Eden turbine will "reduce standards of living": Meeting planned
The battle against plans to build a 127-meter wind turbine at the Eden Project will be presented to Tim Smit tomorrow night.
The project's founder will be at a public meeting which is being held days after local residents blockaded the entrances to the Eden Project in protest of the plans to put the machine at the northern end of the site.
People in surrounding villages including Trethurgy and Luxulyan are concerned about the impact that the turbine, which will be the same height as the London Eye, will have on communities.
They are convinced that the noise, electrical pulses and strobing effect which the turbine could create will reduce their standards of living and leave them unable to sell their houses.
But the Eden Project says it is looking for green ways to produce energy and a turbine of this size would produce enough energy to power the project throughout the year.
Braving the driving rain at the protest last week Luxulyan resident Linda Grantham said: "The turbine is far too large and Eden has been underhand and held a couple of quiet meetings which we didn't know about.
"Nobody here has ever been against Eden doing anything but according to the professionals if the sun is behind the turbine, it will create a strobe effect over local villages as the blades turn.
"It won't even cover all of their electricity costs. Someone told me it will be seen from Okehampton."
Also weilding a placard, Ken Frances from Penince, near Luxulyan, said: "We will be living under the shadows of this 416-feet tower. As locals we enjoy the Eden Project but this is one step too far."
Organisers at the Eden Project say they have held a number of consultations with the public and local residents to gauge their reaction to the plans.
Eden announced plans for the turbine in early August and held an open two-day exhibition at Trethurgy Village Hall where 100 neighbours and 20 councillors shared their views.
Findings from the exhibition showed that 72 per cent supported the turbine proposal; 58 per cent outright and 14 per cent "with reservations."
The plan has been submitted to Restormel Borough Council and is now in the consultation stage.
Mr Smit will be on hand tonight, Wednesday October 29, from 6.30pm to listen to views on the plans from neighbours and interested individuals, at the Visitors Centre at the Eden Project.
5 Comments
by J washington, stenalees
Thursday, November 06 2008, 11:33PM
“As a keen advocate of Eden and that it does, i welcome any development. In fact i hope to get a work there when i have finished my degree In RENEWABLE ENERGY!
I feel our battle in the preservation of the planet is educating the masses, or sheep as most just follow their hearts rather than their heads.”
by Frank, Eden
Wednesday, October 29 2008, 10:31PM
“Here's a thought:
Offer every visitor the opportunity to "pedal their way into Eden" for free.
What Im talking about is setting up a load of static bikes that are stuck onto generators, visitors take 20 minutes on the bike, generate enough electricity to cover their own carbon footprint while on site and then get free entry.
No turbine required, and Im sure that a lot of visitors would take this opportunity up.
Given the volume of visitors that Eden get, this should prove to be cost-effective almost immediately and would surely be seen as a true, forward thinking concept.”
by Bill Derr, Kernow
Wednesday, October 29 2008, 4:24PM
“Mr Green.
I think Mr Get a Grip is quite right; you are speaking with what, at best, could be described as limited knowledge and at worst total ignorance. Eden recycles as much water as it possibly can. The only water which comes from the mains supply is for the visitors' drinking water. Is your water supply at home this sustainable? Do you recycle all the water off your roof to flush your loo or water your plants?
You are right though, some of the water has to be pumped up hill to be treated - but this is purely to prevent any nasty bugs being breathed in by the visitors. And they don't delibreately drain water into the pit, that is all natural drainage from the various ancient streams. You can learn all this stuff by watching the DVDs of the making of the place or just ask people who know the answers, rather than flinging off wild accusations.
As for the biome heaters, they are incredibly efficient and perhaps more importantly they are gas powered so have got nothing to do with electricity. Which obviously you haven't researched either. At all.
But Eden is a big energy user, hence the turbine. Perhaps you should be happy that it wants to be self sufficient in terms of its energy. After all this will leave more in the grid for you to power your computer for writing more gibberish like this?
All I hope is that it doesn't harm the wildlife of the area too badly.”
by Get a grip, Cornwall
Wednesday, October 29 2008, 1:25PM
“Mrs Green, as someone speaking with a degree in Building Services, I would recommend you get your facts stright before making wild accusations about the inefficiencies of certain building services. The biomes are heated by Air Handling Units and whilst, I admit, a certain amount of air will always become trapped in the top of the biome it would certainly be more 'relatively' efficient than your radiators. And as for likening the situation to fitting radiators on the outside of your house.... are you mad? It's in no way shape of form anything like it. I suggest if you feel that strongly that you talk to the consultants that designed the system, with respect, they know a hell of a lot more about its efficiency than you do. This site never fails to amuse me with people ranting on about things that they don't really have any sound knowledge in, just unfounded opinions.”
by Mr Green, luxulyan
Tuesday, October 28 2008, 4:09PM
“How GREEN is Eden? If Eden were to reduce it's carbon footprint, surely there would not be a need to produce so much electricity on our doostep. What are the main energy hungry systems installed at Eden? Could it be the inefficient heating system used to heat the biomes? At home would you fit radiators to the outside of your house and blow the heat in using a big fan? These big radiators are constantly heated to provide instant heat for the atmosphere inside the biomes. This means we are constanly heating Cornwall as the "heaters are large blocks of steel" radiating heat 24/7. Why do they drain all of the rainfall from the area around the top of the pit to the bottom only to pump it several times, using electric pumps, to the top of the pit again to allow gravity to do it's job to start the water course which becomes Penny Lane stream. The lovely fresh rainwater from most of the "pit -rim" buildings follows the same course only to be pumped back up the hill (yes.. by the electric pumps). Why does Eden allow most of the foul water from the pit rim toilets to drain into the bottom of the pit only for it to be pumped (electric pumps) back up to the rim before gravity takes it away to Par Moor. There are many more questions to be asked but the big one is ............................
How GREEN is Eden????”