There is a pulse to an offshore wind turbine. A giant’s pulse. A giant’s heartbeat. A slow and steady pulse.
There is the steady scything as the blades cut the air. There is the thrum of the main bearing. The electric buzz of the power.
Ships pass. Yachts bob along. Passenger jets leave white trails overhead. Our transfer vessels work round the field like sheepdogs keeping a flock in order.
The tower snakes sinuously as you look up inside on a breezy day. The main climbing ladder is a standing sine wave.
The nacelle can pitch and roll like a boat at sea. Standing on the helibasket is like being the lookout on a sailing clipper, or like a child in a swaying treehouse.
It’s a long way down. It takes about 12 secs for your pee to hit the water from the heli basket.
The air crackles with tangible energy. AC, DC, Static, Radio Traffic. Lightning sometimes comes and we cower in a place we hope is a Farady Cage. And we listen nervously to the giant’s pulse as he draws the power of the wind.
(Eddie Stiven)
intimations
Eddie Stiven is a playwright, tutor, and actor. He is also EHS Advisor for Siemens Wind Power, based at the Greater Gabbard offshore windfarm, off the coast of Suffolk
Have you ever heard the Limpet,wave power machine on Islay.i makes a wonderful noise like an ancient beast breathing.I am going down in October
ReplyDeleteand can't wait to go and stand beside it and hear it.My son wrote a really lovely poem about it.Vry powerful place. Limpet is the worlds first working wave power machine.