Wind Turbines

A modern misconception doing the rounds is that wind power is the answer to all our future needs, and that it will save the environment.
While it is a possibility that in the future fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil) will eventually run out and we'll have to look elsewhere for our energy, the current "build a wind farm in the country" policy that is being touted is flawed in so many ways.
Basic facts are that a large wind turbine can generate between 1 and 3 mw/h (megawatts per hour = 1,000,000 watts per hour) at full capacity, that is providing the wind is blowing at 28mph or above (current limit is usually 28mph, if it blows stronger you don't get more electricity generated, the turbines are limited as if the blades turned faster than this it could shake the whole structure to destruction).
If the wind is light (as it is in most inland areas) they would only generate a fraction of that amount.
Electricity prices work on supply and demand process, in Summer less electricity is used and prices can fall to around £20 per mw/h, it can rise to around a £1000 per mw/h in strong demand winter period where everyone is using heating and lights etc usually on cold winter mornings.
So assuming a strong wind is blowing the wind turbine could make between £20 and £3,000 per hour, not bad until you realise that the 80 tonne turbine on top of that huge column probably costs well in excess of two million pounds to install, and it's life expectancy without a major refit is around 20 years.
Also you must remember that a very large proportion of Britain will only see those wind speeds for a couple of days every year, the offshore farms might have a break even chance.
I used to work at a gas fired power station producing in excess of 1,000mw/h (or 333 to 1,000 wind turbines depending on size), a commonly touted reason for wind power is the amount of pollutants released by these fossil fueled stations, when in reality the "greenhouse gases" produced in a day by these modern stations are less than one airliner crossing the Atlantic.
So cut down on air travel (but that's a different argument, and not very popular with the globetrotting politicians).
Back to the wind turbines, how much environmental damage is done in producing them? only a fraction are made in the UK and most are imported from Scandinavia and the far east.
As I said the ones I know about weigh in excess of 80 tonnes, that's a lot of steel
production and global transportation contributing to world pollution.
I was told when 2 were put up near the place I worked, the only reason they were there was because of huge incentives offered to local companies and councils to take them, basically government grants paid a high proportion of the cost and installation, and preferential tax rates were available to companies and authorities who were seen to be "going green".
I imagine farmers and landowners will be offered similar deals in the future if the
government goes ahead with it's proposed plans, as I'm sure anyone that's looked into the financial side of building a wind farm would see it's a non starter without outside help.

In case anyone thinks I'm one of these nimby's (not in my back yard) I should say I'd have nothing against it (as long as it blocked the view of my nosey neighbour, and kept some of the police helicopters away :).
Having worked in close proximity to one for years, the argument about noise is false and I quite like the look of them, but as pointed out earlier it really is pointless putting them up in the majority of Britain.

I can't help thinking there is a wind turbine shareholder or two in the government?