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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605 |
I'll bet from hitting a birdMight it be well for them to they contact the frozen-chicken researchers? 
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Joined: May 2000
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addict
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OP
addict
Joined: May 2000
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Windfarms sound great, but I saw an article that in many areas, even small bug smears reduce efficiency almost thirty percent. And new one in UK promptly was put out of action by blade fracture, I'll bet from hitting a bird. Elsewhere windfarms kill many birds. And I haven't seen any discussion of problems with blade icing in cold weather, which destroyed early MIT unit on Mt.Washington many years ago.
Bill, This may be the case but that is down to poor planning and placement. The windfarms in Ireland will be placed on a sandbank 60 miles east of the coast. This sandbank experiences no winds under 60mph (thus rendering it treacherous to bugs) and is too inhospitable to be any good to passing birds so they shouldn't suffer. As for the icing it is a natural problem with mechanical parts, is it not? Obviously some maintenance is necessary especially in such an exposed part of the world.
But despite all the cons they are clearly outweighed by the pros. 250,000 homes powered by wind within the next two years!! It speaks for itself.
Next stop, tidal power.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Dear Rubrick: "This sandbank experiences no winds under 60mph " Have you by any chance overstated the wind velocity? (what part of the time are such velocities observed?)
As for tidal power, I have read about some French use of it, but not for a long time
Many years ago there was a proposal to construct tidal dam from Maine to Nova Scotia, but that must have been a pipedream. Imagine the headaches.Worse than Chinese Three Gorges project.
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Joined: Aug 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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sandbank windfarm
I wonder how they will compensate for the 'sandpaper' effect. Sand at 60mph is very abrasive.
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605 |
Good point, bel. And come to think of it, if a constant 60-mph wind has been blowing the sand away for some time, how come there's any sand left to make a sandbank?
Something is not adding up about this story. Source, please? My googling skills do not seem to be up to finding the source.
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146 |
I'm not sure where you are coming from with this, bel. Windfarms are alive and well and generating cheapish electricity from renewable resources all over. There's a wind turbine on a hill above Wellington which has been turning day-in, day-out for over fifteen years. I've been up there a number of times and I can't honestly say I was kicking the bird carcases out of the way or tempted to use windshield cleaner to wipe the bugs off the blades. The Irish placed their windfarm well east of Ireland not so that it wouldn't be an eyesore, but because the force of hot air emanating from Whitehall was more effective ...
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
The sandbank in question may be actually a shoal entirely covered by water. I really doubt that at sea level there are constant winds of sixty mph. Also, current windfarm turbines could not tolerate that velocity, they are not designed for it.
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 2,891
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Cap, I was just wondering how they shelter the windfarms from all the blowing sand since sand in gears and such can cause serious damage rather quickly. It is kinda interesting actually.
We do not have any windfarms that I know of. We have a glut of water and our power company's name says it all...Hydro Québec
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 866
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 866 |
Hydrothermal - water / temperature (hot springs etc) - more correctly geothermal? Probably. No dams. We don't have 'em. Or nuclear for that matter - only plenty of poisonous coal and diesel fired thingies, as well as hydroelectric. Hydroelectric - water only - from a great height. Dams and or waterfalls required. The wind farm at Albany has 12 seriously large turbines (1,800kW) imported from Germany to provide 75% of the power for a city of 30,000, the port and industry. The workings are housed at the top of 65m (200') high towers - each blade is 35m (110') long. Bugs, birds and low flying aircraft wouldn't have a chance. Albany is a beautiful place....full background on the windfarm and v. pretty pics at: http://www.westernpower.com.au/our_environment/renewable_energy/wind/photo_gallery.htmlstales
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