Wind Turbines

[rik_uk3]

I've read of a few people that live off-grid and rely on wind turbines to charge battery banks. They're not going to ever provide all the power we need, but they do help a little. When I looked this morning, the National Grid was reporting nearly 800MW being supplied by wind turbines. It's a small percentage of the total production, but it's something.

But at what cost? millions and millions of pounds sitting there doing nothing for most of the time. Scrap the subsidies and lets see how much purely private investment continues, if they are that good a deal private investors would be pumping millions in but if the subs we the taxpayer gives them dry up they won't invest because there would be no profit.

 

[ganstey]

First you say they don't work, then you accept they do work but are not cost-effective. Please make up your mind. It doesn't give your argument much credence if you keep changing your mind.

Unless we are going to drastically reduce our energy consumption, we need all the power generation we can get, from wind turbines and solar panels all the way through to nuclear. I wonder how many of those arguing about wind farms and nuclear power stations (generally, not specifically people on this forum) have houses filled with electric gizmos. If we are going to consume lots of electricity, we have to accept that lots of electricity has to be generated.
Graham

 

[PaulSanderson]

They don't work, end of story, waste of money. Lets get the nuclear plants built asap.

You dont seem to know what youre talking about and I get the impression your just spouting something you have heard elsewhere without any facts to back up your rather blinkered outburst.

And as for costing millions of pounds, each turbine costs less than £1million...and thats for offshore.

Im all for listening to conflicting opinions on the matter, but at least do your homework and bring something of some worth to the argument...

 

[Bushwhacker]

Will turbine manufacture bring any jobs into this country?

 

[PaulSanderson]

Will turbine manufacture bring any jobs into this country?

yup...you only have to look at the Siemens manufacturing plant which is opening near Hull. The industry is in its infancy, and key players realise it costs too much to import from the Danish and other such nations who for so long have led the way.

Techniques such as integraBlade were developed in this country and turbine blades with this technology are already made here. As for the nacelles and tower sections, some (not all mind you) are already manufactured in the UK. At the end of the day, the industry is growing and as a result demand will increase leading to more jobs in the UK manufacture and energy sectors.

...but they dont work apparantly...

 

[ged]

...but they dont work apparantly...

I think Richard means that they don't work as well as some people seem to like to tell us. Here's an example:

http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/09...dit+(Triple+Pundit)&utm_content=Google+Reader

The writer of this article claims that the approximately 40GW of installed capacity in the USA produces 3.2% of the electricity consumed there. That is nonsense.

In 2008 the USA consumed about 26,600 TWH. 40GW of wind generation capacity running 24x7 could produce only 1.3% of that. In fact the real output would be less than 0.5% because you'll be very lucky to get even 35% load factor on a wind farm.

There are always going to be people who have some kind of axe to grind, but it would be very much more helpful to all concerned if we could just see the real numbers.

Here are some real numbers. For the past 24 hours, according to

http://www.bmreports.com/bsp/bsp_home.htm

the contributions to our total electricity consumption in the UK of just under 800GWH were approximately

Gas 40%
Coal 25%
Nuclear 20%
Wind 7%

Of course it's a very windy day in the UK today, with the remains of a hurricane wafting over us.

 

[PaulSanderson]

thanks for the info there ged...that made for some good reading.

I think we need to look at the bigger picture too. So yesterday, wind power produced 7% of our total power consumed. In just a few years time, especially with the 6MW direct-drive turbines in production, that figure could easily be around the 30% mark. Coupled with the fact that more and more offshore sites are being ring fenced (and these sites are huge) that figure could very easily be over 50%-60% for the entire nation; and thats not being conservative.

I can understand that maybe the hype is a let down to some people, but given the fact that once these turbines have paid for themselves in terms of energy use, theyre essentially carbon-neutral. Wind power alone isnt the only answer...change in lifestyle/power-usage and utilising other alternative power sources is needed.

I think someone earier in this thread mentioned about smaller private investors getting into the wind turbine industry and not receiving the goverment subsidies. The entire industry was borne on the back of smaller private companies (winergy, bonus W/S) that eventually got bought up by the multi-nationals as they were onto a winner...

...sorry to rant on, but its all too easy for the anti-wind farm brigade to get on their soap box and shoot down a perfectly viable and sustainable energy source without knowing what theyre talking about. I'll get back in my box now...