Mod note: This post and the following ones are in response to this [url=Say No to Wind Turbines in Sanzhi- Sunday 5th June posting[/url] in the Events forum.
Yeah, we need another nuclear plant instead.
Don’t exaggerate! We simply need to turn all of Taroko Gorge into a huge hydroelectric station.
Edit: No! I’ve got it! We should yank the red LEDs from our TV sets. Apparently they are responsible for all the power loss, and without them we wouldn’t even need electricity in the first place!
An even better idea is that once we have removed all the red LEDs from household appliances, then for any odd remaining electricity powered device we could convert to run on batteries only instead!
Jeez, even I amaze myself at times with my injunewativ ideas!
why do you hate the environment?
I don’t. I quite like it. Especially one with a nice flat road.
Seriously though, I don’t get the larger ideological environmental campagne. It doesn’t make sense to me. Generally the people who push for it don’t make any sense either. If however they changed the topic from saving the planet to saving ourselves, then I may be more involved in some type of discussion. I don’t recognize that the earth or the animals on it all need to be saved. They die through nature anyway, just the same as the landscape changes unceasingly over the years. There’s bugger all we can do to change that as far as I can tell. And why would I want to change it? Anyway, I’m sorry if I give the impression that I care to have a debate on the matter. I’m not truly interested to be honest.
Its good that you do something you believe in however. However much I’m not interested in the topic, I think its commendable to stand for what you believe in.
there’s the crux, there are no easy energy answers. People need power, got to come from somewhere.
Germany is finding that out now - on the verge of leaving behind nuclear, it’s now proposing a series of high-voltage power lines running from the north-coast down to the south, to transport energy produced from wind turbines. People are protesting against that.
So you don’t have wind turbines in Sanzhi. I hate the disfigurement too. But what’s the plan B?
I like wind turbines. I live near the ones around Zhunan. They brighten up what is a pretty ugly coast road (how many closed up gas stations do you want to the kilometer?)
George Monbiot’s latest article sums up the issue quite nicely.
I agree, I think they look pretty cool. When I used to live in Zhanghua, I’d often cycle out to the coast where the turbines were.
Selfishly, I’d say Sanzhi is a good place for them. My wife and I are considering buying a place out there in a couple of years, so if wind turbines cause property prices to drop, we won’t complain.
Better wind and solar than nukes or fossil fuels. Wind and solar will come with costs, including visual impact, but those costs are preferable to the costs of the other power sources. While I empathize with the desire of locals to prevent the visual impact and noise pollution of this plan, local ugliness and noise are less harmful to our planet than carbon and other emissions and the risks of nukes.
What are the alternatives? Slap a tax on the sale of inefficient appliances and AC units? Provide incentives to upgrade to efficient ones. Raise electricity rates, and invest the surplus in education and research. Encourage power saving measures. Promote insulation so heating and cooling aren’t so incredibly inefficient here.
We use our AC as little as possible. I didn’t even buy an AC unit for my first 11 years in Taiwan. The TV didn’t get turned on even once this spring. We turn off lights when possible. We upgraded to a more efficient refrigerator. We line dry instead of using a dryer. I hope the protesters have also done these kinds of things.
Instead of (or in addition to) protesting new power generation, why not protest the WASTING of power ? 
This has to be one of the most misguided campaigns in a while. Yes, let’s nix wind and build another coal plant, or a gas plant. They don’t mar the environment do they?
Like many others, I find wind turbines to look cool and not to mar the landscape at all. In any case, unless you are seriously going to ask the good folk of Sanzhi to put up a painted wall around their town (not the countryside which is lovely) but the town which is as butt ugly as anything in Taiwan, I would say accept those state of the art turbines. They will be the only nice lookin gthing around in many places.
I’m all for alternative energy, but for the limited output wind provides, and all those birds the props twat out of the sky, it is at least right to question the full impact vs the upside.
HG
The bird issue has long been proven to be negligible with modern turbines. if you compare with the destruction of habitat and wildlife from coal plants there is no comparison.
Yes, there is a minor issue with how much electricity can be generated but I would bet all of sanzhi could be powered. having a totally clean township would be something to be proud of.
Better wind than coal or nuke.
Holy CRAP! 
I’m presuming that this is irony, right? OK. Agreed. No turbines. How about a nuclear plant, then? No? OK. Another coal-fired plant? No? Then what? Little hamsters running around in wheels? What, exactly? These nimby protests serve only to detract frm the REAL issues, such as giant petrochemical plants blighting the coastline and causing REAL damage to the environment and populace. People NEED electricity. It’s THAT simple. You don’t want nukes, you don’t want coal, you don’t want wind… how exactly do you propose to generate power? 
The poster does have a point. Actually there isn’t much of Taiwan’s coastline that isn’t blighted by the things. There’s already some at Shihmen, which isn’t far from Sanzhi. Here’s an idea for Taipower: fix the sodding wind turbines on the west coast before building more!
Taipower’s fucktardery knows no bounds, as this article shows:
[quote=“monkey”]The poster does have a point. Actually there isn’t much of Taiwan’s coastline that isn’t blighted by the things. There’s already some at Shihmen, which isn’t far from Sanzhi. Here’s an idea for Taipower: fix the sodding wind turbines on the west coast before building more!
Taipower’s fucktardery knows no bounds, as this article shows:
taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/ … 2003415612[/quote]
Yeah, unfortunately you are probably right that this is just some bullshit corportate giveaway which will do nothing to generate power and will in the end leave us with aging bizarro objects de camp favored by cfimages for showing off his photo skills. 
I love wind turbines. When I see them they restore my faith in humanity. They are majestic sculptures in my opinion, a utilitarian celebration of human engineering.
A wind turbine is a symbol of mans’ ability to live in harmony with nature. I don’t relate to those who don’t see the beauty in that.
Found this BTW, while looking for something else:
[quote]Forget building better mousetraps. Anthony Magnotta believes he’s come across a better wind turbine - one that’s relatively small, virtually soundless and, depending on the size, produces just enough energy to light up a parking lot.
…
The vertical-axis wind turbine technology, or VAWT, is already in use internationally, from Quebec to Taiwan, and captures the wind from any direction, standing in appearance like a vertical drill rather than a giant pinwheel, with a vertical rotor shaft surrounded by helix-like blades.
…
This weekend, Magnotta is meeting in Anaheim, Calif., with the Taiwanese company that produces the VAWTs, with the hope of becoming its Minnesota manufacturer.
[/quote]
twincities.com/localnews/ci_ … ck_check=1
[quote=“Icon”]Found this BTW, while looking for something else:
[quote]Forget building better mousetraps. Anthony Magnotta believes he’s come across a better wind turbine - one that’s relatively small, virtually soundless and, depending on the size, produces just enough energy to light up a parking lot.
…
The vertical-axis wind turbine technology, or VAWT, is already in use internationally, from Quebec to Taiwan, and captures the wind from any direction, standing in appearance like a vertical drill rather than a giant pinwheel, with a vertical rotor shaft surrounded by helix-like blades.
…
This weekend, Magnotta is meeting in Anaheim, Calif., with the Taiwanese company that produces the VAWTs, with the hope of becoming its Minnesota manufacturer.
[/quote]
twincities.com/localnews/ci_ … ck_check=1[/quote]
Those are pretty cool. There were a few installed at the Flower Expo site. The real issue with these in-city mini turbines is that half of the time they won’t be spinning at all because there’s no wind. Wind power really only makes sense on the coast or offshore where there’s an almost constant breeze.
They have sprouted all along the West Coast, I can’t say they have made the place look any worse. Taipower built a coal power plant beside Tongxiao Beach resort…which is now closed. They can do worse you know.
The government should plant these things all over Penghu and in the Taiwan strait, that is where they will generate serious power, Penghu is going to be the richest county in Taiwan I bet ya.