Posted on 07/14/2008 3:18:25 PM PDT by twntaipan
Quick! What state symbolizes the old petroleum economy? Texas, of course. Now, what state leads the way towards a future of clean, renewable wind energy? Texas again! By early 2008, Texas had installed more than 5,300 megawatts of wind production -- more than twice second place state California -- and had another 2,000 megawatts under production. Why in the name of Sam Houston is the state of Spindletop messing with wind?
(Excerpt) Read more at fastcompany.com ...
A cheap and technology easy way is to surround the blades, like a standing room fan, with a wire cage clamshell...
Whoops! Maybe I should have patented that idea before I posted this!
Or, if people could afford, purchase their own wind turbine and get their own power. Of course they’ll probably still need to be on the grid, especially on days where the air is still.
But, a lower electric bill is probably tempting to plenty of people.
(Don’t hold your breath waiting for Al Gore or John Edwards to install these on their land)
WOW ! Any Texans or Oklahomans have any interest in Nat Gas Professor???? /sarc
In the interest of disclosure, chk and ep holder here...
Can you explain your comments? Who is a Natural Gas Professor? What is an chk and ep holder?
I am not sure if your are disputing my assertion that large windfarms require substantial power backup, typically gas turbines. Gas turbines are not very efficient compared to other electrical energy generation options. The high cost of natural gas makes gas turbines even less attractive.
The enviromemtalist would love that:’)
I tend to agree with you. T Boone Pickens is making a big splash, and burying the devilish details. His promos on TV are down-right convincing. The sad part is, he has the money to run a propaganda campaign, while the opposition flounders. Oh, and by the way, T Boone stands to make BILLIONS from his wind farms.
what did you try to say?
Which would also explain why billionaire TBone Pickens is running ads on conservative talk radio warning against our dependence on oil and advocating wind and solar power.........
Yo, Tbone, how much you got invested in this crap and how much do you expect to profit from the govt. in subsidies if your commercials are successful?
The man didn't become a billionaire because of stupidity..........
Wow, his commercial just aired on FOX again as I am typing.......
It already has. I pay $.16/KWH now in our “hearalded” de-regulated state.
LOL!! Well sure, we can have supplimentary power, but let's quit the stupidity of fining and jailing Joe Sixpack for killing a protected species and then turn our heads to thousands being whacked by PC methods. Let's build nuclear. My God, we've had nuclear warships for decades, our sailors work on them day in and day out, they're NOT dropping dead of cancer by the shipload, so what's the problem??
The lie that we're also told is that wind generators have a "small footprint". BS! stick several hundred on a mesa connected by service/maintenance roads, power grid hookups and that takes up a huge area, but that's okay, it's just "ugly" desert anyway, who cares? I have an idea, let's put them offshore Mass.
But gee, then again, we've created another industry (wind turbines), the plastics folks are making a ton manufacturing the machine, LOTS of plastics, hmmmmmm, bring to mind something?? Why yes, BIG OIL products.
The problem is the Gaia worshippers, that's what and why? Why have we rolled over to these "environmentalists"? Environmentalist my a**! An environmentalist for the most part are little old ladies in tennis shoes, burnt out hippies and fellow travelers that subscribe to the Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, Green Peace and their ilk. Dig deep enough (and not so deep) and you'll find that their innards are very red.
The REAL environmentalists are rancher and farmers of this nation, that's who the real ones are and thank God for them, for their willingness to just keep plugging through the fog producing life-saving food products. But you see my point. First of all, DRILL HERE, DRILL NOW! Build nuclear, heck, let's do things that have a mega-return not only in real energy but in PSYCHOLOGICAL power too, to our enemy.
Yeah...whatever makes “juice” We have seen what can happen when we put all our eggs in one basket. As for as the “not my back yard “folks...I got cyber slapped hard the other night when I suggested states keep their own oil. If Teds people don’t want to be part of the solution then I don’t believe we should have to clutter our landscape for energy for them. The little Red Hen policy.
Now I like that retort CindyDawg, makes sense to me. I don’t see any problem a’tall about keepin’ our own stuff! Must be some thin skinned folks around...
Actually, combined cycle gas turbine/steam generator plants (the exhaust from the turbine is used to operate a boiler for a steam turbine generator) are very efficient, but with today's natural gas prices, they are still several times more expensive to operate than a typical coal-fired generating unit despite greater efficiency.
Just a guess here, but I'd bet TBone's portfolio is heavy on wind generation investments, and very light on coal investments.
Myself, I'm about ready to start looking for a coal-burning stove for winter heat. Now that the environazis have made burning coal unfashionable in the electric utility industry (even though it still provides the majority of our nation's electricity), I want to burn my own. Just to tick them off.
On top of the television set? :-)
Actually, I still have a set of "rabbit ears" - makes a great FM antenna.
I can picture your Dad watching Bonanza while you and your sister hold the antenna. "A little to the left, CindyDawg - Hoss is a little blurry". The foil likely didn't help any.
seriously using wind power to split water into hydrogen would be cool but even at the cheapest one could buy bulk wind power at 5 cents a kwh it takes 65 kwhs to make and compress a kg or h2 gas. So 5 times 65 is $3.25 just in electricity to make the h2 and compress it. transportation, marketing, retail mark up, you get the picture. The only hydrogen that makes economic sence is nuclear hydrogen buss bar rates for nuclear power can be as cheap as 1.5 cents a kwh off peak. Thats only 97 cents in electricty to get a kg of hydrogen. On a side note one Kg of H2 is equal on a BTU to BTU basis for gasoline.
http://www.evnut.com/docs/acp_fc_pollution.pdf page 5 for the KWh per Kg ref. This PDF makes a strong point for plug in hybrids though. even at retail rates of .13c a kwh a plug in with 10 kwh of bat storage which gives a 40 mile range would eliminate 50+% of all gasoline miles driven in this country. look up the NHTSB figures for average daily commutes full on 50% are less than 40 miles per day. Think about a buck thirty for your daily commute instead of $8 =( 40 miles / 19.5 MPG in my SUV * $3.90 per gallon E10 here in the Big D.) the plug in is 8 times cheaper per mile than my gasoline suv i know i know im not counting depreciation of the 10 kwh bat pack. Well Altair Nanotechnologies has large format lithium packs that can go 15000 100% DOD cycles and still hold 80% of there capacity. 15000 times 40 miles is 600000 miles so these lithium packs would be lifetime packs for a plug in EV. Phoenix motors is using them for there SUV electric vehicle they are going to put a bumper to bumper 15year-150k warrantee.
Patterson is a great example of a public servant!
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