WIND FARMS Friend or Foe?
(write this title in book)
Copy out questions and answers
Go to page 78 of Earthworks and find out
Questions
1. How windy is Britain?
Which parts of Britain are the windiest?(see map)
2.What type of energy is wind power?
3.When was Britain’s First Wind farm built?
4.What is a good place to put a wind farm?
(hint p 78 Earthworks)
(copy)
We need special things for a wind farm. These are
Things needed / BecauseHere are some facts against wind farms.
1. 3 wind turbines make electricity in 1 year that a normal power station makes in 2 HOURS
2.Some turbines need a hole the size of 3 double-decker buses
3.flickering
4.The noise of whooshing, whistling and humming, can clearly be heard 1000 yards away.
TASK 1
1. Copy The Case against Wind Farms in book
2. Copy out each of the 4 facts against wind farms and then at the end say why people think they are not a good idea. (the first one is done for you …copy and then do the other three yourself)
e.g. 3 wind turbines make electricity in 1 year that a normal power station makes in 2 HOURS. This is not a good idea because
you need lots of wind farms for little energy.
3. There are good reasons for having wind farms. Draw
a table as below. You should think up at least three
reasons
Good reasons for wind power1 ……………………………………….
2 …………………………………….
3……………………………………….. / Why
because………………………………………………..
because……………………………………………..
because……………………………………………….
(This website may help
http://www.yes2wind.com/)
4.Who do you think is right?
NOW Read the following
A. WIND POWER IN IRELAND
Standing on Culliagh, with a panoramic view of the Blue Stack Mountains , these towering, majestic windmills are great!. Like white birds, the whoosh whoosh of their turbines makes it seems very modern..
A. WIND POWER IN SCOTLAND
Welcome to the SKYE WINDFARM ACTION GROUP
(SKYE is an Island on the West side of Scotland)
... an action group for local people
We are shocked and horrified at recent news that Skye's hillsides are to be filled with 28 wind turbines, each three hundred and thirty feet high.
We believe that beauty and way of life will be stolen .We want to tell the world about this! It could affect nature and tourism.
Task 2:
Make a PRESS RELEASE for the above. A press release is what you want the local papers to know. What would you give?
Press Release Irish Wind farmsPress Release SKYE WINDFARM ACTION GROUP
You can include sketches/diagrams to help.
You should also write two letters against these press releases:
a. A letter from an Irish person against Irish Wind farms
b. A letter from someone who lives on the Isle of Skye who wants wind farms.
DO ACTIVITY 1, 2 3 Page 79
Task 3
WILL WE ALLOW A WIND FARM? Title book
Background
A company SWISH (Staffordshire’s Wind In Stone’s Heart)has applied to build a wind turbine close to the Village of Oulton.It will get £1 million from the government to build them. The government wants to make more renewal energy so that less fossil fuels are used. They are worried about carbon dioxide emissions and its effect on global warming. Wind power does not give off any gases!
Not everyone is happy and a pressure group called SAWE (Stone Against Wind farm Eyesores) wants it stopped.
1. In your own words explain why someone would want to set up a wind farm in Oulton
2. Why would the government want to give it money?
3. Why are some people against it?
This is the proposal
A wind farm at Oulton ?
4. Describe the place where they are going to put the wind turbine
5. Why do you think SWISH chose this site?
TASK 4
People’s Views
There are 4 families who live in this area who have opinions on this. They are labelled as living at A, B, C, and D
They were asked to answer a questionnaire on the siting of the new wind turbine. Here are their replies:
Comment 1I think it’s a good idea. We need to stop using too many fossil fuels which can cause global warming. We are trying to save energy using water power from the nearby Scotch Brook. We have no objections
Comment 2
It’s a disgrace. The noise will keep us up. It so close to our house it will lower the price if we want to sell. Go Away!
Comment 3
It’s a quiet village. I think it will ruin the view of the hill. Nobody wants to see a big turbine towering over the village. They say it’s good for the environment…not here!
Comment 4
We can’t see it and so it does not bother me. We don’t live in the village anyway. We have also been told that it might bring down the price of electricity. There are also going to be a few jobs created in the area. I might even go for one as I am a skilled construction worker
Write in your books
Match the Comments above with the letters A, B, C, D. You will need to give a full reason why you chose the comment.
Here’s what to do
I matched comment 1 with letter……. BecauseI matched comment 2 with letter……. Because
I matched comment 3 with letter……. Because
I matched comment 4 with letter……. Because
Activity 5
Writing for a Newspaper
The Stone Newsletter has picked up on the story.
It is going to the front page story.
You should now write a story to go with this topic.
On the next page there is a sketch of the site (without the wind turbine). You could use this and draw on what the turbines should look like.
You can also report on a public meeting held at Oulton village Hall (see sheet)
Task 6
The Government wants us to use more renewable energy. Should we have more than 10% of Britain's energy from renewable resources?
Should we stick too coal?
Produce a chart which puts forward the different points of view. It could have in the middle COAL or WIND ?
Come up with YOUR CHOICE. Sketches,words,graphs can be used.
What do you think about wind power are you for or against?
Extension
Write a story about this photograph. Label some of the issues raised. One has been done for you. WIND POWER FRIEND OR FOE?
What do you think the people in this house think about Wind Power?