Posted on 08/20/2008 6:19:42 PM PDT by Kaslin
Iteresting question .... most of the units being erected in Iowa (Fields full of them) have two operational modes ... fast above 16 mph wind ... 600kw (they aoutomatic brake above 35mph) and slow 7 mph wind and get this outut drops to 125kw. below 5 there is no output.
In perspective it would take 10 windmills at the optimum speed to power approximately 100 homes. By the time the transmision lines are installed .. the switching gear to go the grid .. the payoff will probably be somwhere in 2120. And ... that is only if the wind blows constantly at the upper rate. Wind farms are a joke ....
Serious Question: instead of large, ugly windmills, why hasn’t someone thought of a bunch of tiny windmills that could be strung along power lines or bridge cables that couldn’t be seen except close up? If there were hundreds of foot sized mills, it wouldn’t make noise or hurt birds but the quantity could equal a single huge one.
Will you have the pigeon puree or the falcon falafel this evening?
>GAK<
This excerpt from the article is why.
"Loss of wind causes Texas power grid emergency," read a Reuters headline on Feb. 27. Seems the electric grid operator was forced to curtail 1,100 megawatts of power to customers on just 10 minutes' notice after the wind simply stopped blowing.
You can't beat fossil and nuclear for reliable power 24/7.
Too funny.
Don’t quit your day job.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.