[moose07]

Top 10 countries by installed wind capacity
Country	MW	% of total
China	114,763	31
US	65,879	17.8
Germany	39,165	10.6
Spain	22,987	6.2
India	22,465	6.1
UK	12,440	3.4
Canada	9,694	2.6
France	9,285	2.5
Italy	8,663	2.3
Brazil	5,939	1.6

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From the ridiculous to the interesting. :)

[samtheman]

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.

[Obadiah]

I stand by my tagline.

[Alex Murphy]

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.

"Could" also means "might not".

[arthurus]

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.

[Parmy]

When I drive by some of these wind farms (in the Columbia Gorge there are hundreds of towers) some of them are spinning and some are not.

One has to wonder if they are really generating power or just spinning to make the passersby think they are generating power.

[Excellence]

The neighbors have a roof vent that spins in the wind at an enormous speed, and it doesn’t eat birds.

[spokeshave]

Just Google “wind generators affect climate in china” to get almost 1.6 million articles...

[Paine in the Neck]

Because everyone wants this kind of thing falling out of the sky on their hometown

[pabianice]

Yes, yes, how the Swells along Cape Cod and the Islands fell all over themselves to have wind turbines built offshore to tap the strong winds there. Why, Ted Kennedy himself went on a personal crusade to have as many built as possible. He often exclaimed of their efficiency and cost-free beauty, extolling his fellow multi-millionaires to join him in his crusade.

Wait. I'm wrong? Oh, never mind.

[tpmintx]

Wind power is not free. Winds are not reliable (Source, I’m a recreational sailor).

For every Mega-watt of wind power you install, you must also install a Mega-watt of backup power, generally gas-turbines, that you can switch on as needed.

Seems like a waste, duplicate installations of power generation systems. Maybe just build a big coal plant and be done with it? Much cheaper per watt and per KWh than either wind or gas, and even more cheaper than buying both wind + gas.

[i_robot73]

Been there, done that. I guess the brain-iacs haven’t played Bioshock Infinite, or watched any recent anime (blimp lofted turbines tethered to hub)

Sticking w/ the idea, I’d love to go Fallout (mini-nuke reactors to power home, car, etc.)

[Disambiguator]

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.

Anyone who has worked on carbureted vehicles could have figured this out. "Let's use a venturi!"