dagblog - Comments for "Changes in the Wind"

After a point we won’t even

Anonymous — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:06:27 +0000

In reply to I attach a you tube video of

After a point we won’t even know what we’re trying to save anymore. You start with something, and soon everyone focuses on something new. There’s too much information, and improper assimilation, and all we get is chaos.

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Wave and tidal power are

acanuck — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:02:22 +0000

In reply to As always Donal, we keep

Wave and tidal power are another overlooked element. But energy efficiency is the crucial place to start. Federal law should mandate that all building codes set strict standards for windows and doors, for example.

And in the sun belt, require all roofs to feature solar arrays or be painted white. Even up here in Canada, it's cost-effective to heat an outdoor pool with a passive solar system, extending its usefulness by several weeks on either side of our short summers.

I attach a you tube video of

wws — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 20:27:46 +0000

In reply to Changes in the Wind

I attach a you tube video of the NorthCape windfarm on Prince Edward Island. Please ignore opening sequence and music -- the part that is relevant is from about :40 through 2:00; that sequence documents the sound of the blades and shows the scale of the towers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBazB5SrKhU&feature=related

Standing in that field, what seems disturbing -- if anything at all seems disturbing -- is not the sound of the blade which is actually quite soft, but rather, the combination of the steady, gusty wind and the almost palpable vibration of the giant blades.

I realize that different blades produced by different manufacturers in differing wind conditions could result in more intrusive sound. But this? The blades are nothing compared to the "fight or flight" trigger caused by the wind itself.

Just my 2 cents.

As always Donal, we keep

cmaukonen — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:28:45 +0000

In reply to Donal, when I first returned

As always Donal, we keep looking for that One true Answer That Will Solve All Our Problems. But there isn't one. Wind energy is but one part of the equation. With solar, geothermal and hydrogen as other parts. We also need to make the most efficient use of the energy we do generate.

We also need to keep exploring and researching for other ways as well. The problem with Big Energy is that once they get a foot in the door, they are loath to allow any other form to develop lest it put them out of business.

What a shame so few of us are

chucktrotter — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 18:43:03 +0000

In reply to If they are that noisy, I

What a shame so few of us are aware of the "true" cost of fossil fuels, here in the US. My son-in-law was the duty officer at Dover when the body bags began arriving from the Pentagon on 9-11. He spent a year expediting body bags from the Middle East to Dover. How much of our military budget is spent on equpment and manpower in order to protect the movement of fossil fuels into our economic sphere? My home is in the fly-over zone on the banks of the Mississippi. Sorry to admit it, but my love for wildlife exceedes that of my fellow man. But, I am a realist. I would trade untold wild fowl for the lives of the kids we have sacrificed in order to sustain our black gold supply.

Donal, when I first returned

Beetlejuice — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 18:42:19 +0000

In reply to Changes in the Wind

Donal, when I first returned to Germany after a 25 year absence, I thought German reunification was the Dutch taking over the western region up to the Rhine river....there were windmills everywhere!

One thing I noticed, while one can find many of them out in the rural farming areas, there are times they're near bergs and dorfs (cities and villages), but far enough away so their side-effects are not felt.

For instance, there are two small farming hamlets, Kyllburgweiler and Steinborn, near where I live. Using Google maps, the point where the farm road going north from Kyllburgweiler and the dirt farm road (now paved) going west out of Steinborn intersect is where they installed windmills (about six)...sorry the map being used was before they were installed. And they sit on the ridge of a hill above the Kyll river valley above the hamlet St. Thomas...it's about a it's only a quarter mile between river and ridge crest, but it's a 750 foot vertical drop from top to river. And we do get migratory birds going to and from their winter/summer nesting grounds...the biggest are the cranes/storks.

Another thing too was people saying the amount of electricity generated by them barely ekks out a profit above the cost to maintain them...the efficiency isn't what they expected and they barely pay for themselves.

One thing in Germany's favor is they have a robust environmental policy supported by most of the people...they care more about their environment and what the gpovernment and business do to it. I'm sure there were some tough fights over installing windmills and their impact to the environment and the public.

While I suspect there are factions here that have their complaints about them, it's refreshing to know all the narrow-minded republican Germans left for the new world centuries ago!

If they are that noisy, I

EmmaZahn — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 18:11:17 +0000

In reply to Changes in the Wind

If they are that noisy, I could not live near one. I have become extremely sensitive to the inescapable electric hum of modern life.

Beyond the noise and the birds, the biggest downside of wind farms and so many other renewable boondoggles is their scale. There is a definite Tim Taylor factor at work in what gets approved and built. Is bigger really always better?

There is one historic large-scale project I would like the DOE to attempt to replicate preferably with public funds so how to do it is public property.

In 1900, Morgan financed inventor Nikola Tesla and his Wardenclyffe Tower with $150,000 for experiments in transmitting energy. However, in 1903, when the tower structure was near completion, it was still not yet functional due to last-minute design changes that introduced an unintentional defect. When Morgan wanted to know "Where can I put the meter?" Tesla had no answer. Tesla's vision of free power did not agree with Morgan's worldview; nor would it pay for the maintenance of the transmission system. Construction costs eventually exceeded the money provided by Morgan, and additional financiers were reluctant to come forth. By July 1904, Morgan (and the other investors) finally decided they would not provide any additional financing. Morgan also advised other investors to avoid the project.

Since the problem of how to meter wireless transmissions seems to have been solved, I am surprised private venture capital is not pouring into replication projects. :)

But housecats tend to catch

Donal — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:31:51 +0000

In reply to Donal, a quick excursion into

But housecats tend to catch sparrows, which reproduce quickly, rather than eagles and other large raptors, which breed more slowly and are often on the endangered list. I agree that we need a comprehensive solution - we just can't let them be installed with no regulations.

Donal, a quick excursion into

Austin Train — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:23:00 +0000

In reply to Changes in the Wind

Donal, a quick excursion into the land of Google reveals things that are far more dangerous to birds than wind turbines. Electric power lines, tall buildings, and cats, to name three.

As for the sound, since I have not been "up close and personal" to a wind farm, I can't speak to that. I do know that once we get past their manufacture, they produce no undesirable gases or particulates.

They are not the only solution, they are a vital part of a necessary comprehensive solution.