Wind power is a green mirage of the worst kind.

[Supe]

Why do we need wind turbines when we have unicorn farts?

Because the former are clearly more magical than the latter.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I wish the political crap could be separated from facts and let the engineers work on facts.

I posted that sentiment on another message board and got this response:

Interesting that we are obliged to pay attention to scientists and engineers on this subject, but not on other subjects (climate, for example).

 

[wilheldp_PE]

I wish the political crap could be separated from facts and let the engineers work on facts.

I posted that sentiment on another message board and got this response:

Interesting that we are obliged to pay attention to scientists and engineers on this subject, but not on other subjects (climate, for example).

Translation: Stop trying to derail our fantasy with your pesky facts.

 

[Santiagj]

Why is it so difficult to communicate with non engineers? I love this board. At least you guys understand me...

 

[Dexman PE]

Why is it so difficult to communicate with non engineers? I love this board. At least you guys understand me...

One word: Logic. The public seems to have less and less with each passing minute...

 

[TouchDown]

 

[Capt Worley PE]

There are a lot of burning widmill pics out there.

 

[Guest]

You posted this article to get me fired up ... didn't you??!!

Here's what I've been thinking wind would be good for: how feasible would it be to run stand-alone wind turbines, powering an electrolysis hydrogen generator, to create and store hydrogen for fuel-cell powered cars and other applications? Fill up your gas tank while you're sleeping, or at work, etc.
Stupid idea?

Sounds brilliant! Too brilliant ....

They also make windmills that you can erect in your back yard or on the roof that will power your house in a similar fashion to photovoltaic panels on your roof. They are prohibitively expensive at the moment, and I imagine they would be against a lot of neighborhood covenants, but they do exist.

You said erect ... uh ... huh .. huh ... huh ....

I wish the political crap could be separated from facts and let the engineers work on facts. I'm involved with a project that has turned into a nightmare because a piece of this theory and a bit of that article and a combination of conflicting technical specifications turned into a contractual requirement. A good measure is to ask yourself if you would spend YOUR money on it.

I am in the same boat except throw in some statistics and calculus to escalate the crisis and there you go.

Unfortunately ... the What Would Mary Do approach just doesn't seem to work on people who are riding the moral high-horse.

Part of the problem we have with wind power in Michigan is that the best location for windmills is around the edge of Lake Michigan. That coast is full of tourist towns, any of which would essentially be killed if somebody built a farm of 30-story windmills out in the lake.

And the second best place is within the thumb which has available land but not much in the way of transmission infrastructure.

Also, it would be cheaper and more efficient to, say, put smart thermostats in all the huge office buildings that maintain 80 degrees through the winter nights when unoccupied.

The funny thing about Wind is that it is being touted as a good way to "back-up" the baseload units but the amount of wind that is available for power is typically, inversely proportional to the temperature. In other words, when the temperature goes up and the demand for electricity goes up (air conditioning) then the wind generation is actually ramping down. Funny how it works that way ...

JR