Windmill farms (solar power, gas, buy, wind turbines)

[CptnRn]

Are most people bothered by the look of these things? I find them interesting.

Here is an aerial photo of one South of Dumas Texas, photo is looking south. zoom into the top of the photo.

http://www.panoramio.com/photos/original/25141194.jpg



I think we will be seeing lots more of these and its probably for the better.

This wind resource map shows areas with good winds.

Wind Powering America: State and United States Wind Resource Maps

[my54ford]

U.S. wind power installation slows.
U.S. wind power installation slows | Reuters

They can blame the economy all they want.. It doesn't pay, bottom line. Note how
"The wind industry hopes the U.S. Senate will pass strong mandates for utilities to generate a certain amount of their power from renewable sources like wind and solar power in the climate bill."
When you have to hold a gun to people heads to buy a product something is wrong with said product...

That said, the more they put up the more money/job security I get so bring it on!!!!

[Omaha Rocks]

I'll be in NW Iowa on a work project this weekend. There is this area called "Buffalo Ridge" that runs through SW Minnesota & NW Iowa. It's one of the most consistently windy areas in the country, so they have built thousands of wind generators through that corridor.

One of the main problems I see with wind generators is that you'll always need a second source of electricity - and that alone makes it cost prohibitive.

Another issue is the technology. I do think that one of the reasons the government subsidizes these things is in hopes that the technology will improve and, in the near future, they will be efficient enough - and we'll have the infrastructure - to make them cost effective. Time will tell, I guess.

Personally, I would love to see wind generation technology come to the point where virtually ever consumer and household could buy a generator and produce most of their own electricity.

[Tek_Freek]

Originally Posted by Omaha Rocks

I'll be in NW Iowa on a work project this weekend. There is this area called "Buffalo Ridge" that runs through SW Minnesota & NW Iowa. It's one of the most consistently windy areas in the country, so they have built thousands of wind generators through that corridor.

One of the main problems I see with wind generators is that you'll always need a second source of electricity - and that alone makes it cost prohibitive.

Another issue is the technology. I do think that one of the reasons the government subsidizes these things is in hopes that the technology will improve and, in the near future, they will be efficient enough - and we'll have the infrastructure - to make them cost effective. Time will tell, I guess.

Personally, I would love to see wind generation technology come to the point where virtually ever consumer and household could buy a generator and produce most of their own electricity.

City codes will prohibit this. Ours already do. A generator here is required to have, I believe, an acre of property and be far enough from the lot line that it will fall within it if it topples.

No mention of smaller units that go on the roof.

[tcrackly]

I think we need fresher wind technologies that utilize units with a more compact profile. With all our resources I can't understand why Americans would stop at the standard propeller turbine on a pole when other wind technologies could be exploited. the best way to go would be units that could be residence dedicated instead of feeding a grid at large.

[CptnRn]

I like the idea of residence dedicated power, so much power is wasted in transmission losses. Unfortunatly, winds can be so fickle in most places. A residential application probably isn't very cost effective unless you live in a very windy area.

Small wind generators are already available for sailboats, which have modest power needs and there is almost always some wind when out at anchor. These could readily be adapted for modest residential needs as well.

SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER
Air Breeze Wind Generators $879

http://images.westmarine.com/large/9446014.jpg

[Omaha Rocks]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

I like the idea of residence dedicated power, so much power is wasted in transmission losses. Unfortunatly, winds can be so fickle in most places. A residential application probably isn't very cost effective unless you live in a very windy area.

Small wind generators are already available for sailboats, which have modest power needs and there is almost always some wind when out at anchor. These could readily be adapted for modest residential needs as well.

SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER
Air Breeze Wind Generators $879

Right.

Wind generated power cannot be your only source of electricity - and that is one of the major drawbacks.

I would be very tempted to spend $15,000 to erect a wind generator in my back yard if it would completely eliminate my $110 per month electricity bill. But it wouldn't. It'd probably only knock $25-$30 per month off my bill, making the return on investment too small.

Also, it should be noted that those huge wind generators are LOUD. You don't notice it so much in the day, but at night it's very noticeable. And while we could all get used to it - like we get used to city noise anyway - there are a lot of people who simply would not want to put up with it.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by tcrackly

I think we need fresher wind technologies that utilize units with a more compact profile. With all our resources I can't understand why Americans would stop at the standard propeller turbine on a pole when other wind technologies could be exploited. the best way to go would be units that could be residence dedicated instead of feeding a grid at large.

Could you explain more what you mean by "fresher wind technologies".

[tcrackly]

I am not an engineer nor have I yet invested in any such wind technology (beyond my electric bill grid preferences) but I am intrigued by the variant wind generator possibilities. I think with the reality of our physically congested, code ordinance restricted world it is necessary to think outside the box and investigate harnessing the wind in ways other than the tower propeller turbine.
Here are just a few examples of different applications:

Microwind Generator: 30X More Efficient and Cheaper!
Inhabitat » HELIX WIND TURBINE: Small Wind Gets Smart
WePOWER
Aerotecture International - ProductsInhabitat
» MICRO WIND TURBINES: Small Size, Big Impact

[GregW]

This energy source is so full of disinformation it might as well be Cold Fusion. The hype has overwhelmed the engineering. In some places wind power makes sense but not everywhere. Please remember wind and solar both collect energy not reliable power and must be backed up by a conventional thermal or gas turbine plant or have the power fluctuations leveled by, in the case of utility level systems, pumped hydro storage units.