[montag813]

Wind power is so stupid and wasteful. Nuclear, dammit.

[hadaclueonce]

You mean for 1.8 million dollars apiece they don’t last forever? /s

[theBuckwheat]

>>
I respect that many here oppose wind energy,
<<

A free market only respects the benefits and costs of a particular approach.

The left loves to scold the rest of us that the US consumer is not paying the “full, true, price” of oil. By this, they imply that the retail price of oil-based products must carry an open tax burden associated with the cost of the US military used to protect oil supplies.

At the very same time, the left urges all sorts of tax advantaged treatments for other forms of energy. Tax credits for solar and wind. A law for nuclear power that picks up the cost of any large-scale disaster. We even allow our own farm policy to be subverted by the whopping 51 cents per gallon subsidy for ethanol, not to mention the grants, yes, the millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions in “grants”, each of which distorts economic decisions.

For example:

“...On January 29, Department of Energy officials announced up to $30 million in supplemental funding for the planned facility. The project includes participation from academic institutions, government and other technology providers.

The Energy Department will invest up to $114 million over four years in the biorefinery projects with the goal of making cellulosic ethanol cost-competitive in five years. Other funding recipients include Lignol Innovations, Inc.; Pacific Ethanol, Inc.; and Stora Enso, North America.

Announcing the funding, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said, “Advanced biofuels offer tremendous promise for helping our nation to bring about a new, cleaner, more secure and affordable energy future.”

from:
www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2008/2008-02-19-096.asp

So, we pay for energy twice: with the economic distortions that only increase inefficiency and the tax subsidies that are paid for in only one of three ways: taxing, inflating or borrowing.

While this is going on, government further distorts the cost and availability of fuels by making vast areas of energy supplies off limits, such as offshore drilling and ANWAR.

Let us not complete the insult by saying that since some market distortions are taking place, that excuses even more distortions.

[AmericanVictory]

I guess we don’t need to use the oil that’s right in front of us and refine it better and burn it clean in our cars with better mileage because we can all put windmills in our cars.
That thinking has worked so well for years now. /sarc

[Right Wing Assault]

I wish I could see a hi-res video of this. Just before the rotor blows, a cloud of dust or smoke appears right at the front of the truck at the base. Either a piece the rotor shot out or, get ready conspiracy folks... the truck shot something up and hit the rotor.

[wizr]

I’m not an engineer. That said, wouldn’t curved blades in a tube (such as a jet engine) work at high speeds?

I would love to see each of our homes run independently of market prices for energy. To me, even urban buildings should be self sufficient.

We are required to spend too much money, on a monthly basis, to maintain our homes. Everyone wants in our pockets.

[BJungNan]

Why would anyone oppose wind energy? Were you being sarcastic?

[GreenAccord]

Bush de schuld!

[norton]

I’m OK with both solar and wind energy for small scale use - been pumping water for centuries. Also reduces demand on the commercial energy grid.
But with nuclear available (and cheap) and with improved means of refining as yet untapped petroleum, with tons of concepts for other power sources, and with a secure gag on people like Al Gore - we don’t need the huge ecological problems of wind farms and solar radiators that take up half a county in fly-over America.