I live on the highly exposed west coast without a single hedge bank as shelter between my house and Ireland.We have had a dry, calm autumn with many windless days – a situation I predicted months ago when we were suffering a stormy June and July; our weather averages out over a year or two, whatever the “climate change” brigade speculates. High pressure anti-cyclones follow low pressure cyclones as night follows day.
Anyway, a gale was roaring across our coastal farm park (see www.cardiganisland.com) at 10am on Sunday, December 2. Any wind turbine for miles around would have automatically shut down due to possible dangerous shatter of the huge fibreglass blades.
I checked the official wind speed statistics for the Met Office recording station at Aberporth. Records for 9am on December 2 show the wind was gusting dangerously at 40 knots at Sennybridge; 41 knots at Valley, Anglesey; 44 knots at Lake Vyrnwy and 49 knots at Aberporth.
So wind turbines all over Wales would have cut out, or would have been close to doing so, due to gusting.
Then I glanced at the Scottish wind statistics for the same hour.
Lo and behold! Of 18 Met Office recording stations from the Borders to Shetland and the Outer Hebrides, not one records a wind speed above seven knots at 9am on December 2. Remarkable!
So all Scotland’s 1,000-plus wind turbines would have been totally becalmed at that hour.
So while it was too stormy for wind turbines to generate electricity in Wales, it was far too calm in Scotland. Marvellous!
L J Jenkins
Cardigan Island Coastal Park Gwbert, Cardigan
8 December 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/12/08/storm-here-calm-there/