Last March, my son and I drove through Oregon to the Columbia River Gorge separating Oregon and Washington and turned east in I-84. There must be 10,000 of the monstrosities installed there. I think we saw maybe ten lazily, barely turning. What a HUGE waste of capital that would otherwise be put to productive uses. Capitalism is incredibly efficient at allocating capital to its most productive uses. This is CRONY capitalism which is akin to communism in that central planners are making horrible capital deployment decisions.
The only reasons these “work” (i.e., make money for the owners and manufacturers) are 1) tax subsidies and 2) they don’t produce much of the nation’s power. The rest of the conventional power system is available to cover for these infernal machines when the wind doesn’t blow. You also need large rotating masses to regulate the grid to 60 Hz. The generators on wind machines are too small to do that.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen any windmill actually turn and this is from years of seeing them. It is a total scam.
The only reasons these “work” (i.e., make money for the owners and manufacturers)
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Don’t forget the workers who install these monstrosities, my son is an iron worker (union) and he’s made a fortune over the past 20 years installing them. He works a ton of very lucrative over time and I don’t fault him one bit, he’s politically to the right of me and he says, accurately, “ somebody’s gonna put them up and make a killing, might as well be me.”
The only reasons these “work” (i.e., make money for the owners and manufacturers)
............................................
Don’t forget the workers who install these monstrosities, my son is an iron worker (union) and he’s made a fortune over the past 20 years installing them. He works a ton of very lucrative over time and I don’t fault him one bit, he’s politically to the right of me and he says, accurately, “ somebody’s gonna put them up and make a killing, might as well be me.”
It the same situation near Palm Springs….. many wind turbines, very few operating.
” You also need large rotating masses to regulate the grid to 60 Hz.”
You don’t need large rotating masses to regulate the frequency.
What you are referring to is the ability to minimize frequency drop on loss of a generating unit.
Constant speed turbines have sufficient inertia. Variable speed turbines are decoupled. Perhaps this is the source of your confusion?
However, electronic circuits are being implemented to give variable speed turbine “virtual” inertia.
Absolutely correct... crony capitalism at its finest. Using tax dollars to force an agenda on the country with a few donors along the way making some bank.
Well past time to repeal the 17th Amendment and eliminate the Senior Executive Service via a Convention of States. Our Founding Father’s were not stupid.
Drive thru Palm Springs sometime.
The original Hollywood Star getaway location has been destroyed by wall to wall wind farms.
I was shocked the first time I saw it.