Comparing Wind and Coal
Ireland has some of the windiest weather in Europe. It also has one of the lowest population densities. This means that in some parts of Ireland there are very few people. This is especially true in the west of Ireland were the strongest winds can be found. This makes Ireland a good place to site wind farms. There are only a few wind farms in Ireland at present but more could be built in the future.
Activity
1 Look at the two pictures above. Describe each picture and say how they are different.
2 Cut out each of the sentences in the table below. Make two piles - one for the coal fired power station and one for the wind farm. Put the sentences into the correct pile. You may also make two headings in your copy and write the sentences below the heading.
| It does not produce water or air pollution | Up close, the turbines make a lot of noise. |
| It wastes energy in the form of heat | It produces a large amount of electricity. |
| It uses renewable energy | It produces energy all the time. |
| In the past these were built near areas of high population. | If not built on the coast, these need road and rail links. |
| The turbines cannot be heard in the power station | It produces water and air pollution. |
| A large amount of land is needed but it can be used for other purposes | They often have to be built in areas of great natural beauty. |
| It produces a small amount of electricity. | It only produces energy when it is windy, |
| These are usually built away from areas of high population | It uses non-renewable fuel |
| These can be built anywhere but usually near deep water on the coast | It does not produce waste heat energy. |
