This article suggests that Google Earth can be used to make decisions about wind
farm sites, by using 3D models to visualize the effects of decisions. The
first part looks at a recently
proposed site in Devon.
It's not designed as a teaching resource about the advantages and disadvantages
of onshore wind energy, but inevitably this topic raises strong feelings.
Please post comments here
Batsworthy Cross is
the site of a proposed wind farm development by npower renewables (link
to web site) According to npower, the site is an excellent location
for a wind farm as it has a number of attributes that have allowed
the design to have a low environmental impact and a high-energy output, as
follows:
• High wind speeds, ensuring high productivity and electrical output
• The site is outside International, National and Local
designations for landscape
• The site is outside International and National designations
for ecology
• There are few dwellings located close to the site
• It has good access to the electricity grid
• Has good road access via the nearby A361
180° panorama view west from Batsworthy
Cross site [photo NJ]
The site is an elevated location close to the A361 North Devon Link
road. The
Ordnance Survey map extract is centred on the proposed site.
Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service.
Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
According to The
Tiverton Gazette (Jan 24th 2006) campaigners are "sounding the
death knell" for rural Devon. The site is certainly attractive, and the wind
turbines will be obvious to the thousands of tourists who use the A361. The
pictures below show how the site might look after the development. Click
each picture to go to a larger version at Flickr:
[photos
NJ]
I have prepared a Google
Earth file comprising an Ordnance Survey map extract,
photographs and 3D scale models of the proposed wind turbines.
Local anti-wind farm campaigners have pointed out that the
the photomontage and the Google Earth file do not show the propsed turbines
to
scale. Discuss
the resources or teaching activities here
Download
the file here 
Thanks to SketchUp for providing the 3D model
Students could use the information on this page to reach a conclusion
about the validity of this site for a wind farm:
• Select the Batsworthy Cross folder after loading the
Google Earth file and play through a virtual tour of the location (by pressing
the Play Tour button).
• The dimensions of the site,
and the distance to the nearest dwellings can be calculated using the measuring
tools in Google Earth.
• Despite the lack of high-resolution coverage of this
location, it is still possible to visualize the topography in Google Earth
by turning on the Terrain layer and exaggerating the height in Tools / Options
/ Rendering and changing the default setting from 1 to 2.
• The opacity of the Ordnance Survey map can be altered
after selecting it and adjusting the slider widget. Students could suggest
a suitable grid reference
for a visitor centre.
• Click on the photograph placemarks for a larger copy
of the image. The photographs should help students to be able to visualize
the scenery.
• Get in touch with pro and anti campaigners using the links
below.