My walk this week is back up on top of The Mawr again – this time as a visit to the Awel Aman Tawe Community Wind Farm above Cwmgors. It was a beautiful day and the wind was blowing well, with the result that the turbine blades were turning fast and producing the electricity they were designed for.
This moorland is on the eastern edge The Mawr – in fact I am not even sure if it is considered part of that upland landscape! Whether it is or not, the scenery is beautiful with views over to Pen-y-Fan, the Brecon Beacons highest peak and a peacefulness most of the time that I have spoken of before. There was a short period where that peace was broken by enthusiastic trials motorbike riders ranging across the tracks but the larks were much more memorable.
Ponies and their foals roam free, the wildflowers grow and the bees enjoy the sunshine on a day like this.
The wind farm itself was commissioned two years ago and I was videoing some of the construction of it before that and had a very memorable early morning in the mist watching the three blades being hoisted up onto the hub or nacelle at the top of the turbine tower with one of the construction workers hanging onto the tip go the blade so that it would swivel into position on the crane hook known as a banana!
The recording of the blades turning one murky day is what you can hear in the audio clip above and this rhythmic sound was used by a local group, Fiddlebox, on two or three of the tracks on their album “Tears of a Robot”. The track “Sea of Serenity” can be listened to below.
Hmmm, I have mixed feelings about these windmills and there are lots in the States as well. I’m glad their producing electricity, but I feel as though they’re intruding on the natural beauty. If only they could somehow look like giant trees or something. 🙂
janet
I don’t mind them myself but understand your point of view. We had to get used to electricity pylons too and they also could be made to look more like trees
Alastair, I so enjoyed this windmill post, and I found the video of the construction of it especially fascinating. I had no idea they were so big until I watched the video. Gigantic! What a huge job to install them. I loved seeing the worker climb the ladder and disappear inside; the fog. The pacing of the video was great, showing the progress. Since I am not a local, I found the Welsh accent of the interviewee a wonder to hear. Cool when the crane put the blade in place. Wonderful the sounds the blades make. I loved hearing the rhythmic pulsing in your sound clip, and fun to hear it in the “Sea of Serenity” song too. Fantastic seeing the Welsh moorelands. Thanks so much.
Thanks very much Jet. I’m glad you enjoyed it. The videos I made for the wind farm co-op are not generally seen because they were made for their archives. More commercial looking (and very good) were used for promotional purposes so I am am even more pleased you enjoyed mine