Nebraska Wind Power - Anyone Interested?

[SurfOmaha]

Originally Posted by Gunluvver2

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Yes Granny pumping water is one good use for wind power.

The Dutch were using it several hundred years ago for grinding grain.

Wind can generate electricity but instead of adding that electricity to the grid use it in Electrolysis to make pure Hydrogen and Oxygen. Hydrogen can be stored and shipped. Think of Hydrogen as a "battery" for storing wind power.

Wind can be used to compress air. I outlined a use for old missile silos in a thread I started several months ago.

In many parts of the country the electric grid may be miles away from where you live. However chances are pretty good that the wind blows at least a few hours every day.

One novel use for wind power is pumping water to reservoirs at a higher elevation and using the stored up water to generate Hydroelectricity.

I am working on a couple new designs for wind power. I plan on patenting them as soon as I get the bugs out. I get really pi**ed off when I see the huge wind towers that cost million$ as the ONLY solution to using WIND.

Engineers are often locked into the mindset of percentages of efficiency. They get all ga ga over a wind turbine design that is 5% more efficient than another design. Even if the less efficient design can generate electricity/whatever at a much lower cost the so called superior technology is adopted.

There are hundreds of good ideas out there but getting the money to go ahead with them is very difficult.

GL2

Great ideas!!! I wonder if we can do similar things with Solar?

[Gunluvver2]

Originally Posted by SurfOmaha

Great ideas!!! I wonder if we can do similar things with Solar?

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Good question SurfOmaha.
I hear they are making some really efficient photovoltaic panels now. If they can just get a decent method of storing electricity for when the sun isn't shining. Of course storing wind energy poses similar problems. Maybe someone will come up with a power storage solution that can be used in both applications.

GL2

[Wind Energy Specialist]

You know with the way things get done with the large wind developers you may want to consider forming a co-op and putting up the wind turbines yourself with a corporate partner. You would make much more money that way. Although if your electric supplier can condemn it and claim it that would not be viable. But my guess is that your legislature would not allow that to happen for long because it would be very unpopular politically to take money out of the locals hands.

Also consider putting up wind turbines for your own consumption of electricity. The Europeans have been developing wind that way for many years and it seems to work very well. Plus you get the direct benefit and all the money made for the wind project stays in the state and really in your own community rather than 2-5% of the revenue.