Opera Turbine: Green and Ugly?

Posted by Sarah Canice Funke Jul 26, 2007

The controversial proposal to build a wind turbine to power the Glyndebourne Opera Company was passed by Lewes District Council. At 230 feet tall, the turbine will hardly blend into the landscape. Local residents of Ringmar objected, as well as the Ringmer Parish Council, the South Downs Society and Natural England. The energy saved by the turbine would be overshadowed by the eyesore of the turbine itself.

Yet advocates for the turbine claim that if beautiful landscape is what residents want, then preventing global warming is the way to go. Nothing will look beautiful if the earth overheats and the ozone fails. Each area of society must do its part to be earth-friendly, and the energy produced by the turbine would be enough to match the opera house's yearly consumption of electricity.

The Glyndebourne Opera Company truly faces a dilemma as it tries to go green: should the company sacrifice the aesthetic beauty of the present landscape in order to preserve our earth for future generations? Is there a way to make the turbine less ugly?

For more information, please read the BBC story.