Garvin Karunaratne, Former GA Matara

Proceeding to Scotland from  London after a gap of a few years  I came across many new wind turbines again and again. They all churn out electricity from the wind power, mind you the wind power is far less than in our hills at Nuwara Eliya and Madugoda. I have had narrow scrapes clinging on to trees and creepers on my irrigation inspections in hilly areas. .

Yet we build wind turbines on the coast, perhaps- the only reason I can think is to prove that  wind turbines do not work. Why Mannar when the wind howls and tears apart roofs all over the hills. Tell me one roof blown off by the wind in Hambantota or Mannar. 

I have since leaving the Administrative Service travelled far and wide and every country I go to has wind turbines on its mountains and hills and it is a rare sight to see a wind turbine on the coast. If  ever I see one on the coast it is ramshackle old. The new wind turbines are in the hills.

I have written again and again in The Island and also in Lanka Web and I have had good support specially from Noor Nizam, but never from the authorities who yet think that the sea breeze is all the wind power we can find.

I yet can remember the first time I drove my son’s Nisan Zee on the Altamont Pass when over a two mile span I saw some thousand wind turbines producing electricity for the US grid. I can yet remember stopping my Nissan and gazing at the wind mills for some fifteen minutes or more thinking of the solace I found for our country. I have written again and again- all in vain. Let us copy Altamont Pass  and build wind turbines at Ramboda,at Madugoda and see an end to the dollars that we pour out annually to buy oil that we use to find out power. Building wind power towers is simple and not costly.  However it is easy to import oil that to don boots and get going. In Spain there are many thousands making wind turbines and they even sell electricity to France. 

Good idea for a future Government

27/5/2024