Author Topic: Alternative energy - Windmills (Read 9728 times)

breederman · « **Reply #20 on:** October 11, 2006, 06:49:03 am »

Have any of you seen some of the big farms they are building? Over a hundred wind mills , There is one in Loweville New York and we saw one big one in Pa. They dominate the landscape and ruin the view for miles. They don't build them things in the valleys.
I am not against wind power, but there are some serious down sides to an area not the least of which is decreased property values. Several towns in our area have put moratoriums in place to slow down development of wind farms while they study the long term consequences to the area.
I dont want to start a war here, just saying that wind energy ain't free. Everything comes with a trade off.

Dana · « **Reply #21 on:** October 11, 2006, 07:49:14 am »

That subject came up in our county. There was a lot of people at the meetings who were on both sides of the issue. There are several towers within 50 miles of us. I visited the towers as I was/am interested in signing a lease. The towers to me look kind of cool, and the noise wasn't any worse than the I-75 expressway and barking dogs near the tower! I wonder, if when those big, blue Harvestor silo's first came out they were considered to be an eyesore? After all the debate at the township and county meetings, wind towers were approved. I contacted the developer to sign up. They weren't interrested in our area anymore due to the previous controversy.

Patty · « **Reply #22 on:** October 11, 2006, 07:55:43 am »

I think the windmills are beautiful against the horizon. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We have a few scattered around Iowa.Some towns are building them as a energy money saver. Many schools use the power and sell the excess back to the eletric company; I would think the school children could learn a great deal from these projects. I have looked into one for our farm, but the cost is still too prohibitive.

In Germany you would see them up on the hills along the freeways. They were very pretty.

breederman · « **Reply #23 on:** October 11, 2006, 08:05:17 am »

A few is one thing, a hundred things twice as tall as any thing else on top of a ring of hills is something else I belive.

Furby · « **Reply #24 on:** October 11, 2006, 01:28:49 pm »

Would you be happier with one nuke plant within sight

submarinesailor · « **Reply #25 on:** October 11, 2006, 08:02:31 pm »

Yes - But I grew up on nuclear powered submarines.

Bruce/subsailor

Furby · « **Reply #26 on:** October 11, 2006, 08:13:32 pm »

Don_Papenburg · « **Reply #27 on:** October 11, 2006, 11:51:34 pm »

Or a nuke waste dump .

OneWithWood · « **Reply #28 on:** October 12, 2006, 11:58:19 am »

Nuke plant = nuke waste dump somewhere

I once traveled through a pass in Colifornia on my way to Joshua Tree. the pass was filled with hundreds of wind machines. Reminded me of the plastic windmills we used to plant in the lawn when I was a ~~kid~~ younger.

It was actually quite serene and beautiful, like a Dali painting.

woodnut · « **Reply #29 on:** October 12, 2006, 04:09:46 pm »

I'll go with the windmills as long as they don't go crazy with them. 1 bunch every 20 miles seems ok. I wouldn't want to hear a noisy one though.
Dan

Norwiscutter · « **Reply #30 on:** October 12, 2006, 08:27:58 pm »

How about those windmills out east that got the axe because they were going to ruin the view for the rich folks as they took their boats out to sea. I got a person I do business with that was complaning about how he couldn't afford to drive up from Chicago anymore because of the gas prices to stay at his 5000 square foot summer home on the lake.

PineNut · « **Reply #31 on:** October 12, 2006, 09:57:35 pm »

Saw a cartoon several years ago. Should have kept it but didn’t. The activists youngster with a sign “No more Nukes” returned home and said “We made them close it down.” He was speaking to his mother who sat there with a candle for light. Strange how so many people have that same mentality.

junkyard · « **Reply #32 on:** October 13, 2006, 11:00:12 am »

I live about ten miles from the windmills at Lowville. I always think of dancers or sword fighters when I see them. They are emence (sp ) huge. It has been a large tourism draw for the last two years as they were being built. Many roads on the hill only saw a few hunters or loggers and snowsledders were as busy as the state highway as we all had to see what was going on. The tax advantages tothe Townships County and School have been tremendous. On Town ship had a budjet of a few hundred dollars now has three times the income that it had. The project owners have donated to several worthwhile causes. Link to the windmills
http://www.mapleridgewind.com/involved.htm
Junkyard

mometal77 · « **Reply #33 on:** October 13, 2006, 11:45:57 am »

Usually these windmills generate 2 megawatts of power. Very cool but like my dad says you need wind. I heard a guy had one on washingtons coast and was producing power for all his neighbors. He was generating about 150 kilowatts. The pud came forward and said you shut down the mill and you can have power for life. Guess what happened to the people around him. I also heard another story from my readings on the web a guy in iowa built one and the county tried to tax him on the space in front of the propellers wind ect.. No joke. My dad has a plant and they tried to put a meter on the thing and tax him for how much he was producing. Talk about total control some of these idiots try and do. And they live in the city in little apartments where the solution is a phone call or a flip of the switch.

leweee · « **Reply #34 on:** October 13, 2006, 03:29:47 pm »

Windmill towers started going up this summer in our area.

http://www.aimpowergen.com/projects_onshore.html

Norwiscutter · « **Reply #35 on:** October 13, 2006, 05:55:08 pm »

Ok, being a scatter brain this windmill discussion got me researching which in turn has caused me to waste a good portion of my day. My limited research has indicated a couple of things.

First of all Wind turbines are not cheap.

Second, although not cheap they will pay for themselves after 6-15 years of service.

Which leads me to the important question. Any of you guys ever built a windmill or know someone who did? I mean they can't be that complicated can they? If a guy can build his own sawmill you would think he could figure out how to build a wind turbine couldn't he?

Onthesauk · « **Reply #36 on:** October 13, 2006, 06:58:44 pm »

I think someone here posted this link a month or two ago. I saved it and dug around a bit. These guys are really serious about it and seem to know what they are doing.

http://www.otherpower.com/

junkyard · « **Reply #37 on:** October 13, 2006, 07:54:29 pm »

I built a Savonious rotor from three thirty gallon drums. never didfigure out the controls to automaticaly turn on and off the alternator when the wind started and stopped. so it ended up in the junk. It had a lot of power but turned real slow. Lower bearing was a front hub from a old Rambler with wheel and tire. Belt drive from tire to altenator.
Junkyard

Fla._Deadheader · « **Reply #38 on:** October 13, 2006, 08:05:49 pm »

Like this

look here

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #39 on:** October 15, 2006, 10:13:09 am »

More progress ...

A closer look..

News:

Author Topic: Alternative energy - Windmills (Read 9728 times)