Posted on 06/12/2010 6:10:31 AM PDT by Stoutcat
I (we) ask that you consider what has happened in the last 53 days. The most recent government estimate suggests that the Gulf oil disaster is spewing the equivalent of one Exxon Valdez every 5 to 12 days with no definite end in sight. You do the math. Our country is facing an environmental disaster of unknown proportions and characteristics. And no, a wind farm couldnt have prevented that. But at least it will take a tiny step or two in the right direction.
(Excerpt) Read more at grandrants.wordpress.com ...
I would have to think that maintenance of a windmill farm would be less than the maintenance of an oil rig. And I don’t think the government should stick it’s nose in it by either subsidizing them or taxing.
It is so interesting in a ridiculous sort of way, to see history repeating itself so soon. Wind power for rural electrification, was active in the 1920’s and 30’s, it was soon supplanted by the more efficient, and cost effective power plant, fueled by water, coal, gas, etc.
Here is an example of what one person thinks about how wind power in the 30’s died. “The modest wind industry that had built up by the 1930’s was literally driven out of business by government policies favoring the construction of utility lines and fossil fuel power plants”.
There may be a smidgen of truth therein, but when you are dealing with a 25 to 30 percent efficiency AT BEST, it was driven out of business because there was something MUCH better, and the people spoke loud and clear.
Frankly, there’s a little too much ‘hot air’ in wind farms. Many have already been abandoned here in the US. Drill, baby, drill.
GREAT POST!
That is like saying the maintenance on a container ship is less than that of your car. It is a meaningless comparison. Windmill farms suffer greatly from maintenance issues. There are literally thousands of abandoned wind turbines in some of the best locations in the world due to the fact that the amount of energy produced was not enough to justify the maintenance required to keep them going... even with government subsidies.
“Cannibalizing parts from the original 37 turbines, Apollo personnel kept the declining facility going with outdated equipment. But even in a place where wind-shaped trees grow sideways, maintenance issues were overwhelming. By 2004 Kamaoa accounts began to show up on a Hawaii State Department of Finance list of unclaimed properties. In 2006, transmission was finally cut off by Hawaii Electric Company.”
From
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/02/wind_energys_ghosts_1.html
Small pebble bed nuclear reactors are the answer. Solar and wind are pipe dreams.
“California’s wind farms — then comprising about 80% of the world’s wind generation capacity — ceased to generate much more quickly than Kamaoa. In the best wind spots on earth, over 14,000 turbines were simply abandoned. Spinning, post-industrial junk which generates nothing but bird kills.”
http://www.americanthinker.com/tehachapi-wind-turbines-p1.jpg
Well that’s easy to fix. Just install electric motors to spin the blades when there is no wind.
I think Walter Kronkite was against this too. What progress can be reaped from the death of two NIMBYs.
Now you’re thinking.......like a liberal. /sarc
Wind is a joke once you look at a map showing just where it is viable in this country.
You don’t believe in honoring a contract?
Well thats easy to fix. Just install electric motors to spin the blades when there is no wind
My response was an attempt at humor, thus ending with the /sarc.
I understand how the rigs are built. My father was a welder on a Texico rig off of New Orleans. There are crews working on them constantly. They are like floating hotels also, he would be on one for days, and he wasn’t eating hamburger, he said the food was quite good.
But I wasn’t aware of the amount of failures and maintenance costs of windmills.
I’m really having a hard time with why we can’t come up with better technology to make them more efficient and durable.
I have wondered if there were thousands of them together, let’s say a huge wind farm, what if any wind diversion there would be and what effect that would have on the local weather.
As for the president, well we’ve aready got an unqualified one, maybe his wind could be harnessed!
I messed up with a response to another threazd. Yeah, the motor thing was a joke, an attempt at humor on a hot and soggy day. Mea culpa.
Wind turbines are inefficient, run on electricity when there's no wind and they receive some of the largest government subsidies to operate. Plus, they screw up the scenery. There is nothing pretty or romantic about large white blades on a hillside, possibly overlooking your home or farmland. Ugly! Learn more at Wind Action
There is nothing pretty or romantic about large white blades on a hillside,
Especially when they are not turning. At least turning they may be producing something besides disgust. No pun intended.
No, they aren't:
The theoretical limit of efficiency for wind energy extraction is 16/27 = 59.3%. According to Wikipedia, modern wind turbines can reach 70-80% of that, which would be 41 - 47% efficiency.
"Subcritical fossil fuel power plants can achieve 3640% efficiency. Supercritical designs have efficiencies in the low to mid 40% range, with new "ultra critical" designs using pressures of 4,400 psi (30 MPa) and dual stage reheat reaching about 48% efficiency." - link
Thus the efficiency of modern wind turbines is the same range as the most-efficient, highest technology fossil fuel power plants.
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