The serenity of wind turbines...

[ragingfish]

This is my second trip heading eastbound on the PA Turnpike. I have to say, right when I pass the Somerset service area, there is a mini wind farm -- about 6 turbines, just carefully placed out there, seemingly randomly. There's something very peaceful about the sight of it. Could be that I find it a piece of solid evidence that we're finally working towards a truly clean and pollution-free energy source...But more so, it's just peaceful to watch those blades spin so slowly, but steadly...Anyway, thought I'd share the picture with y'all...I just love passing that wind farm, really makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

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[ragingfish]

And another...

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[ragingfish]

quote:Actually, windmills have been around for ages.Look at Holland and Scotland and such.Yes. I know. They've been around for centuries. But wind turbines of this magnitude have not. One 1.5 MW wind turbine can generate enough power for 400 homes for a year. That's a lot for one lone turbine! GE is now developing a 3.6 MW turbine due out in 04...that's a lot of power generation...quote:Cleaner power yes, but still have to maintain the moving parts. No such thing as 100% maintenance free energy generation. But the fact of the matter is, wind power is one of the cheapest out there. Current rates are as low as $0.03 to $0.05 per kWh...that's CHEAP!!!quote:The downside of it, windmills are only good in the areas that have a constant wind. Most geographical locations do not have this resource.Not necessarily true. There must be wind, yes. But it doesn't have to be constant at all! Wind turbines are developed and built to work in teh areas they will be installed. They have special turbines for offshore windfarms, which would have higher speed, steadier, and more constant winds. On the other hand, there are turbines for more quiet, less intense winds. All that is needed for a wind farm is about 2 acres per turbine, and lots of wind open space...Wind is everywhere -- it is generated by the heating and cooling of the earth...you can stick a turbine anywhere there are open fields...quote:And as for heating your water, Geothermal heat is popular, expensive, but can be tapped in most places. Who said anything about hot water?

[ragingfish]

Actually, everything I needed was right here:http://www.gepower.com/dhtml/wind/en_us/index.jspMy point, and the original purpose of the thread, was that they look beautiful along the landscape, are a testament to amazing advances in technology (but YES, they are based on an age old pre-existing technology), and to me, they're just very mesmerizing...I stood there for a good 10 minutes just watching them...I find it very peaceful and calming.

[MonotoneSatellite]

I agree with raging. Windmills are very cool. Here in Wisconsin there is a wind farm with about 8-10 mills. When last I was there, the wind was blowing out of the west at 5-10 mph. The blades were glimmering white long and elegant in the setting sun as they pivoted slowly around the cone in the middle. Very calming.

[Sputnik]

Here's some photos we took a few years ago driving through Cap Chat in Quebec. Sorry photo quality is not the best - it was pre- digicam days.

[Sputnik]

They make the coolest sound. We want to have wind and solar power when we build a house.

[scherry2]

HEY!! don't go Don Quixote on me here! LOLseriously I used to see them in Wisconsin years ago. quite intoxicating to sit and watch

[rasermon]

Some pic's I took on my way to Palm Springs from Las Vegas. San Gorgonio Pass is one of the windiest areas in the world and is home to 3,500 electricity-producing wind turbines. The electricity generated by the wind turbines is used by the customers of Southern California Edison Company. The San Gorgonio wind turbines produce approximately 600 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) every year. This amount of electricity is enough to meet the needs of 100,000 typical homes or about 250,000 people.

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[rasermon]

Pic #2

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[ragingfish]

Now those are some beautiful shots...I'd love to just sit in the middle of that and just watch them all around...

[KSNeptune]

You should drive though southwest Kansas, just west of Dodge City on highway 54, I think. There are so many wind turbines there that when you're in the middle of them you can't see where the edges of their area is. As you approach they first appear while you're still 20-30 miles away (yes, kansas is very flat). The "farm" grows and grows till it fills your horizon. Nearly awe inspiring. One nice thing is that you'll still see crops and cattle raised beneath them. They have very little impact on the "usual" uses of the land they reside on.KSNeptune