EWB Tour: Wind farms and the Eden Project!

A few weeks ago, I went away to Cornwall for the weekend with Engineers without Borders (EWB). We went to a wind farm (Delabole), the wind turbine at the farm we stayed at and the Eden Project.
Firstly, Delabole wind farm. This was my first time at a proper onshore wind farm and I was impressed by the scale of the turbines, which are each around 40m high. I was also listening carefully to try and hear the blades: after watching Windfarm Wars, it was clear that the main issues that some in the community had with the proposed wind farm was the added noise, as well as the visual impact. I could only barely hear the turbines spinning, which surprised me as some in the BBC programme were saying that the noise had stopped them sleeping and ruined their lives. Obviously, I only saw the turbines on one particular day in particular wind conditions, but I was still expecting to be able to hear the blades turning as we drove up to the farm! A few of the pictures are below.

A few turbines

View of a turbine from the base

Info board

After that, we went to go and see the turbine belonging to the farmer we were staying with. This fairly small (50kW rated, I think) turbine generates electricity for him while taking up a small ground footprint- it was simply in a field with cows, who didn't seem too bothered! This is evidently a good use of the space available to the farmer- he can generate money and energy at the same time and in the same place as growing cattle.

Finally, we went to the Eden Project. This remarkable place, set in an disused quarry, contains two "biomes", Rainforest and Mediterranean, both with a huge range of plants and trees, as well as a large outdoor garden and The Core, a building devoted to teaching about sustainable living. It's an incredible place, and I'd recommend anyone to go there- I'm not a plant lover, but I still enjoyed the beauty and peacefullness of the place. The Core was an interesting educational space, but was really aimed at instilling the ideas of sustainability in the next generation, so was at a lower level than I'm used to; good to see these kinds of facilities available though. The restaurant was also amazing- great local food and surprisingly cheap! Eden Project pictures below.

The Core

Biomes

Overall, it was a great weekend away. I came away with a bit more perspective about renewables in the UK, and the feeling that, for all the talk about targets and emissions, there are forward-thinking people actually putting those ideas into action.