Rant!

[Michaelaw]

Here in Vancouver we are bombarded with adds on radio about being "powersmart" Look for the energy star, as if to discover the freaking thing will lead us to Mecca! Now our beautiful Grouse mountain skyline has a twenty story high white wind turbine erected for all of us to marvel. It will save 20-25% of the power needed to feed the ski resort annually. While the rest of us are told to turn stuff off and conserve power, Grouse mountain ski hill leaves its vastly powerful ski hill lights on 24/7 365 day a year! Now, without consulting those who cherish the grand mountain view, they erect a twenty story high white eyesore wind turbine! I'm told to turn off that which I'm not using to help conserve energy while those BEEaaattches burn huge mercury vapor lamps so the summer berry eating bears can snack 24/7? !!!! End rant!

Isn't it just lovely!

http://www.redzonefilms.com/pics2/turbine.jpg

Taken from Deer lake many miles to the south. I maybe wrong that they burn the lights 24/7 they may turn them off in the daytime (I would) but they burn all night long in the summer for no good reason!

[casil403]

Oddly enough, I remember being able to see said GM lights at night from a friend's B&B on Saltspring Island a few years back!
I'll bet I can really see it now with a wind turbine there! Just think...at Christmas, they can stick branches and LED lights on it and call it a Christmas tree! :wall-an:

[zenon5940]

I have good souvenirs from that mountain. In the 60's there was not even talk of wind turbines then.

[Iguanasan]

It's obviously near and dear to your heart but to me it's no more of a scar than the ski hill that it sits beside. Maybe you are just more used to the ski hill than the turbine?

[Michaelaw]

Well what can you do eh? There it is...A three hundred and some odd foot propeller on a stick. Life's to comfortable for me get put away for attacking it with a chainsaw, so...I'll adapt, comfortable with knowing that they will spread like dandelions on a spring lawn until there are so many of them, they'll suck all the clouds past North Vancouver and Lovin will think he's living in Fort Lauderdale. :D:D

[Mad Aussie]

We live in an ever changing world. You'll find your cheese again. :)

[JAS_Photo]

I think it's going to be an interesting thing to photograph. :)

[Marko]

Visually - it looks ugly to me and is not a focal point I'd want in my pic.

[casil403]

We have a couple of wind farms to the south of Calgary (about 2-3 hours) and I think they look kinda neat sticking out of the prairie landscape.
I have to say that I'll take the windmills over coal-generated power plants any day.
The wind turbines might not look as great on the landscape but the pollution that arises from coal power does far greater damage IMO.
No matter what the method, our massive consumption of energy has to be met somehow. So whether it's a hydroelectic dam, a wind turbine, a bunch of solar panels, a nuclear or a coal fired power plant they all impact/scar the earth in some way and there is just no way of getting around it unfortunately.

[kat]

Visually offensive but at the same time..sorry guys..I like to see it.

[Michaelaw]

Visually - it looks ugly to me and is not a focal point I'd want in my pic.

Maybe not pics of it but pics from the big glass observation deck it will have!

LINK (http://grouse-corporate.blogspot.com/2009/07/wind-turbine-viewpod-arrives-at-grouse.html)

I guess this is the silver lining to the cloud:)

[Xenos]

Having worked in the industrial and heavy equipment parts world I have a bit of knowledge into the bulbs Grouse uses. I used to work for the company that supplied the bulbs to them. It actually uses more energy to turn them on and off. It also cause premature exhaustion of the bulbs. Costing more money in the long run...

Anyway. That is an eye sore but I guess it is a good thing for the environment. I'm surprised you can see it that clearly from Deer Lake Park.

I live in Abbotsford and from a high point out here you can see the lights. I've also been up Vedder mountain in Chilliwack (where Cultus Lake is) and have seen them from there at night after 4 wheeling all day. For those not from the area Grouse Mountain is about 70 miles (112 km) from Vedder Mountain.

[AcadieLibre]

That's horrid, why would they put it there, it is not like it could not be located elsewhere. The lodge did it for a big show to pretend how earth friendly they are by scarring the landscape with that eyesore. It does not help the environmental cause when people think that to get environmentally friendly that you have to put up these ugly eyesores all over. It was a bad idea and as far wind mills go and their actual environmental friendliness I think we need an actual critical look at the actual saving to the environment is rather than what we are lead to believe by the main stream media and other assorted talking heads. Sort of like ethanol, a very stupid and dangerous idea passed on to the sheeple as it is any sort of solution. Anyway not meaning to open a can of worms, next thing you know I would be taking shots at the utter idiocy of electric vehicles.

[Michaelaw]

Don't get me started on electric cars....If every car in Vancouver were sent over to electric world The grid would melt. They're talking about brownouts here within a decade. I believe we sell much of our power to the States though along with much of our fresh water.

[kurtdriver]

It's visible from all over the city, ugly as heck.

[Michaelaw]

It's not a pretty sight but there it is! I read somewhere or no...I heard it on a radio show...I don't remember where I got the source form...But it's real Damnit!
Coca cola was messing with the idea of punching into low orbit with a 500KM wide LED banner. No matter what perfect beach you would be lying on, sooner or later the pure technology of Coka Cola would slowly drift across your starfilled dreamscape "DRINK COKA COLA" If I'm correct, the idea was shot down...For now...

[Xenos]

You are close but quite a ways off Michael. We don't sell our electricity and water to California. That's just what they tell us. We are realy giving it to them at this point. The California gov't hasn't paid for a drop of water or a watt of energy from British Columiba in about 7 yrs.

Funny. If I don't pay my cell phone bill or my cable and intenet bill, I get cut off. Whether it's a mistake or on purpose. I get cut off. Within a month. But the BC gov't has OK'd California's multi milion dollar to the province to grow for years now.

[Michaelaw]

Wonder what would happen if we turned off the taps?

[Michaelaw]

Having worked in the industrial and heavy equipment parts world I have a bit of knowledge into the bulbs Grouse uses. I used to work for the company that supplied the bulbs to them. It actually uses more energy to turn them on and off. It also cause premature exhaustion of the bulbs. Costing more money in the long run...

Anyway. That is an eye sore but I guess it is a good thing for the environment. I'm surprised you can see it that clearly from Deer Lake Park.

I live in Abbotsford and from a high point out here you can see the lights. I've also been up Vedder mountain in Chilliwack (where Cultus Lake is) and have seen them from there at night after 4 wheeling all day. For those not from the area Grouse Mountain is about 70 miles (112 km) from Vedder Mountain.

Yes but all they need to do is turn them off one time at the end of "strap some wood to your feet and throw yourself down a mountain" season. When the snow falls they could turn them on again, that's off and on one time!

[Xenos]

^^^ This is true but how would all those people feel about losing their precious landmark for 6 or so months a year...

[Michaelaw]

If I answer that I'll get myself in hot water and the chimps in the park across the street will throw their bats and gloves to the ground, rush over to my house, Kick my door down then lynch me! We NEED more of those big white windmills obviously. Perhaps an "Adopt a windmill" program is in order! Sooner or later though "feelings" are going to have to take a back seat to necessity because "The Terminator" is not paying for his power and we are going to run short!