We’re all for alternative/ clean/ renewable sources of energy around here. Not only do we believe in the notion of stewardship, we think there’s an economic benefit to be derived from more choices in the energy marketplace.
Having said that we do not support government subsidies for any form of energy … nor do we support boondoggles like Clemson University’s $98 million taxpayer-funded wind turbine testing center. Remember this nonsense? Here’s a refresher …
Anyway, while Clemson president James Barker may believe his school knows better than Harvard University (no really … he does), fresh research out of the iconic Cambridge, Massachusetts institution suggests otherwise. According to a new Harvard study, scientists have been vastly overestimating the energy creating potential of wind turbines.
“The generating capacity of large-scale wind farms has been overestimated,” Harvard applied physicist David Keith reports.
Specifically, Keith’s research finds this capacity “may peak at between 0.5 and 1 watts per square meter. Previous estimates, which ignored the turbines’ slowing effect on the wind, had put that figure at between 2 and 7 watts per square meter.”
“In short, we may not have access to as much wind power as scientists thought,” he concludes.
Ruh-roh …
But don’t worry, greenies. “Moo U” is on the case.
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52 comments
maybe you’ve got blowing and sucking confused..
In your case ‘9’, they are likely one and the same.
maybe you’ve got blowing and sucking confused..
In your case ‘9’, they are likely one and the same.
Trying to figure an early Colbert-Busch angle.
Trying to figure an early Colbert-Busch angle.
If you want to power your mountain cabin with wind go for it – if you’re looking to build a grid you’re wasting your time and my money.
I’ve had a vertical axis Darrieus turbine in operation since my son and I built one for a science project, it works great – when the wind is blowing.
If you want to power your mountain cabin with wind go for it – if you’re looking to build a grid you’re wasting your time and my money.
I’ve had a vertical axis Darrieus turbine in operation since my son and I built one for a science project, it works great – when the wind is blowing.
Typical GOPer mentality…all or nothing. Everything is black or white when the whole world is gray.
The thing about alternative energy is to develop a lot of different kinds to meet a lot of different situations and needs.
“we do not support government subsidies for any form of energy” – Does that include all the direct government subsidies and tax breaks that the hypocritical Kochs receive to fund all their “grassroots” political ventures, too?
Typical GOPer mentality…all or nothing. Everything is black or white when the whole world is gray.
The thing about alternative energy is to develop a lot of different kinds to meet a lot of different situations and needs.
“we do not support government subsidies for any form of energy” – Does that include all the direct government subsidies and tax breaks that the hypocritical Kochs receive to fund all their “grassroots” political ventures, too?
It costs FAR more to set this wind power crap up…and you STILL have to be connected to the power grid..
Wind power, like solar power, is a long way from practical use, if ever.
The IGNORANT like Obama and his Idiots are the only Fools so stupid to push this crap…
Google: solar power Germany.
Study: Wind Farm Generative Capacity May Be Limited
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2013/3/7/wind-energy-limited-study/
Wind power and wind farms may not be capable of producing as much energy as previously believed, according to a paper co-authored by Harvard scientist David W. Keith.
Their study examined the long-range effects of one wind farm on another. The spacing between turbines is critical to each of their individual functioning, because a turbine placed directly behind another turbine cannot spin at full capacity and is therefore less efficient and able to put out less energy. This phenomenon is caused by the fact that in order to operate and move its blades, a wind turbine takes mechanical energy out of the wind passing through it. As a result, the speed of wind that has already passed through another turbine is lower when it hits the next in a series of the devices.
SOLAR is what I’m talking about…did not need a recap of Fits’ post.
The same issues that affect wind affect solar – the ability to generate energy when Mother Nature doesn’t want to cooperate. The battery farms required by Solar make the cost per KwH not acceptable for grid use – powering a cottage or a commune is one thing, powering New York or Columbia is a very different thing.
At best, solar could conceivably account for 10 of America’s energy needs based on current capabilities.
“Norbert Allnoch, director of the Institute of the Renewable Energy Industry (IWR) in Muenster, said the 22 gigawatts of solar power per hour fed into the national grid on Saturday met nearly 50 percent of the nation’s midday electricity needs.”
And how much of the need will be met at 2359 Sunday night?
Or the next time it snows for 4 days, or rains for 4 days…
At best, on average, 10%
Oh, Ol’Norbert should have actually said “renewable (wind and solar) provided 50% of the power needs” – less than 15% of their renewable capability is solar array.” Germany has about 35% of their renewable productive capability in Wind power. Bio and Hydro account for the other 50%
“According to Reuters, Germany has nearly as much solar power generation capacity as the rest of the world combined, with 4% of its overall annual electricity needs from the sun alone.”
http://www.pv-tech.org/mobile/news/germany_breaks_world_record_for_solar_power_generation_with_22gw
Obama, Hitler’s Germany and Obama’s Muslim Brotherhood have a lot of the same qualities…so do so many of their worshipers…
I’m not a hateful Bigot (are you?)…so No, i don’t think I will…
Stay stupid, my friend.
TIL Germany is still under Hitler’s rule. The more you know.
It costs FAR more to set this wind power crap up…and you STILL have to be connected to the power grid..
Wind power, like solar power, is a long way from practical use, if ever.
The IGNORANT like Obama and his Idiots are the only Fools so stupid to push this crap…
Google: solar power Germany.
Study: Wind Farm Generative Capacity May Be Limited
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2013/3/7/wind-energy-limited-study/
Wind power and wind farms may not be capable of producing as much energy as previously believed, according to a paper co-authored by Harvard scientist David W. Keith.
Their study examined the long-range effects of one wind farm on another. The spacing between turbines is critical to each of their individual functioning, because a turbine placed directly behind another turbine cannot spin at full capacity and is therefore less efficient and able to put out less energy. This phenomenon is caused by the fact that in order to operate and move its blades, a wind turbine takes mechanical energy out of the wind passing through it. As a result, the speed of wind that has already passed through another turbine is lower when it hits the next in a series of the devices.
SOLAR is what I’m talking about…did not need a recap of Fits’ post.
The same issues that affect wind affect solar – the ability to generate energy when Mother Nature doesn’t want to cooperate. The battery farms required by Solar make the cost per KwH not acceptable for grid use – powering a cottage or a commune is one thing, powering New York or Columbia is a very different thing.
At best, solar could conceivably account for 10 of America’s energy needs based on current capabilities.
“Norbert Allnoch, director of the Institute of the Renewable Energy Industry (IWR) in Muenster, said the 22 gigawatts of solar power per hour fed into the national grid on Saturday met nearly 50 percent of the nation’s midday electricity needs.”
And how much of the need will be met at 2359 Sunday night?
Or the next time it snows for 4 days, or rains for 4 days…
At best, on average, 10%
Oh, Ol’Norbert should have actually said “renewable (wind and solar) provided 50% of the power needs” – less than 15% of their renewable capability is solar array.” Germany has about 35% of their renewable productive capability in Wind power. Bio and Hydro account for the other 50%
“According to Reuters, Germany has nearly as much solar power generation capacity as the rest of the world combined, with 4% of its overall annual electricity needs from the sun alone.”
http://www.pv-tech.org/mobile/news/germany_breaks_world_record_for_solar_power_generation_with_22gw
Obama, Hitler’s Germany and Obama’s Muslim Brotherhood have a lot of the same qualities…so do so many of their worshipers…
I’m not a hateful Bigot (are you?)…so No, i don’t think I will…
Stay stupid, my friend.
TIL Germany is still under Hitler’s rule. The more you know.
Had this been USC we wouldn’t have heard a thing about it.
Had this been USC we wouldn’t have heard a thing about it.
“I’ve lost my ass in wind power.” T. Boone Pickens
“I’ve lost my ass in wind power.” T. Boone Pickens
WOW…….what a slant on info. We just wonder if the “person” who wrote this has ever calculated and compared how many troops have died for Wind Energy compared to OIL Wells, Oil Pipeline routes and OIL Shipping lanes..??
If we were interested in “fighting and dying” for oil, we’d have invaded Venezuela
and Canada…
Does the chart you linked account for the shale extraction methods?
I agree that if the US gets to choose buying it versus sending troops to die for it they will choose buying it(at the pricing structure that makes sense). In my estimation they will balance the costs of either though to make sure they are getting it one way or another. A war with Canada would be very nasty and directly disturbing to the comfort of the sheeple here…Venezuela has always sold us oil cheaply, negating the need for war.
Assassination can easily take care of people like Chavez if needed and costly war avoided.(not that I condone that)
WOW…….what a slant on info. We just wonder if the “person” who wrote this has ever calculated and compared how many troops have died for Wind Energy compared to OIL Wells, Oil Pipeline routes and OIL Shipping lanes..??
If we were interested in “fighting and dying” for oil, we’d have invaded Venezuela
and Canada…
Does the chart you linked account for the shale extraction methods?
I agree that if the US gets to choose buying it versus sending troops to die for it they will choose buying it(at the pricing structure that makes sense). In my estimation they will balance the costs of either though to make sure they are getting it one way or another. A war with Canada would be very nasty and directly disturbing to the comfort of the sheeple here…Venezuela has always sold us oil cheaply, negating the need for war.
Assassination can easily take care of people like Chavez if needed and costly war avoided.(not that I condone that)
Better fact check this info…..latest report from energy groups says different.
Better fact check this info…..latest report from energy groups says different.
Wind turbines are really expensive for the little amount of energy they produce, and they require constant upkeep and expensive maintenance. It -may- be worth it in areas of the country that have constant winds, but even then I’m not 100% sure if it would be cost effective.
They are coming up with all kinds of stuff regarding the design of wind turbines and how durable and efficient they are, so maybe in the near future it will be a better solution, but for now, I wouldn’t support it too heavily.
Wind turbines are really expensive for the little amount of energy they produce, and they require constant upkeep and expensive maintenance. It -may- be worth it in areas of the country that have constant winds, but even then I’m not 100% sure if it would be cost effective.
They are coming up with all kinds of stuff regarding the design of wind turbines and how durable and efficient they are, so maybe in the near future it will be a better solution, but for now, I wouldn’t support it too heavily.
China has the most wind turbines of any country in the world, and building more. Think the Chinese are dumb??? We can’t get all our power from wind, but it is not a bust. It is growing.
“Think the Chinese are dumb???”
Sometimes their gov’t is, they have numerous vacant cities and are in the beginnings of a real estate bust….the misallocation of US dollar reserves is hitting them…just like wind turbines.
China has the most wind turbines of any country in the world, and building more. Think the Chinese are dumb??? We can’t get all our power from wind, but it is not a bust. It is growing.
“Think the Chinese are dumb???”
Sometimes their gov’t is, they have numerous vacant cities and are in the beginnings of a real estate bust….the misallocation of US dollar reserves is hitting them…just like wind turbines.
Due to the unreliable nature of wind and solar energy, the power companies have to keep an equivalent amount fossil fueled plants in “spinning reserve” mode in order to quickly replace the unreliable power generated by these renewable sources should the wind blow to slowly or to quickly or a cloud block the sun. This is necessary to ensure the stability of power grid which we have all grown accustomed to. Of course, if you’re guaranteed a profitable price for any power you generate regardless of whether it is actually used. that’s a pretty good game to be in.
Due to the unreliable nature of wind and solar energy, the power companies have to keep an equivalent amount fossil fueled plants in “spinning reserve” mode in order to quickly replace the unreliable power generated by these renewable sources should the wind blow to slowly or to quickly or a cloud block the sun. This is necessary to ensure the stability of power grid which we have all grown accustomed to. Of course, if you’re guaranteed a profitable price for any power you generate regardless of whether it is actually used. that’s a pretty good game to be in.
We’ve already had our first war for “clean” energy. Where you ask? According to Peter O’Malley from HSBC, one of the UK’s largest banks, Afghanistan is the “Saudi Arabia of lithium”, and lithium is the key ingredient in batteries for electric cars and proposed battery banks for storing the intermittent energy produced by wind and solar farms. O’Malley made these comments on CNBC, here’s the link:
http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000047354
We’ve already had our first war for “clean” energy. Where you ask? According to Peter O’Malley from HSBC, one of the UK’s largest banks, Afghanistan is the “Saudi Arabia of lithium”, and lithium is the key ingredient in batteries for electric cars and proposed battery banks for storing the intermittent energy produced by wind and solar farms. O’Malley made these comments on CNBC, here’s the link:
http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000047354