of our electricity coming from renewable resources by 2025 with 75% dictated to come from wind. Illinois alone will end up with over 8,080 wind turbines, taking out of production at least that many acres (1 acre per wind turbine) of good productive farm ground from the bread basket of the world – forever. A few look intriguing and even pretty, in some people’s eyes, but like anything having over 8,080 in Illinois alone, the view changes from pretty to changing our rural agricultural landscape into industrial plants.

    If the technology would ever get better where Wind Turbines are more efficient (better than the current 25% efficiency, when the wind is blowing) then maybe it will be a cost effective alternative to coal, gas or nuclear. But, until then, we shouldn’t be subsidizing an industry that will fail, as soon as the “free” money dries up. If it weren’t for all the government subsidies “all over the world”, (the US alone gives a wind company $330,000 back in free money for every $1 million they spend, plus tax credits in addition to all the freebies each state gives them plus tax incentives) this industry would not exist in the free market.

    Because the wind industry is getting all this “free” money, they can spread it around to entice farmers, local, state and national politicians to allow them to “build where they want” thus forcing people who happen to get in their way, out of their ancestral homes, because they can’t live there anymore, because of the low frequency sounds (in addition to the audible sounds), shadow flicker and just having to look at them, when before they had a beautiful view of the countryside. Also, be aware these pretty spinning wind blades are killing our precious mosquito eating bats, along with many different specious of birds to include our national bird the Eagle. Now increase the number of wind turbines and think about how many of our wildlife will be killed by these moving objects.
    Getting energy from wind, sounds good on the surface, but as of yet it is not feasible, without major subsidies. Also, the few permanent jobs (that can be documented), do not outweigh the cost per job. I’d rather see our tax money spent on more research vs. implementing on a full scale a form of energy production that is grossly inefficient. Wind Turbines have been around a long time, but they have just not been an efficient way to produce consistent electricity and no we do not get electricity from oil – another myth.
    I could say more, but I suggest people do a little more research into what is happening, so they can intelligently discuss the alternatives vs. blindly letting politicians spend our precious tax money on wind. There are several wind related sights both pro and con. Be sure to read both and then go to the actual news stories that have been written vs. the “filtered” version and you will get a real education as to what is happening. Unfortunately, the very decision makers we expect to be doing this aren’t and this is sad.
    Advocates for Responsible Energy Development

    • Thank you for your very interesting comment John. I agree that over 8000 of these gigantic structures would change the landscape dramatically and not for the better and that the loss of so much agricultural land would have a huge impact on the economy of the area.

      As I mentioned in one of my reply comments I am not an engineer nor do I know anything of the politics behind their erection (particularly US law) or about the efficiency of the turbines themselves. The post was purely about the photography and the changing scene over a few days.

      But, I thank you for your comment and I am glad you liked the photographs.

      • I’m with John on this, to much wild country is given to short sighted schemes because of the subsidies for doing so. And many views spoilt by them, running along ridgelines and across wide landscapes like the photos you have taken so well. Very dramatic, but in more ways than one.

        Nothing is ever free, and wind energy is the same. We must try to see all sides of the cube in our search for clean energy. Clean is the landscape as well as the air we breath.

        Jim

    • Having worked on wind turbines, and having had friends who were ecologists, I’m quite interested in the subject of their ecological footprint.
      To clarify, I was contracted as a freelance maintenance/call-out engineer. I was paid to maintain and repair them, so I have no financial axe to grind.
      In the four years I did this work, I saw only one dead bird. Talking informally with other people in the industry, I’ve found little evidence to suggest that these are a significant hazard to birds in Britain. The main site I was associated with was close to a reservoir, which has its own colony of ducks, and is a regular migratory stop for geese, swans, and other ducks, also seabirds. Lapwings are ground-nesting around the site. The one dead bird I saw was a crow, I don’t know how it died, whether by impact, or from natural causes.
      My friend reported a dead goose in Wales, and severe damage to a rotor blade which struck it.
      As for bats, studies in britain suggests that they’re pretty agile and aware, and unlikely to be hit by blades, I never saw a dead bat there either, and believe me, there are thousands of them around there.

      I’m not denying your experience, merely saying in all my time on wind-farms, I’ve seen nothing to suggest they’re a significant danger to wildlife. Unlike, for instance, cars, trains, etc.
      Or britain’s number one killer of birds, domestic cats.

      If we want to hold down the development of these machines, then we humans need to stop wasting so much energy, Insulate, conserve, just switch it off, wash cooler etc.

      • Oops I have 2 cats!

        Thank you for your insight. As I have said before the post was put up for purely for the photography but I have been so interested in what a debate they have caused. I enjoy them aesthetically but have no knowledge of how they are made, what they actually contribute in terms of an alternative power source and the impact on the environment – while I say I enjoy them aesthetically I have only ever seen them in very small numbers, I don’t know how I would feel about a large “wind farm”.

        All of the comments that people have made have been very welcome and I have even learned a little. I still love my photographs though!

        Thanks for taking the time to comment.

      • I’m not criticising your cats, we humans have been in partnership with cats for millennia, and we first were so, probably because they’re such murderous little devils. There have been many famines in the world in countries which grow more than enough food to feed themselves. However, rats and mice destroy grain crops, in store, leading to starvation. Cats were our front-line of defence.

        I fell into your blog by accident, and liked those pictures. Reading the comments has been interesting. There’s a lot of ignorance about wind turbines, and a lot of propaganda, both for, and against, out there.
        Much of it is based on hearsay rather than any real research. Neodymium in wind turbines? It’s in MRI scanners too. And in pretty much anything that uses magnets, such as the hard drives in the computers people use to protest against the neodymium used in wind-turbines.
        I’d prefer to live near a wind farm than a coal or oil-fired power-station, or, god forbid, a nuclear one. And unless we can curb our use of energy, we’ll need more generators, all of which have some environmental impact, just some are more malignant than others.
        Here’s a link to another turbine pic. http://gritinthegears.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/ive-been-rootling-through-old-photos.html

      • My cats do catch a fair few mice but in the 12 years I have had them they have never brought back a bird. They are idle though.

        It has been interesting reading the comments and thank you for yours. Its good to have a lively debate.

  46. Congratulations on being “Freshly Pressed”. And on the great photos.

    One of the complaints here in the US is that they’re noisy. We tend to keep ours out in the desert (so as to make it harder to get the energy from there to here), so I have no experience of that. What’s it like over there?

    Another complaint is that they seem to attract suicidal birds.

    What’s your experience over there?

    • I really don’t have any experience with them other than I enjoyed capturing these images. I have always enjoyed the aesthetics of them but have been aware of the controversy they cause. There is a lot of opposition to them here in the UK in terms of noise and how they look but I don’t know about suicidal birds. There have been some very informative comments made clearly not in favour of them which, I must admit, may be making me consider them differently. It is a subject I intend on looking in to but, for this post at least, it is about the landscape and the change in the light over the three day they were taken.

      • Ah! Three days! Now I understand the photos. They make a surreal landscape. And the color changes are beautiful.

  49. beautiful images natalie. bravo.
    Turbines are beautiful and a sign of hope.
    Clean renewable energy belongs in the desert where nothing grows and the wind blows.
    congrats on being FP’d
    cheers
    SueAnn

  51. Very nice pics, Natalie. Gothic.
    We have many windmills in the Columbia River Valley here in Washington, USA. I like them. They are surprisingly massive up close.

  53. Gorgeous photos Natalie! I love the ‘time lapse’ effect you get from the 3 photos. Thank you for sharing them. Nature has the ability to make everything beautiful…we just forget to look for that beauty sometimes! :)

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  63. Oh dear…this wind farm business is a bit of a nightmare in my family’s life at the moment. There is so much I want to say but will try be brief. My mum bought a beautiful little house a few years ago in South West Victoria, Australia….a country retreat to escape from the stress of the city etc. 6 months later, she returned to visit & was presented by 25 very large turbines pretty much in her back yard. This strip of coastline is stunning, including whale watching spots, and a 10,000 year old petrified forest. This is now surrounded by turbines, and getting a photo without one in is really a challenge.

    Personally, I also find them strangely photogenic, but in reality, there is a massive battle going on in Victoria, people have had to leave their homes as a result of the effects they have had on them. Most of the media here in the UK seems to focus on the visual impact, but more than this, the locals in Victoria are in a serious battle over the health implications….not to mention that they don’t actually work in the grand scheme of things. They require electricity to make them actually spin, the energy cannot be stored, and they are an enormous blot on the landscape and affecting tourism etc.

    I think it is just plain rude as well in this situation, as it is European companies that are taking over this amazing bit of coastline in Australia, and the whole subsidies thing is in full swing with some local farmers who don’t even live there. One of the local senators puts this arguement up there with the effects of asbestos & nicotine.

    I am very torn over it all. All I know is that my 72 year old mother is suffering sleepless nights, my 45 year old brother is having earache issues, they are both effected by the shadow ‘flicker’ that crosses the landscape, and the perpetual ‘whooshing’ of the blades spinning around. Someone likened it to some sort of torture treatment.

    You do have some beautiful pictures, and I have quite a few myself from a recent trip to see my mum, but honestly so many people are too easily ‘sold’ this idea that they are some sort of answer to all out problems. Try living with one in your back garden and you may reconsider.

    • As you will know from reading my comment replies I do like them visually but I would not want a bunch of them in my garden. As I have said before I don’t know much (although thanks to many informative comments I know more now than when I took the pictures) about turbines, how effective they are and what impact they have environmentally or ecologically. Thanks for taking the time to comment. This post really has caused some lively debates. I hope you come back again.

      • This type of rant from me about turbines is becoming a bit too regular lately for my liking!! I just get wound up when people refer to them as almost a romantic, dreamy vision in the countryside, when in my experience I know they are some people’s worst nightmare!

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  72. The turbines are beautiful in a science fiction type way. We’ve some near us too. Quite noisy when turning in high wind. Would be great if the local community benefiitted from the power generated through cheaper bills or guaranteed, uninterruped supply (no outages?) but I understand it goes into the UK grid, then elsewhere with Government grants going to the developers. Mind you, even with a nuclear power plant nearby too, neither of those benefits applies ! I also enjoyed the writer’s description of the area – and her broken nights’ sleep. Time passes and sleep periods do lengthen… honestly.

  74. I love these photographs! I always like seeing wind turbines because of the sustainability of them, but you just gave me a new appreciation their beauty.

  76. Amazing photo’s! I like them! And all that they represent. There’s a lot of talk here in Ireland about how they destroy the scenery of the landscape, but considering where they are placed, I find that it adds to it. I rather like what a cousin in Kerry said; “Rather them than the alternative!”

  79. When I lived in Spain we drove from Southern Spain over to Gibraltar. There is a large span of land with these huge wind turbines. It was a pretty amazing scene really. The huge man made turbines to my left, making the most of nature; the bay of Gibraltar and a view of the continent of Africa to my right. it was stunning and that is the view I think of from now on when I see these turbines. So, hate to say it, but I think I love them.
    Lovely photos.

  80. Great pictures – and really thought-provoking comments. The two went well together. I had my doubts before looking at this blog, and now they have been confirmed, but yes, the pictures carry all the emotion in them of the discussion that follows. But the topic goes deeper, wider than just this ‘page’. It shows just how we are taken for a ride.

  86. Beautiful pictures! I personally, think they are beautiful because of what they represent! My hubby and I have a dream and a goal to live self sustainably and I think there are so many things out there that should be embraced and used more regularly…. including SOLAR PANELS! :)
    Excellent post and pics!
    ~Ashley

  87. Congratulations on being freshly pressed! After skimming through the comments, It’s apparent that your post generated many passionate responses. I guess that wind farm is creating plenty of energy! :)

  88. I live in Northern California where wind farms are abundant. They create a beautiful scenery to look at! The windmills are incredibly large and almost surreal to see up close. I hope everyone has a chance to experience them in their lifetime!

  95. Interesting how a couple pictures have largely turned into a discussion of the relative merits of wind turbines. Fortunately, wind turbine technology is rapidly evolving, making them more efficient, more environmentally friendly and more economically viable. With innovations like Voith’s WinDrive and Uprise Energy’s Mechatronic ECS, rare-earth permanent magnet induction generators are going to be a thing of the past. Advancements in blade design and a reduction in parasitic losses have taken efficiencies from the teens to the mid-forty percent range (59.3% is the theoretical max). Furthermore, the wind industry is comprised of environmentalists who have learned a lot about birds/bats, their migratory passes and how to prevent deaths (even though it’s a VERY small number compared to deaths caused by buildings, cars, cats, etc.).

    One thing is for sure, with the world’s growing demand for power, there is no one perfect solution. In terms of renewables, hydro is by far the most efficient but most don’t live close enough to a body of water to reap the benefits. Solar has its applications but is not very power dense and only makes power an avg of 5hrs/day (when the sun is out). Wind, on the other hand, is everywhere and blows around the clock but utility power grids are not particularly fond of wind power because of its variability. When you look at remote locations not serviced by a power grid (approx 1/3 of the world’s pop.), wind generation that supplants diesel power, provides numerous advantages.

    I could go on but the point is to keep an open mind.

    Cheers!

  96. Love the photography, I am sad when I go past the area where there were once beautiful sunsets and now they are marred with these. At night, the night lights up with the red lights atop these gigantic creatures. Your photos are thought provoking and evoke a response, well done :) . Keep up the good work.

    • Thank you very much. I have been so interested by the level of debate this has caused and have, of course, respected peoples views on the subject. There have been a few of the more heated comments that I suspect were not aimed at the photographs but some of the commenters. But, it’s a blog which is after all a platform for free speech and none of the comments have been offensive so I have been happy to include them.

  100. Your photos are amazing. It’s too bad wind energy doesn’t sustain itself and is a waste of energy, not a boost. Turbines are usually viewed as a blight on the landscape but your photography proves that even senseless, ugly things have their own beauty through the eye of the right photographer.

  102. These photos really do bring out a side of turbines that I’ve never really considered! For me, they capture turbines as they truly are and that is, indeed they do take up space but they occupy it handsomely, it is gorgeous to see something that perhaps exemplifies the true nature of our humanity, that is, yes, mankind makes mistakes and can be selfish in damaging the environment, moreover mankind has the ability to recitify their mistakes, through innovation and technology. Turbines doesn’t show mankind trying to conquer nature, rather mankind trying to live with it.

  103. I never think wind turbines are ugly…they’re essential to keeping mother Earth (and therefore us) healthy.

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