The Wind-Energy Myth - The claims for this “green” source of energy wither in the Texas heat.

NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE ^ | August 12, 2011 | Robert Bryce

[familyop]

"Hot? Don’t count on wind energy to cool you down. That’s the lesson emerging from the stifling heat wave that’s hammering Texas."

The Marching Morons (C. M. Kornbluth)

Wind turbines in Texas? You've gotta be kidding me. ...maybe around Corpus Christi or something like that, but in central Texas?

If y'all want to learn something about wind turbines, go to Otherpower.com.

If you're in one of the few areas that get enough wind and want to build one of those, you'd better have some welding, steel fab, machining experience and industrial/construction safety experience.

Well, I reckon that leaves nearly all political banditos outside of the realm of credibility on the wind power discussion. Energy is a job for us feared technocrats, who will be on the loose and unregulated before long.

Have fun. Enjoy the slide. I know that I will.

[stylin19a]

I think the turbine problem will resolve itself. The thieves are going to run out of copper & air conditioners to steal and sell for recycling. the only things left to steal will be the wind turbines.

[familyop]

"Most Texans know...when it’s 110 degrees, there’s very little breeze."

Yup. Head for Padre, or cluster around Garner State Park. And look at it this way. This is about all the solar maximum that we're going to get. Extended minimums are more about extreme fluctuations than steady cold. We who moved to high places on the Rockies will probably be seeing some unearthly cold spots in about three or four years (maybe some nights down to 40, 60 below, with the usual 80 mph wind gusts).

Oh, and anyone who wants to get much from wind or sun has to pay the price of brutal climate. ...and hard work, because most of the junk on the market is overpriced and not very durable--bearings in commercial small turbines burning up too quickly, among other things, and SRCC approved (Florida lab, of all places) collectors running too hot and expensive.

Most people on all sides of alternative energy arguments are full of beans.

[mowowie]

I can’t sleep well without a floor fan blowing on me all night.

In order to power that fan by wind i believe i would need a slightly bigger fan out in my backyard with wind spinning it at a slightly faster rate than the one inside for 8 hours straight while i sleep.

Ya ok.
Makes sense.
Whats billions and billions of dollars anyways?

[familyop]

Good arguments! I have an even better climate for wind, but we have to build the good turbines ourselves. ...even better for sun here (well over 300 days out of the year). Agreed on nuclear for commercial. That would be the best answer that I know of for air conditioning down there.

I heard that nuclear needs a lot of water for cooling, though. ...maybe around the Gulf Coast for Texas? Will ocean water work for that? And in the dryer parts of the West here, that might be a no-go. But many of us in the West already have better conditions for sun (especially), wind, etc. ...and real nasty weather (dry, cold, windy, high, etc.). We on the northern half of the Range don't need air conditioning, though.

Northern wet places? Nuclear would probably be great in those, along with wood/coal boilers for homes and the like.

[mowowie]

You could maybe store the energy in one or many giant spinning flywheel/gyro contraptions.

[steve8714]

Yeah, that worked out fine at Taum Sauk.

[The Theophilus]

Change a few words, and I have been preaching this for years:

So build natural gas nuclear powered desalinization plants and pipelines to ship the water inland.

And when those reservoirs are filled, use electricity generated from natural gas uranium to pipe the water to ever deeper inland reservoirs power hydroelectric generation.

Texas isn't always in a drought, but it always gets insanely hot in the summer - and since Texas is drawing people from all over the planet to live and work here, we can't possibly keep up with the growing electricity needs.

[mowowie]

lol
i should have read the rest of your post.

[Carry_Okie]

The Gulf Coast has a vast amount of water, albeit salt water. But underneath the Gulf Coast is an enormous amount of natural gas.

Geothermal heat sinking, while capital intensive, is a good way to go.

[Chickensoup]

Because global warming is a myth to control people. It is a way to cripple a country. Fits Marxist doctrine to rot the country from the inside and hamstring us with laws.

[dhs12345]

Yes. Spinning objects seem to work well with AC power. Wonder how big they would have to be? Windmills are pretty big.

[preacher]

Al Gore: Potty Mouth Tantrum as Global Warming Scam is Exposed

[Squantos]

Cooling can be contained aka closed loop systems with multiple enclosed cisterns etc for thorium units. I see your concerns yet most that use such are very old designs.

I think it can be done.

Another thing to consider is new building codes that require extensive insulation efforts. My homes shell is double stud wall construction with expanding foam insulation. Titanium white metal roof with large overhangs / eaves an front an back porches.

Windows are pella triple pane an storm windows etc are triple pane with a UV thermal reflective tinting film.

Solar roof vents an fans as well.

My HVAC is a deep well system that keeps the home about 70 degrees so far this summer. It was / is a hot summer here in the panhandle of Texas. Insulation makes a difference that pays off ....

Rolling brownouts still get me but if power goes out at 2PM in 100 degree heat the house will stay comfortable the rest of the day. Sort of like living in a Coleman cooler inside a Coleman cooler.....:o)

[Cobra64]

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[staylowandkeepmoving]

Long-time lurker here. I’m a newly retired “clean energy” entrepreneur (just sold my company to a foreign conglomerate) I’m glad to see this posted – Bryce is a recovering duck-scrubber that has been a great voice in the wilderness about the wind farm scam – check out some of his videos on youtube.

Several comments to add to the conversation:

1) the graph’s purpose is to show that wind power is out of phase with demand and, thus, cannot be considered a load resource – what this means is that the investment is essentially wasted because demand growth must be met with nuclear or fossil fuel plants (mostly Natgas these days).

2) regarding “how this happens in Texas?” (I’m from Austin area) – it’s pretty simple. The 29 states that require some percentage of the energy be “renewable” and the other areas (cities) create a market for a renewable energy credit [REC] – a unit of wind power creates a REC that gets sold to the power providers and gets “bolted on” to a coal-fired unit and magically, the coal power is now “green”. Obviously, it’s just a government-sponsored scam.

Storage (of any sort) appears to be a long, long way off. Solar is the fuel of tomorrow — and always will be.

[Venturer]

You have to remember that to Al Gore that is not a lie. He probably believes it. He probably believes that some time during his marriage he actually made Tipoper have an orgasm.

[doc11355]

I’m a newly retired “clean energy” entrepreneur (just sold my company to a foreign conglomerate)...

Interesting... What can you reveal about the company and its "clean energy" methodology?

[texas booster]

A new type of AC storage device that actually works. Should be on the market in 2 - 3 yrs.

[Publius6961]

Free energy!
Get your free energy here!

Idiots at all levels.