Archive for January 21st, 2010

 

Scottish screensavers

Jan 21, 2010 in Business

Scottish screensavers publishes a unique range of screensavers . Photo and video screensavers can be purchased online . Scotland has a stunning range of landscapes and our pictures feature many parts of the Highlands of Scotland , including Glencoe , Blackmount, Eilean Donan Castle and Buachaille Etive Mor. Scotland is covered in snow at the moment due to the longest cold spell in the country for 30 years . A satellite image by NASA shown on Scottish news broadcasts on the TV has illustrated this fact .

 

Eilean Donan Castle is one of the most photographed castles in Scotland , if not the world , and castle pictures feature on numerous calendars and postcards . The castle can be photographed throughout the year but obviously the weather can affect the whole mood and atmosphere of any pictures of the castle . Late afternoon in summer is one of my favourite times because the sun is starting to get low in the sky and the whole of the face of the castle is in sunlight. This is the most popular viewpoint of the castle , although there are 3 great places for photographing the castle. Eilean Donan Castle is in the west Highlands of Scotland , near Dornie , just 10 miles from the Kyle of Lochalsh. It is probably the most popular castles in Scotland because of its beautiful location in the centre of 3 lochs , surrounded by snow covered mountains and with the beautiful Isle of Skye in the background . Glencoe is a unique eerie place to visit . If you liste carefully you can hear the whispers of the dead souls who were massacred there 200 years ago in one of the most infamous events in Scottish history . The mountain range is spectacular and literally tower over you when you stand in the valley of Glencoe. It is easy to reach Glencoe as it is on the A84 , about 90 miles from Edinburgh . In the summer a lone piper plays a lament in the car park at the side of the road .

A Fresher Breeze For UKs Power Industry~UK Wind Farms

Jan 21, 2010 in Business

More environmentally friendly ways of generating power is one of UK’s highest priority in the coming future.  PM Gordon Brown has set aside £100 billion on wind farms to be built on surrounding coasts around the UK. 

Major energy suppliers such as Scottish Power, Southern Energy and E.On are reported to have been on the tables alongside quite a few other companies to make the programme happen.  Quite a few neighboring European firms are also said to be trying to cash-in on the deal. 

The project will become a benchmark in the country’s power generation industry as it will make the UK as a nation with one of the world’s largest wind farm users.  That is, if it does go through.  Erecting of the windmills is likely to start by 2014.

Even though the future windfarm programme is the third for the country, the earlier two pales in comparison to this one. 

The previously constructed windmills currently in operation are positioned 25 meters below the surface and far off coast of more or less 25 kilometers.  For the newest wind farm project, wind farms will be positioned at a depth of 60 meters and 205 km further off coast.

Roughly 1/3 of the country’s energy source will be provided by these wind farms by 2014.  Various regions in the United Kingdom are found to have good consistent wind blow to drive turbines practically at all times. A few of these are the Irish Sea, Isle of Wight, Hornsea, Bristol Channel and the location where the largest site will be positioned is at Dogger Bank. 

If the latest project becomes a reality, as much as 32 gigawatts of electricity will be yielded and supplied to nearby homes.

Furthermore, the UK is said to have one of the world’s most abundant wind source.  Estimates say that the UK has enough wind resource to power the country three times.

Depending on each wind farm, power output varies in terms of volume.  The biggest site which is said will be at Dogger Bank will generate 9,000 megawatts of electricity while the smallest is assumed to create up to 600 megawatts of power.

Using wind farms to produce electricity will be beneficial to the country’s atmosphere and power reliance but it still has some cons.  For one, the amount of watts that gets supplied is dictated by the speed of the wind and wind blows can stop any time. 

Compared to gas and coal power plants, wind farms often tend to be costlier due to the modern technology required to make turbines more efficient and maintainable. 

The country has lately made attempts to harness energy through environmentally friendly methods.  An example of this is the harnessing of power from sea waves by drifting wave tubes along the nearby coast. 

Also, allocation of funds is going to be used to build nuclear power plants.  While nuclear power is not 100% answer in terms of environmental point of view, it does not give off greenhouse gases as those of gas or coal power plants but the risk of fallout is constantly there.

If this thing with wind turbines does take off, a much more cleaner and energy efficient UK will benefit more citizens through low cost energy price and creation of jobs.