Wind Turbines: Pretty in Pylon?

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by Mark Halper from the SmartPlanet blog: http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/

Wind Turbines: Pretty in Pylon?
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/wind-turbines-pretty-in-pylon/7084?tag=nl.e843

Powys county in Wales is a gorgeous part of the world. Steep verdant hills reach up to skies that turn strawberry at dusk. Velvety streams gently cascade along rocks worn smooth by the ages. People mistake this place for the UK’s renowned Lake District, poetically heralded by the likes of Wordsworth.

Wouldn’t it all look prettier with 50-meter (164-feet) electricity pylons running through it?

That’s what Britain’s National Grid – the publicly held company that runs the country’s transmission network - is considering.

In order to connect a series of planned wind farms to the electricity network, it wants to run transmission towers through some of Britain’s most unspoiled scenery, such as the valley in Powys pictured above near the town of Welshpool.

It plays into the UK’s national goal of generating 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, in an effort to cut CO2 emissions by reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

Many locals aren’t having it. Drive through Powys, and you’d have to be asleep not to spot the ubiquitous, hand made “no pylon” signs scrawled everywhere (they’re not much more attractive than a pylon would be, but they sure make their point).

To read more, go to: http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/wind-turbines-pretty-in-pylon/7084?tag=nl.e843