Hummmmmm... 
I always thought it was Compressed Air + Red Beans & Cornbread = BOOM!
Posted on 07/28/2007 4:21:11 PM PDT by P-40
DALLAS -- Royal Dutch Shell and Dallas-based TXU Corporation agreed to jointly develop a wind-powered electricity generation project in the Texas High Plains on Friday.
The proposed 3,000-megawatt project would be situated in Briscoe County, southeast of Amarillo. One megawatt of electricity is enough to light 1,000 homes.
The deal between Shell Wind Energy and TXU subsidiary Luminant also commits both sides to work together on other renewable energy projects in Texas.
Both companies said they'll also research whether compressed air can be stored and used to drive the wind-driven turbines at times of low winds or peak demand.
I’ve been seeing trailer trucks carrying blades for wind mills for the past several months. Maybe this is where they’ve been heading. These blades are huge ,one blade takes up the entire truck bed.
The last two years or so they seem to be everywhere. The only people who can’t see them are Democrats. It is kind of funny. :)
I can not imagine how this would be feasible.
Compressed air storage for peak power demand has been around for a couple of decades. But they use enclosed turbines similar to a steam turbine.
How could you possibly use compressed air to turn a wind turbine whose blades are 180 degrees apart and 20 to 30 feet long?
It’s a new design, kind of like an upright squirrel cage. There was a post on this Friday with images. They are going to use a maglev system for the bearings, almost frictionless. I think it’s a wonderful concept.
I think they mean to compress the air to drive a generator, not keep the wind turbine going. And most of what I am seeing going up are three blade systems...with each blade nearly a hundred feet long!
Well regardless of what kind of wind turbine it is I can not envision a system that would be efficient at both task.
A wind turbine must be able to capture the energy from a large area and a compressed air turbine is capturing the energy from a small area. You can not build a system that will do both well.
You could easily build a system that would have both turbines on the same shaft that could turn the same generator. This would save the expense of purchasing two generators. But you would lose some efficiency do to the increased inertia and turning resistance when one turbine is turning faster than the other.
Well I will just attribute it to poor writing on the part of the author.
They’re using the compressed air in a natural gas generator.
I sure hope those 1,000 homes don't all fire up their 1,500 watt hair dryers, refrigerators, air conditioners and toasters all at the same time. Yet another example of journalist innumeracy.
What? Where? You lost me.
Compressed Air + Natural Gas = BOOM
Evidently they us it to improve the efficiency, at least thats what the article in the Dallas Morning News said.
Hummmmmm... I always thought it was Compressed Air + Red Beans & Cornbread = BOOM!
Interesting
Got Link?
Both companies said they'll also research whether compressed air can be stored and used to drive the wind-driven turbines at times of low winds or peak demand.
It IS a very poorly written article. I always chalk that up to so-called “science writers” that know zilch about science. I was interviewed quite a few times during my career in the energy industry and was almost always appalled at the final articles.
Wow ... that’s quite an idea. I wonder if a variation of that could be used here in the D/FW area with the Barnett shale? As I understand it, natural gas is trapped in relatively small geological structures. Why not drill down into one, use the gas out of it, pump compressed air back into that structure and use the structures around it to provide the gas for the next stage?
Seems that it might cut out the need to create a cavern in the salt dome ... the cavern is already there.
Just an idea.
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