Last month Sonia Hawkey, Good Energy’s local Delabolian blogger, wrote about what the wind farm meant to her and her family. This month she gives us an insight into what impact the decommissioning of the 10 original turbines has had on the local community. Now that 5 of the turbines have come down, Sonia writes about her anticipation for the arrival of the 4 new turbines onto the site.

Hello again from Delabole!  Well, what can I say? Things have certainly changed since my last posting.  The Delabole ‘skyline’ has been transformed as the existing ten wind turbines are slowly taken down and dismantled.  Indeed, a friend and I have decided to mark the occasion with our own take on the ’10 green bottles’ song.  As I write, and in spite of the Cornish weather’s best efforts to delay plans, we are at the halfway point in our little ditty; with five white turbines left standing in the ground.

 Our old faithfuls completed their last revolutions at the beginning of August and, after 19 years of service, were given an appropriate send-off before a gathering of locals, with Good Energy team members and wind energy experts on hand to answer questions. These were mainly of an aesthetic nature – a telling indication of the minimal level of what detractors may term ‘disruption’ caused by the current wind farm.  However, once we were assured that the new turbines would still outshine their bi-bladed cousins in nearby Launceston, I think the crowd were satisfied (old feuds die hard out here)! 

Enduring memories of the wind farm as it was are affectionate; from geography trips at school to more bleary ones of staring up at them after a few jars, it seems that the turbines have managed to be both spectacular and familiar in the eyes of local residents. We were especially pleased to hear that, in the true spirit of the repower, our outgoing turbines will be transported to mainland Europe to carry on their good work.

So, what about the future?  Standing at twice the height of the originals and producing double and a half the current output, the four new turbines certainly seem like the robust choice for renewable energy, and their foundations were eagerly shown to the assembled crowd. I’m sure that Delabolians will take the second generation turbines into their hearts as they did the originals. But with no sign of them yet and as we bid farewell to our first generation, Delabole eagerly anticipates the next stage in the repower and the arrival of the new über-turbines. And you’ll hear all about them here first.