Not Windy Enough for Wind Turbines

[chunkychambers]

A goverment sponsored report has stated today that Wind Turbines are incapable of producing enough power........
Why?....because our country isn't windy enough!!
I kid you not, it's just been on the news

[cherrybee]

Originally Posted by chunkychambers

A goverment sponsored report has stated today that Wind Turbines are incapable of producing enough power........
Why?....because our country isn't windy enough!!
I kid you not, it's just been on the news

I just heard that too They obviously wrote the report before the winds we had recently and with the global warming thing we might get more winds like it.Nearly blew me of me scooter the other day

[Duke of York]

I think you'll find it is that the amount of electricity produced per wind turbine that is the problem not the amount of wind.

[Garden Carpet]

I have an idea.. lets put all the Pols in the fields with the wind turbines...
jaki

[henrya]

Originally Posted by Duke of York

I think you'll find it is that the amount of electricity produced per wind turbine that is the problem not the amount of wind.

Don't forget that if the windspeed is too great the turbines have to be stopped, and if it's too low, they don't work. If we had constant speed wind all the time, it would be fine, but we don't.

henrya

[lewisa]

I think commercial wind farms are not the best idea, too many problems with them. Microgeneration is where wind is at. Stick a small windmill on every house accross the country and it will make a big dent without all the usual problems associated with wind farms.

Lets say there are 30,000,000 homes, and the cost to set up is £1000 per household (would probably be a lot less if you were making 30,000,000 of the things).

That makes a total cost of £30 Billion to install a £1000 windmill on every house, the same cost as a couple of nuclear power stations, and only £10 billion more than we are spending on trident. Sounds like a plan to me.

[Gill Catton]

trouble is I think that with domestic windmills - as indeed for commericial windfarms, they are only effective in certain sites.
You need a long uninterrupted 'run up' for the wind apparently so domestic windmills won't be effective everywhere - neither will solar. but where relevent yes I'm 100% behind domestic level production - even one or two large turbines at the edge of suitable villages seems like a good idea to me.

[lewisa]

Yes microgeneration has problems, I think grid management is the biggest problem, being able to remotely control every individual generator and isolate areas of the grid to avoid maintenance crews being fried when work is carried out etc.

Because of the nature of it though, ie millions of small non-profit operations as opposed to a few large for-profit operations, that goes a long way toward damping the problems of suitable sites.

Lets guess the minimum efficiency threshold is 30% uptime for a commercial farm. Microgeneration does not need to make a profit or gaurantee a level of supply to the grid, its only requirement is that it needs to return a net gain in power over what it took to manufacure the equipment in the first place, over its whole lifetime. So the minimum efficiency threshold for a micro turbine will be a lot lower than that of a commercial turbine, and therefore the area of suitable locations will be a lot greater.

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

even one or two large turbines at the edge of suitable villages seems like a good idea to me.

Sounds good to me as well that, but I dont think it will happen - most people would rather have a missile silo in their back garden than a wind turbine in eyeshot.

Its the one NIMBY that really makes my blood boil, I can understand people not wanting a landfill, an airport, or a coal mine nearby, but these people who get stressed over a wind turbine because it will spoil their view is wrong.

[nightshade]

Regarding a turbine per house under proposed planning guidelines all I have to do as a neighbour is refuse permission

[lewisa]

That wont last. As I understand it, exemptions are made to the planning laws for sensible things that are or are likely to become ubiqitous. Thats why you now dont need planning permission for a satellite dish, whereas you did when they first arrived.

[nightshade]

Re;Household wind turbines, the industry has admitted that you are better off
making economies in the home !
this is north scotland - news, entertainment, jobs, homes and cars

[Twizzle]

Put the turbines in House Of Commons. There's plenty of wind and not air in there.
Twizzle

[arvensis]

How about wind turbines and solar panels on houses? Also put solar panels along side places such as motorways and small turbines on the more substanstial road signs ? A waterbutt in every garden would help albeit a small amount for watering. As they say, every little helps.

Mark