Wind power in NM - large and small

[clairz]

This photo was taken as we drove through the 60 megawatt Caprock Wind Ranch south of San Jon.

~clairz

[rruff]

Originally Posted by Devin Bent

Is the ground level wind very different?

Wind speeds a few feet off the ground are usually ~half what they would be at 50m... and that is if there are no obstructions. There is a reason why the towers tend to be tall.

[rruff]

Originally Posted by GregW

If you mention wind turbines around here you would think you have committed some form of senic blasphemy.

I never could understand that... I think the turbines are elegant and beautiful.

[GregW]

Clairz - Thanks for the picture. The wind turbines are elegant. The communications tower is ugly. Cell phone towers are just absurd and everywhere.

[mortimer]

GregW muses:

> The wind turbines are elegant.
> The communications tower is ugly.

There are many cell phone towers being built to look like local trees (ie. in Phoenix, they look like Saguaros).

I wonder if you could piggyback a cellphone tower on the lower part of a 100 meter wind turbine tower? There might be issues with electrical interference from the rotating blades, but maybe the frequencies are incompatible enough that wouldn't happen.

[GregW]

I suspect that the mechanical blocking by the blades would interfere with the signal. Now if the cell phone elements were located below the lowest elevation covered by the rotation disk of the blades it might work.