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58 Comments
- mikerad86, on 07/22/2008, -1/+32I believe Dong energy is responsible for constructing the large, smooth shafts of the wind turbines...
- borez, on 07/22/2008, -1/+23"There are currently 176 wind energy projects that would produce 2,546 megawatts currently in the planning stages across the UK - enough to supply electricity to 1.4 British homes"
You think they'd go for a least 2 houses. - chedabob, on 07/22/2008, -0/+12That wooshing sound you just heard was the joke sailing clean over your head.
- GiJoeBob, on 07/22/2008, -1/+11We all know German Dongs create a lot of energy. It's about time we started using them.
- inactive, on 07/22/2008, -1/+9I love that finally, these big offshore wind farms are getting more and more attention as the months go on!
- puppyfox, on 07/22/2008, -0/+6I came for the Dong jokes, and was not disappointed.
- Bukowsky, on 07/22/2008, -1/+7I'm just glad to see that there are more and more efforts to capitalize on wind energy.
- dampfire, on 07/22/2008, -4/+10Good stuff
- ilistenisee, on 07/22/2008, -2/+7WIND AND SOLAR FTW!!!
we need that stuff now in the US!!! - aaronadms, on 07/22/2008, -1/+5"...would produce 2,546 megawatts currently in the planning stages across the UK - enough to supply electricity to 1.4 British homes"
That must be Al Gore's summer house. - shogan191, on 07/22/2008, -2/+6Makes so much more sense than fossil fuels.
- tbhurst, on 07/22/2008, -0/+4Good find! I think the typo has been corrected to read: 1.4 million.
- farfromok, on 07/22/2008, -0/+3well, that's a lot of objections, and most are patently false. Sources?
- BDOUG, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2That's why most proposals suggest combining with solar, biofuels, etc. Even nuclear. We need an overall comprehensive plan to get us off of petroleum as much as we practically can. 30% free power is still free. I realize construction and maintenance of windmills is not free but compared to what we're paying for oil in money, lives, and integrity.... wind power might as well be free.
- mpdono, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2Damn Brits and their electric crumpet makers
- jefuchs, on 07/22/2008, -2/+4I want an air-powered car, and I want it to be filled using power from a wind generator! This is not too much to ask in the 21st freaking century!
Or we can keep fighting wars to keep the 19th century fuel flowing! - mos6507, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2But you don't realize! That's where I sail!!!!
- ChromaVita, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2.........what?
- inactive, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1stop ***** lying, you eco ***** faces always gotta say some dumb *****.
- inactive, on 07/22/2008, -1/+2Putting aside the negative politics (Ted Kennedy for example) and NIMBY (not in my back yard), the big problem with wind power is that it is not continuous and there is no way to store the electricity.
For wind power to be efficient, you'd have to have strong winds at all times, 24/7, 365 days every year. This occurs almost no place on earth. Maybe at the top of Mt. Everest, perhaps. At best, 30% of the time anywhere in the civilized world. So without that you'd have to have another source of electricity during the other 70% of the time which comes from conventional sources.
For example, when electricity is highest in demand, during the hottest summer afternoons, is exactly when wind is the least plentiful.
When the wind is isn't blowing, the wind mills don't produce electricity -- and although most people don't know it, don't realize it, there's no storage on the grid. There's no possible way to store that kind of electricity. There are no batteries large enough. So this is the fatal flaw of wind energy. It requires fossil fuel backup of at least 90% of the installed capacity of whatever the windmills are (per the recent E.ON Report)
The state of Iowa is trying to store the energy as compressed gas underground, but most areas don't have the correct rock formation to permit that sort of storage.
Many windmills are being built now thanks to large tax incentives. When the government stops the welfare payments to these large windmill corporations, the companies will abandon them. Keep in mind the difference between wind energy and ethanol is you can always abandon the cornfields and replant soybean or use the corn for feed but once the windmills are up, they'll never come down. It will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to remove them. They won't be removed. They will scar the countryside for decades to come, and they will be useless. - inactive, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1buch dich.
- DalamarArgent, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1and abused!
- DalamarArgent, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1That was a painful read, but yes wind power becomes more reliable the more points you gather it from. The oil barons' time is near.
- jbenson2, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1Current capacitors are far too small to store the gigawatts of energy generated by large wind mill farms.
- mwrl, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1Now it only they could make them to where they did not need to be run on fossil fuels. What, you thought it was all controled by the wind? You have so much to learn. Talk about retarded, wind power takes the cake.
- Canuck, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1How about capturing the power of the ocean's currents, they always flow.
http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/ocean_waves_curren ... - breadfred, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1Everybody should try crumpets!
- TotalHalibut, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1Now I'm no expert in electrical engineering, but I'm pretty sure there are things called capacitors.
- borez, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1For anyone wondering what I'm on about, this is how it originally read, it's since been changed.
- scubajim, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1I have seen places that store by pumping water up hill. Then when they need power they allow the water to flow down hill and run turbines.
- TotalHalibut, on 07/23/2008, -0/+1Lots and lots of them? :>
- marnaq, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1I know a couple of lobby groups that beg to differ :-)
- beauley, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1With Global Warming on many people's minds, do we have any ideas of the best way to lessen the impact on our future, or maybe a possible relief of its possible ravages or even a possible key to its eventual reversal. Many scientific experts have proposed
http://www.quazen.com/Science/Technology/Solar-Pow ...
Solar Power: Source of Endless Energy - ElSnuggles, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1While you make very good points, I believe that you are missing a few key elements.
First, you don't put all your wind farms in the same place. By having a geographically diverse series of farms, you decrease the risk of "power" being unavailable - ie, the wind doesn't stop blowing in all places at the same time. You are correct that window power will require fossil fuel sources to back it up, considering that fossil fuels supply our power now, any offloading of that decreases are reliance on them. So, we don't need to store electricity to use wind power (which you correctly point out is improbable).
Second, Ethanol isn't a panacea either. For one thing, Ethanol is not an efficient production process. The last figure I heard 2.8 gallons of fuel per bushel of corn. That's a lot of corn, and this isn't including fresh water that is also required to produce the fuel. Second, Ethanol is labor intensive to produce and take food out of our food supply. Granted we burn more corn than we use now, Ethanol is already effecting the price of our food. As farmers realize that they can get more money per bushel to produce feed corn (used in Ethanol) rather than regular corn, they have moved to produce feed corn. This reduced the amount of corn produced, hence restricted supply, thus driving the price up. The market will correct itself (as more farmers move back to regular corn), but these problems are just the beginning.
Finally, the big advantage that Solar and Wind has over Ethanol is that it is a high fixed cost, low variable cost energy source. Just like the government subsidized the running of fiber across the country to get the internet started, the government is getting Wind and Sun power started. Once it is moving, then only maintenance is required, so that the energy becomes almost "free". Ethanol will always be a labor intensive energy source, so it will always be expensive to consume.
The right answer is not a single alternative energy, but the use of a variety of them all. Just like you don't invest all your money in the stock market (I hope...), you wouldn't invest all your energy eggs in one basket. By going forward with Wind, Solar, and Ethanol as energy sources together, then we can break the chains of fossil fuels. Anybody that tells you that one is the way to go and the others suck is an idiot.
And ANY renewable energy is - mickstephenson, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1Yes it being the 21st century means that anything no matter how infeasible it is should be possible and those damn scientists aren't pulling their weight, those bastards.
- thwoom, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1i have no idea..
- inactive, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1Wind energy is quite inadequate and germany has admitted this. They are building coal plants because the wind energy at best could only make up 10% of the energy needed.
- speedk0re, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1damn you guys are making me feel old :p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXZVogXPAr4 (sixteen candles) - inactive, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1No the worlds largest offshore windfarm is 8 miles off the coast of my town in Ireland, or at least would be if the red tape had not become a factor.
As it stands the 7 test turbines built spin around generating 30% more electricity than expect, more than enough to power my town, and it goes nowhere.... - marnaq, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1Let's not put all our eggs in one basket.
- inactive, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1Whale oil is still being used?
- breadfred, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1Did your mom not tell to shut up when grown-ups talk? Sit down, shut up and listen. You might actually learn something, although somehow in your situation I doubt it. You might try a brain implant.
- ChayD, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1Damn, you saw past our plan to turn all these wind farms into a weather altering system for northern Europe
- opticaldamage, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1No, the poster is NOT making good points. Just tired old discredited arguments. For example:
"So without that you'd have to have another source of electricity during the other 70% of the time which comes from conventional sources."
- And your point is what? No-one suggests one solution is the answer. And don't try the old you need 1:1 backup for wind. Total rubbish as stated by the UK National Grid. Guess what they do - balance the UK national Grid electricity network. They should know what they are talking about. Wind intermittency has negligible impact on the Grid until it reaches 20%+ of supply.
"For example, when electricity is highest in demand, during the hottest summer afternoons, is exactly when wind is the least plentiful."
- Maybe where you live. Not in the UK where electricity demand is highest in Winter, just when the wind is blowing strongly and more frequently. Try thinking beyond your own horizons and air-conditioning!
"When the wind is isn't blowing, the wind mills don't produce electricity -- and although most people don't know it, don't realize it, there's no storage on the grid"
- Wrong again. Try reading about pumped storage. The largest one in in the UK can provide ALL the electricity needed for the whole of Wales for in excess of 4 hours. Try 3 million people.
"So this is the fatal flaw of wind energy. It requires fossil fuel backup of at least 90% of the installed capacity of whatever the windmills are (per the recent E.ON Report)"
- Utter cr*p. Provide the report. Like I said UK National Grid have done the work on this. You are just repeating a common myth propagated by pro-nuclear apologists. Shame they go quiet when the UK clean up costs just leapt by another 20$ billion this week!
"once the windmills are up, they'll never come down. It will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to remove them. They won't be removed. They will scar the countryside for decades to come, and they will be useless"
- Again you're full of hot air. The full life-cycle from Production to decommissioning is included in Wind project financial and environmental calculations. Here in the UK the Wind companies have schemes that install maintain and remove wind turbines on Farmers land.
So what was your point again? Misleading people? - mastermemorex, on 07/22/2008, -0/+0Winds are unpredicted and changes locally. But as the wind farms grows in scale, the power that suplies is pretty more stable. Is there is a calm in the borth of the US, and no winds, there is wind in the south. In a global scale, wind is a very reliable energy source, but it requieres a good interconnected power grid.
There is also the possibility to store the energy in somehow during low demand periods and relese later on high demand.
On the other hand. What do you prefer? burn the money on oil and give it to the OPEP or built wind farms and create jobs in the USA. - speedk0re, on 07/22/2008, -1/+1Dong, Grandpa
is talking to you.
Dong.! Where is my
automobile?
Automoooobiiiiiille?
VROOOOOOOOM SPLOOOOOT - mastermemorex, on 07/22/2008, -0/+0Yes, but I don't want a nuclear power plant even close to my town. Remember Chernobil. On the other hand, there is enough uranium supply only for 50 years.
- eviljolly, on 07/22/2008, -1/+1Bide your time...
Ironic that your name is "A Mighty Wind" I thought you'd be a little more more gung-ho.. - mastermemorex, on 07/22/2008, -0/+0But that 10% is very welcome.
-
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