Are Wind Farms the New Haystacks?



Posted: Monday, November 15, 2010

by Chris Sabian
Kute Fine Art

If you have read some of my articles you will know that I have a fascination for haystacks. Why that is will remain a secret to my dying day - so don't ask! However, on my recent trips to Scotland I have discovered a new phenomenum - Wind Farms.

If Scotland has a natural resource, it is its landscape. The country is revered around the world for the drama of its scenic beauty. But these hills and mountains are now the host to a staggering quantity of industrial wind farm sites. What I didn't understand was why are there so many in Scotland and very few in England?

The answer is quite simply political. Without going into too much detail, it appears it is a result of the political system in Scotland. Decisions about the country's future are taken by its politicians with good intent and little accountability. Most democracies operate on the principal that the people elect the Government, the Government raises the money fom the electorate to operate and is ultimately accountable to the elctorate for how it is spent. Not in Scotland though. Consequently, money entering the system is often viewed as Monopoly money to play with rather than real money for which there is direct responsibility.

Rural Scotland is now covered in wind farms and there is no evidence of a slowdown. There is a queue of people lining up for the generous subsidies paid, not by government, but consumers (10k -20k per turbine per year). Local politicians love them because they satisfy their renewable energy obligations and I love them because they are my new haystacks.

Ignoring the political debate, the ecology debate and any other debate for that matter let me tell you what a wind farm does for me. When I watch the motion of a turbine I drift off into another world. My consciousness is taken over by the perpetual turning. The silence is almost defeaning and yet the experience evokes awe and curiosity.

When you see a number of turbines the balance and harmony is fascinating and in its own way a thing of beauty. I dare say many of you readers will declare me officially "Off my Rocka" but I am hooked. So if Scotland wants to carry on destroying its most valuable and special countryside that is fine by me. Will England follow? Well the Government is currently on board the wind farm train, but I think that we English are more conservationist than most and care more about our scenery than the pot of gold at the bottom of a wind turbine.

Chris Sabian is an artist with http://www.kutefineart.com and co-owner of http://www.paragonprints.co.uk and blogger http://chris-sabian.blogspot.com
Chris Sabian started life as a travel writer until he discovered a passion for art. Whilst not a prolific painter, he specialise in portrait painting in oils and pastels and some of his work can be seen at http://www.kutefineart.com. He also has a print company http://www.paragonprints.co.uk that specialises in modern reproductions of Antique Prints and Collectable Prints and Maps from the 19th Century, Victorian and before. Listing many reproductions of vintage old maps, engravings, lithographs, illustrations and panoramic photographs in an online gallery.

This Article has been viewed 164 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.