Posted on 03/05/2015 8:26:53 AM PST by moose07
Efficiency has always been a strange critique given that the fuel driving turbines - wind - is free. And while electricity generated from wind may currently be more expensive than that from some fossil fuels, costs are coming down fast.
Eye sores? That is simply a matter of opinion.
But a new wave of turbine technologies are looking to end the debate once and for all, by making wind power cheaper, more flexible and, in many cases, less intrusive on pristine countryside. Some won't make it to market, but those that do could revolutionise wind power.
One of the simplest ideas being developed is the wind lens. Inspired by "experience and a eureka moment", Prof Yuji Ohya from Japan's Kyushu University is leading a team designing a conical structure placed round the turbine blades to generate low pressure and accelerate wind speed.
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(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Top 10 countries by installed wind capacity | ||
Country | MW | % of total |
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China | 114,763 | 31 |
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US |
65,879 |
17.8 |
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Germany |
39,165 |
10.6 |
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Spain |
22,987 |
6.2 |
|
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India |
22,465 |
6.1 |
|
||
UK |
12,440 |
3.4 |
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||
Canada |
9,694 |
2.6 |
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||
France |
9,285 |
2.5 |
|
||
Italy |
8,663 |
2.3 |
|
||
Brazil |
5,939 |
1.6 |
Efficiency would relate to the cost of the land, the labor the equipment, the continuing maintenance of equipment and the cost of spare parts and the cost of total replacements over time.
To say “the wind is free” is the statement of a low IQ moron.
I stand by my tagline.
Ask the Eagles about “free”
Breeze Turbines may work best in places like Africa
"Could" also means "might not".
Eyesores and earsores and bird killers and real estate wasters. Iheard from someone who leves a mile from these things and says that the world is dominated by the whopwhopwhop of the fans.
One has to wonder if they are really generating power or just spinning to make the passersby think they are generating power.
Seems to me that the only proven effective green energy (aside from nuclear) comes from hydroelectric. Naturally liberals can’t tear dams out fast enough.
“Could” also means “might not”.
I’d take that as far as: For the time being, they won’t.
I suspect they need maintenance when they are stopped.
The neighbors have a roof vent that spins in the wind at an enormous speed, and it doesn’t eat birds.
You forgot the tax breaks provided by the other taxpayers and the additional spare capacity that has to be built into the power system for days when the wind isn't blowing.
Just Google “wind generators affect climate in china” to get almost 1.6 million articles...
I’m not automatically against the idea of harnessing the power of the wind, but every proponent of wind power should be asked how they feel about the millions of birds killed by wind turbines every year.
I passed a gang of them on Highway 1 north of Phan Thiet in Viet Nam and they were noisy as hell.
Nothing, nothing works as well as hydro. You store the water till you have an energy demand and then release as needed. You can turn it on or off with the push of a button. No furnaces to start, no wind to wait for.
Peak electric demand coincides with lowest winds in the summer.
Hydro can fix that. I do doubt we will ever do another large scale hydro project in the US in the next 20 years.
I’m sure you’re correct.
Thankfully it was before the era of enviro wackjobs that we got the hydro built we have now.
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