A windpower first

[Egon]

Boy, that list is fully inclusive and not slanted in any way is it? Someone should be fired for posting or accepting that data in that way.

In other words it does not agree with your ideas?

 

[Egon]

I have posted before I worked on a wind farm 60 turbines, about a year before I retired. I did survey work and did a lot of construction layout. Just me driving a pickup burned hundred of gallons of gas. A mind boggling amount of materials were delivered and installed. All this burning thousands of gallons of gas and diesel.

My point is how long does it take for all this fossil being expended building a wind farm before it balances out? I tried to find this information but couldn’t and of course it varies by location.

Im not saying wind farms are bad or good, I just wonder what the net gain is on fossil fuels being expended is.

Perhaps think about the resources required for building a nuclear/coal fired power plant. Then add in the requirements for “after the event“ pollution mitigation. Things like acid rain or the destruction of the Appalachian Streams. ( water quality )

 

[sea2summit]

In other words it does not agree with your ideas?

Not at all, the list is not complete and is very open to double counts on things like antenna masts, power, power lines, etc. There are numbers listed N/A which we can very safely assume are not 0. Then there are pure assumed numbers. This appears to be cherry picked data off of a number of different studies which I’m fully believing double count and gloss over other kills.

Someone else posted some pictures of oil spill victims. The first birds I rehabbed/helped rehab where actually Exxon Valdez birds. Spent a number of years working with Dr Scott and the early days of “Brid TLC” during the winter months.

 

[sea2summit]

Perhaps think about the resources required for building a nuclear/coal fired power plant. Then add in the requirements for “after the event“ pollution mitigation. Things like acid rain or the destruction of the Appalachian Streams. ( water quality )

Nuclear and coal are very different environmental impacts. Coal is horrible no question. I haven’t seen a megawatt to megawatt analysis of wind or solar to nuclear but I bet nuclear comes in out ahead in constriction costs and impacts…until you have to store the leftovers.

 

[Ken45101]

.... Natural gas, wind, and solar are cheaper than coal.

I doubt wind or solar are cheaper than anything if you take away government subsides and enticements. Plus be sure to include the full cost of backup systems for those very cold, windless nights when demand is high.

 

[sd455dan]

When are they gonna figure out what to do with the garbage?
View attachment 741929

Or stop killing endangered/protected birds that a farmer would go to jail for?
View attachment 741930

Interesting question, I find it hopeful that wind generation is being installed at some chemical/oil superfund sites to provide energy.

https://semspub.epa.gov/work/11/175561.pdf

We do need OIL / GAS / Nuclear (Fission) reactors for Quite some time to come, and pretty much any new tech and renewables going forward imo should be welcomed, especially if they make financial sense.

If they can get compact Fusion reactors to work in the near future,
It would change the world for the better.

For now, "if" America could get a slew of molten salt reactors installed, it would really help the US decentralize and reinforce our power grid.

 

[5030]

If the wind turbine crowd really wants to increase their power output, all they need to do is erect a wind farm installation that completely surrounds Washington DC because the amount of wind that politicians create could actually be harnessed for something good.

 

[workinonit]

I'm at a combined cycle plant in Georgia right now commissioning replacement voltage regulators on 2 gas turbines and a steam turbine, total of maybe 500 MW. Within a rock's throw are 3 coal fired units that will be decommissioned in August. Southern Company has no replacement power for the. 2 of them are 1000 MW each and the third is cloase to that. Our federal government is very rapidly greening us into a critical situation in this country that there won't be and quick resolution for. Coal plants will be gone by the end of this decade and folks like the OP have nukes next on the list, which are also closing at a breakneck pace. Without government subsidies there might not be any wind mills in this country. The wind doesn't always blow.