These controversial mobile sculptures are now an established part of Northumberland's seascape, but do you know anything about them? In 1992, planning permission was allowed for the development of the semi-offshore site and following the granting of a combination of funding, the construction work started. The foundations were constructed on Blyth's 100-year-old East Pier. Twenty two steel tubular piles were tied into each of the concrete blocks on the bases. They extend up to seven metres into the underlying bedrock.
 | | Precision manufacturing is vital |
The nine towers, turbines and blades then followed from Antwerp in the autumn of 1992 on a 100 tonne crane barge. The hefty work of building the final construction was under way. Each of the "nacelles" with two attached blades (15 tonnes) were lowered on to the tower first, with the final third blade (0.08 tonne) taking its position on to the rotor. How do they do that? Blyth's wind power generators were the first of the UK's offshore power units, and quickly started to contribute to the national grid. There are currently 1,234 individual wind turbines around the country producing enough power for well over half-a-million homes. Blyth's units currently produce 300kW of power each, enough for 1,500 homes, but how do they work? | "By 2050, wind power could meet about 20% of the UK's current energy demand. " | | Friends of the Earth |
The blades revolve simply by wind power. Mounted on a hub at the front of the nacelle, they rotate at a constant 52 revolutions per minute (rpm). The gearbox inside the nacelle at the top of the tower and the hydraulic actuators control the angle of the blades, pointing the rotors directly into the wind. The gearbox output runs at 1500 rpm and the generator produces three-phase power at 380 volts. The turbines produce electricity at wind speeds of between 5 metres per second (m/s), equivalent to 10 miles per hour (mph), and 25 m/s (50 mph), maximum output is produced above 13 m/s (26 mph). It's Blyth's Harbour Master who controls the power output, exporting it to the local grid via a connection building at the Northern end of the pier. The future The UK's resources for wind power are huge. The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) says offshore wind could supply the current UK demand three times over, and onshore wind five times.
 | | The might of the sea had to be tamed. |
Friends of the Earth say a conservative estimate is that by 2050, wind power could meet about 20% of the UK's current energy demand. But various issues such as planning, infrastructure and capital costs mean that realistically, much less power than this will come from wind and wave energy. Wind energy is widely considered as being an environmentally clean option and the UK would not necessarily have to be smothered with windmills to achieve the environmentalists' goals. Greenpeace say 80 square miles of offshore space would be enough to supply all of the UK's electricity needs. But it's the aesthetics that trouble a growing number of people. What do you think when you gaze back up the coast on these swirling giants? Are they visually pleasing or a visual eyesore? Maybe the invention of windmills was derided back in the mists of time - maybe we'll all need to start getting used to the site for the sake of the planet. From here - walk on to point 3, and discover more about the unique coastal history of Seaton Sluice. | 
