Winds of ChangeToday is all about wind. My home town is under a sever wind warning, so I decided to dedicate this day to the wind. Plus, its really kind of slow today, so I figured a little bit on renewable energy would be good
Wind farms are one of those few things made by man that is pleasant (this is my opinion) to look at. The rhythm at which the huge blades turn is peaceful,powerful, yet tranquil. I know many proponents despise wind farms for their aesthetic destroying potential (Cape Cod for example), but it sure beats having a coal power plant in your back yard.
Texas is now the nations leading producer of wind derived power. They have the current capacity to generate roughly three percent of their total energy needs from wind. The sparse population and "lax" regulations allow for major investments in wind technology, spurring the boom of wind projects in Texas. Many attribute it to the early oil booms of years gone by, and for good reason too. The Great Plains, stretching from Texas to North Dakota are, as some people call it, the Saudi Arabia of wind. The problem with wind power, however, is the sporadic nature of which it blows. New technology being developed tries to convert the energy into some sort of "storable" mechanical energy for use when the wind does not blow.
The most interesting of these is the use of wind power to transfer water from a series of reservoirs with water and when the water does not blow, or energy demand exceeds capacity, the water in the reservoirs is released, causing a hydroelectric generator to turn. These systems would use gravity as the transfer mechanism of the mechanical energy from the power derived from the wind. These are usually closed systems, with the water flowing to transfer catchments to be pumped back to the storage reservoirs when the wind blows, completing the cycle. I am all for turbine technology, so bring on the windmills!
Watch out Below
Wind farms are one of those few things made by man that is pleasant (this is my opinion) to look at. The rhythm at which the huge blades turn is peaceful,powerful, yet tranquil. I know many proponents despise wind farms for their aesthetic destroying potential (Cape Cod for example), but it sure beats having a coal power plant in your back yard.
Texas is now the nations leading producer of wind derived power. They have the current capacity to generate roughly three percent of their total energy needs from wind. The sparse population and "lax" regulations allow for major investments in wind technology, spurring the boom of wind projects in Texas. Many attribute it to the early oil booms of years gone by, and for good reason too. The Great Plains, stretching from Texas to North Dakota are, as some people call it, the Saudi Arabia of wind. The problem with wind power, however, is the sporadic nature of which it blows. New technology being developed tries to convert the energy into some sort of "storable" mechanical energy for use when the wind does not blow.
The most interesting of these is the use of wind power to transfer water from a series of reservoirs with water and when the water does not blow, or energy demand exceeds capacity, the water in the reservoirs is released, causing a hydroelectric generator to turn. These systems would use gravity as the transfer mechanism of the mechanical energy from the power derived from the wind. These are usually closed systems, with the water flowing to transfer catchments to be pumped back to the storage reservoirs when the wind blows, completing the cycle. I am all for turbine technology, so bring on the windmills!
Watch out Below
The only caveat about wind power is demonstrated in this video, which I snagged from Green Daily. Wind turbines have brakes to slow the blades, in the windiest of conditions, to their optimal operating RPM's. This particular units brake failed which was not a great thing during a good windy storm. The unit was particularly small, most of the components were made of fiberglass, but it does make you think twice about putting one up! Eh...what the heck, it makes for a great story, put one up in my backyard now please!
Cheers
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