Orkney - future island

UKIP and the Conservatives are trying to kill this future off:

Conservatives start their attack on wind farms

Today the Conservatives launched their promised attack on the nations current primary energy weapon against climate change.

Planning decisions regarding large onshore wind energy projects are now to be handed over to the nations anti-wind farm Conservative rural councils. Hampshire County Council have a backward thinking elite that oppose wind turbines. They have previously banned them on HCC owned land, which effectively means they will oppose any wind energy project in Hampshire.

At a time when the indicators of climate change are actually increasing dramatically with record drought in California, dramatic reductions in ice on the Antarctic peninusla and a continued downward spiral of Arctic ice.

It is not a time for the political game players and mis-representers to mess around with fact and science based policies. The Conservatives are showing just how cowardly and manipulative they are.

Lightsail

Looks like energy storage company Isentropic near Fareham has some competition in the shape of Californian company Lightsail Energy.

Lightsail are developing energy storage using compressed air and intend to overcome the problem of the waste heat energy it produces by turning the heat into a useable energy product. They claim a potential 90% roundtrip efficency.

www.isentropic.co.uk
www.lightsail.com
daniellefong.com

Tree causes train delays between Southampton and Portsmouth

Travelled to Southampton today and as we passed a stationary train on it's way to Portsmouth, I noticed it had stopped and had a number of tree branches lodged in the front.
Our train stopped by the Portsmouth train and the guard annnounced there would be a delay because of a tree on the line.
After a few minutes the driver was asked to move slowly forward to take a closer look.
The photo is what was found. Luckily the branches were thin and the tree had fallen on the opposite side of the line. The Portsmouth train had scythed through the branches, effectively clearing the line.

Oslo to London in an electric car

Robert test drives a Tesla:

Eye to eye with a Gull

With growing problems finding food at sea Gulls are getting cheeky and aggresive. On a recent visit to Brighton I took a walk along the pier which was packed with visitors. Numerous large Gulls were flying and swooping around waiting for the opportunity of picking up a fish and chip meal from an unsustpecting tourist.

This one was standing on a sign. I edged my way towards it and got within a metre or two to take this photo. It didn't budge an inch and was indifferent to my presence.

It was like a scene for Daphne Du Mauriers 'The Birds'. One foolish 'continental' tourist decided to offer his hand/finger to the gull in the photo. But I suggested that it might take his finger off and he backed away.

Some kids on the beach near the peer were surrounded by gulls because they were playing around with a takeway carton. In a fountain further in town, Gulls were having fun and having a bath.