There’s got to be a better way to generate wind energy than erecting these behemoth towers that lift the massive blades up above ground turbulence.
Here’s a sequence of shots in the assembly and employment of the GTK1100 crane erecting a 2KW wind assembly on very level ground.
Just getting the pieces of the crane to the site takes 4 or 5 massive heavy-haul trailers, and then the components of the windmill would be brought in–over the same new roads cut through the forest of some place like, say, Belcher Mountain near us.
And I’m trying to image what would be involved in clearing and leveling and compacting a staging area for the base of the crane to sit perfectly level (on a mountain top) to lift those huge parts up 400 feet.
And while the windmill is being constructed, high-capacity power lines have be placed (above ground?) to connect this windmill farm to the grid.
All this being said, I think we have little choice (because we’ve waited far to late) but to turn to wind for the coming decades as a major producer of electrical power generation.
Thinking nuclear? Read what’s involved now in cleaning up the nuclear waste mess at Hanford.
Here’s some “wind energy advice to President Obama” from the OilDrum advocating a strong push to wind generation. It makes some good points.
There could be no better investment in America than to invest in America becoming energy independent! We need to utilize everything in out power to reduce our dependence on foreign oil including using our own natural resources. Create cheap clean energy, new badly needed green jobs, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. OPEC will continue to cut production until they achieve their desired 80-100. per barrel. The high cost of fuel this past year seriously damaged our economy and society. Oil is finite. We are using oil globally at the rate of 2X faster than new oil is being discovered. We need to take some of these billions in bail out bucks and bail ourselves out of our dependence on foreign oil.If all gasoline cars, trucks, and SUV’s instead had plug-in electric drive trains, the amount of electricity needed to replace gasoline is about equal to the estimated wind energy potential of the state of North Dakota. Jeff Wilson has a really good new book out called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence Now. He explores our uses of oil besides gasoline, our depletion, out reserves and stores as well as viable options to replace oil.Oil is finite, it will run out in the not too distant future. WE need to take some of these billions in bail out bucks and bail America out of it’s dependence on foreign oil. The historic high price of gas this past year did serious damage to our economy and society. WE should never allow others to have that much power over our economy again. I wish every member of congress would read this book
Geothermal has always been a great alternative, but there’s always going to be someone fighting against that, too. I used to work for a geothermal energy developer and I was amazed at how much energy was generated from ONE plant. Southern California has a major need for alternative energy sources and yet we have the greatest number of protesters against every alternative form. It’s crazy to think there isn’t some sort of sacrifice that has to come with converting to these other sources, but everyone seems to want to have their cake and eat it, too, without realizing that’s exactly what they’d have if they’d just stop protesting and give it a chance.
Nice post. Looks like wind power is really starting to get some serious consideration in Australia now.