Posted on 09/07/2008 10:33:29 PM PDT by neverdem
SAN FRANCISCO — With the California blackouts of 2001 still a painful memory, Chris Beaudoin wants to generate some of his own electricity. He marveled the other day at how close he is to that goal, gazing at two new wind turbines atop his garage roof. They will soon be hooked to the power grid.
“I don’t care about how much it costs,” said Mr. Beaudoin, a flight attendant with United Airlines. That would be $5,000 a turbine, an expense Mr. Beaudoin is unlikely to recoup in electricity savings anytime soon.
No matter. After shoring up the roof and installing the two 300-pound, steel-poled turbines in January, Mr. Beaudoin found himself at the leading edge of a trend in renewable energy.
Fascination with wind turbines small enough to mount on a roof is spreading from coast to coast. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York last month proposed dotting the city with them. Small turbines have already appeared at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, atop an office building at Logan International Airport in Boston, and even on a utility pole in the small New Hampshire town of Hampton.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
If small wind turbines are not economically viable, just make the utilities purchase the excess power. The utility companies need another mandate. These wind turbins will make many lefties feel good so no expense or mandate is too small.
whop whop whop whop whop whop whop whop whop whop whop ......
Darn—I thought this was another article about Joe Biden!
But Biden is a BIG wind turbine. ;^)
Ping
Well here in sunny California, solar electric is close to making economic sense. I currently pay approximately 37 cents a kWh for the majority of energy I use. The payback time is about 10 years with current available technology. When the payback time gets down to less than 7 years and the life expectancy exceeds 15 years it is worth while doing I think. At 10 years payback the life expectancy is a big gamble.
Eyesores.
I kid you not!
There needs to be a new law of science that says that environmentalists will object to any promising energy technology, if given enough time and research money.
My bad—should’ve paid closer attention to that article about how “blown away” McCain was by the incredibly clever comments Biden made in his presence on that airplane ride today. I mean it left McCain’s response looking stiff and falling flat!
Yes, 10 years is a long time and that time frame was provided by the one selling it, and it may be closer to 20 years, and it may be supplanted by new technologies. It is much too soon
for me to invest.
barbra ann
MY AIRCONDITIONAR MAKES MY HOT WATER. WORKS GREAT HERE IN
SOUTH FLA. IN THE WINTER I ONLY TURN ON MY HOT WATER
HEATER 30 MIN. BEFORE I USE IT. THEN TURN IT OFF. HAS
WORKED O.K. FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS.
The economics on my solar hot water heater depended on natural gas prices skyrocketing and the equipment lasting the stated warranty period. Both premises failed. My 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid came with a promised $3,000 tax credit. That made it a wash vs the simple gasoline engine. The tax credit came in at $1202. More lies from the government and manufacturer. The MPG was supposed to be 28-32. Best case has been aroudn 27.2 MPG in fair weather, 21.2 in the winter. Barely better than the simple gasoline engine, while losing the towing capability in the 2003 3.0L V6 Escape. It wasn't a "win" economically either. The saving grace has been the heated leather seats, built-in NAV/GPS and Sirius satellite radio. I'll happily purchase those accessories in my next vehicle, but it will be a simple gasoline engine with some tow capability.
Joe is a sustained wind but he always lacks real power. Ole Topical Depression Biden huffs and puffs but you know he'll never make it to Category 1. The problem with harnessing Joe Blow for practical use is you never know where he's going to go. One minute he's blowviating about how smart he is the next he might be knocking down a 7-11 store full of immigrants. Joe is an ill wind that will never be a really hairy storm but he'll keep plugging along stealing all the air in the room.
Current weather in San Francisco:
59.9 °F / 15.5 °C
Overcast
Humidity: 76%
Dew Point: 52 °F / 11 °C
Wind: 5.0 mph / 8 km/h from the West
Wind Gust: 11.0 mph / 17 km/h
Pressure: 29.80 in / 1009.0 hPa (Rising)
Visibility: 9.0 miles / 14.5 kilometers
UV: 1 out of 16
Clouds: Few 800 ft / 243 m
Overcast 1300 ft / 396 m
(Above Ground Level)
Elevation: 49 ft / 14 m
Yucca Mountain Project clears another big hurdle
Cloud-seeding ships could combat climate change
Ways to engineer a cooler planet
From taxpayer funded subsidies and refusing to reprocess uranium to a mess of hairbrained schemes, when will this madness end?
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
Along with solar etc, they make great sense for living “off grid.” They open up millions of acres in the boondocks to “first world” living standards.
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