Wind Farms (versus, safety, pollution)

[texasdreamin]

The subdivision that I purchased my land in requires all electric homes to be built. No gas lines being run in the division. I am really interested in alternative energy. I won't be able to build until I retire and that is a few years away, yet. I was thinking solar, but I would really prefer to have a "personal" sized wind tunnel. I have nearly 5 acres. I hope it will be possible by then. I would LOVE not to have to rely on utility companies. I want to use my heating and cooling without worrying about what it is going to cost me every month. I want to be comfortable. I am excited about this. I think it is really exciting going back to times where people had windmills to power their properties. Think of the money you'd save. If it truly costs $2500 to have a personal sized one installed to power an entire home, you couldn't ask for better than that. It would pay for itself in less than a year.

ETA...I just read that it would actually cost more for the electricity??? I don't understand that. In that case, I would go with solar.

[austinnetx]

Originally Posted by texasdreamin

The subdivision that I purchased my land in requires all electric homes to be built. No gas lines being run in the division. I am really interested in alternative energy. I won't be able to build until I retire and that is a few years away, yet. I was thinking solar, but I would really prefer to have a "personal" sized wind tunnel. I have nearly 5 acres. I hope it will be possible by then. I would LOVE not to have to rely on utility companies. I want to use my heating and cooling without worrying about what it is going to cost me every month. I want to be comfortable. I am excited about this. I think it is really exciting going back to times where people had windmills to power their properties. Think of the money you'd save. If it truly costs $2500 to have a personal sized one installed to power an entire home, you couldn't ask for better than that. It would pay for itself in less than a year.

ETA...I just read that it would actually cost more for the electricity??? I don't understand that. In that case, I would go with solar.

I don't think there was a time when people used windmills to power their place. They used them to pump from wells. though.

When the wind stops blowing, no power.

If its not sunny or its in the winter, no solar power.

It costs a lot more than you think.

[JamesAbilene]

Originally Posted by austinnetx

I don't think there was a time when people used windmills to power their place. They used them to pump from wells. though.

When the wind stops blowing, no power.

If its not sunny or its in the winter, no solar power.

It costs a lot more than you think.

My parents had wind generators when they were young--probably in the 1920's or 30's. Dad said they got enough power to light a few light bulbs. I don't know if they were able to store electricity in batteries for days that there was no wind, but they talked about the old wind generators when I was growing up. They lived in Grassland, between Tahoka and Post, south of Lubbock.

[GoingHome2TX]

Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't the proposal site for the Corpus wind farm in Kenedy County? I seem to remember hearing that initially they wanted to put it out in the Laguna Madre, but the King Ranch put a huge squawk to that idea. (Not suprising considering their revenue comes from oil & gas as much as agriculture and livestock, if not more. It was the Texas Tea that pulled them out of bankruptcy twice.)

Sounds like the proposal is now on North Padre, on the Gulf side, way down in Kenedy County, out of the King Ranch's reach.

And don't worry, it is already too late to stop this project. In case you haven't been paying attention to what has been rolling into Corpus off of IH37 for the last week, it has been turbine pieces. The only time I see it being a blight on anyone's vision is while they wait in Corpus for assembly, and then when fishing right off lower North Padre Island.

This is far less annoying of an issue than the proposal to build a Ferris Wheel on a piece of property that was built to honor Veterans of war. Also, it is considerably less of a visual blight, because from my understanding of where the farm is going up, there isn't a home in sight for 50 miles.

The only question is how well do they think this farm is going to hold up under heavy wind? July to September each year in the proposed area can produce some considerably strong wind that is capable of stripping the gears out of the turbines at best. At worst, the Gulf and the Laguna Madre stand to be a polluted graveyard of turbine wings and pieces.

[randian]

Wind farms are a crazy stupid idea. The economics are daft and they waste huge amounts of land. Pickens wants a wind farm because he'll profit from the subsidy, not because they make any sense.

[WillysB]

Originally Posted by changeofpace

I didn't say Corpus may not want them, I merely brought up the issue because Iowa is struggling with many residents unhappy with the affects they have visually, the noise and the shadows they cast on neighboring properties. Just bringing up an issue that will be coming up soon in Corpus.

Oooohhh, that'd be pretty cool... bright full moon on a partly cloudy breezy night....

whoosh... whoosh... shadows from the wind turbine flashing across an open window with billowing curtains... coyotes howling in the distance.

All that and free electricity. Gawd life is good in Texas.

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by randian

Wind farms are a crazy stupid idea. The economics are daft and they waste huge amounts of land. Pickens wants a wind farm because he'll profit from the subsidy, not because they make any sense.

No, they don't take up a lot of land. Why would they take up any more land than those massive retail signs along highways or the ubiquitous radio towers? Not to mention that the land isn't very productive agriculturally or otherwise in places like west Texas where wind energy is optimal.

[randian]

Originally Posted by verybadgnome

No, they don't take up a lot of land. Why would they take up any more land than those massive retail signs along highways or the ubiquitous radio towers? Not to mention that the land isn't very productive agriculturally or otherwise in places like west Texas where wind energy is optimal.

The acres/megawatt ratio is severely out of whack compared to nuclear, coal, or natural gas. Retail signs and radio towers take up almost no land. Wind energy is never optimal. It sucks. You have to keep so much reserve power that you might as well not build the wind turbines at all. The $/megawatt ratio is also severely out of whack. I wouldn't waste the most blighted parts of the Gobi on wind power.

[TexianPatriot]

wind power is a farce. you can learn the truth about it here.

National Wind Watch | Facts About Industrial Wind Power

Good Ole Tboone is putting in a coal burner in North Texas. Wind crap is just a cover for him to secure all of the property rights he needs to build a new coal burning electric plants. he knows we are on the edge of an energy crisis and he's preparing accordingly. By the time the greenies catch on to him, make a fuss, and try to get his real plans tied up in government bureaucracy, it will be too late. God bless the guy though. This nation is going to need the power being put out by his power plants and we are going to need to build alot more or suffer for our lack of investment in energy production.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by randian

The acres/megawatt ratio is severely out of whack compared to nuclear, coal, or natural gas. Retail signs and radio towers take up almost no land. Wind energy is never optimal. It sucks. You have to keep so much reserve power that you might as well not build the wind turbines at all. The $/megawatt ratio is also severely out of whack. I wouldn't waste the most blighted parts of the Gobi on wind power.

Coal is not at all clean and artificially cheap due to government subsidies. Even a smaller metro like Kansas City has 10 polluting coal units. No thanks