Wind power a vexing question for Vermont

Houston Chronicle ^ | Sept. 2, 2006 | LISA RATHKE

[spinestein]

Here in Illinois, we put our wind turbines out in large flat open spaces where they don't disturb anybody but the corn and soybeans.

[P-40]

he cannot support the commercialization and industrialization of our mountaintops."

I thought the plan was just to put up some wind turbines. Are they putting in Starbucks and MickeyDs also?

[DB]

"...400-foot tall windmills..."

Not buying. A 400 foot antenna is hard enough to build much less a windmill.

[P-40]

A 400 foot antenna is hard enough to build much less a windmill.

They really are that big...and damn eerie to see.

[DB]

Got a link.

I'll believe it when I see it.

[RayChuang88]

Well, since the Northeast wants to continue to experience brownouts and blackouts....

[thackney]

Not buying. A 400 foot antenna is hard enough to build much less a windmill.

GE offers a "standard" size of wind turbine with a rotor 341 feet in diameter. Total height of 400 feet doesn't sound like much of a stretch to me. They have been in operation at Arklow Bank Wind Park in Ireland for a couple years.

[P-40]

These are ours, but they are smaller, about 250 feet. I'm looking for a picture of some of the larger ones.

http://www.vera.com/n_news_1.htm

General project info:

http://www.awea.org/projects/index.html

[DB]

I think I found some pictures.

That's insane.

The lateral forces have to be enormous. They must dig a deep hole to support it...

Wouldn't want to be around one during a major storm...

[P-40]

GE offers a "standard" size of wind turbine with a rotor 341 feet in diameter.

That was what I was looking for. My understanding is that the size of the wind turbine is limited more by whether or not the blades can be delivered to the site.

[goldstategop]

The Left eating its own... I'd like to see where Vermont gets free energy, without despoiling its lovely scenery.

(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo! )

[I see my hands]

The towers are temporary so no lasting enviro impact..

[Cobra64]

Not buying. A 400 foot antenna is hard enough to build much less a windmill.

So what's your point? Because you find it difficult to build, it cannot be done?

[dayglored]

> I think I found some pictures. That's insane.

Nope, quite sane. Amazing, though.

> The lateral forces have to be enormous. They must dig a deep hole to support it...

Well, yeah...

> Wouldn't want to be around one during a major storm...

I'm certain they feather the blades. The rotor doesn't get going very fast -- with that big a blade, the tip speed approaches the speed of sound at surprisingly low RPM. Consider, if it's 341 feet diameter, the tip will hit Mach-1 at one rev-per-second. 60 RPM.

So you know they keep it below that.

[P-40]

Because you find it difficult to build, it cannot be done?

I think he just meant that it sounded too fantastic to believe. When I saw a set of blades ready for transport I still did not believe that something like that could be built....but they sure are building them. They go up fast too!

[dayglored]

> So what's your point? Because you find it difficult to build, it cannot be done?

We've got a 14-foot dia. 1940's Jacobs Wind Electric genny on an 80-foot tower in my wife's the front yard (it's a big yard), so I'm used to wind power, but the first time I saw one of these really big ones up close I was totally bowled over. They're so-o-o freakin' big...

So I excuse DB's disbelief.

[lonerepubinma]

Take a look at hullwind.org for some great info on wind turbines. The town I live in recently installed it's second turbine and is studying installing 3+ more about a mile offshore.

[Cobra64]

I worked on huge construction jobs while I was going to college, so not too much surprises me.

[dayglored]

> I worked on huge construction jobs while I was going to college, so not too much surprises me.

Ah, so. I've pretty much just watched; I did some work at a big hydro power plant in New Hampshire as a consultant back around 1990; that was cool.

The last trip I took driving south from NY to NJ on 81/PATP I saw a new set of big wind gennys in the Wilkes Barre area, strung out along one of the big ridges. Turning slowly... beautiful things. Being an alt-energy freak, I was delighted, and as an engineer I was intrigued. Naturally we took an unscheduled side trip to find out what they looked like up close... my wife's got some pictures I'll copy and post someday on a similar thread.