How a wind farm works

Although they are simple structures, there are surprises hiding inside wind turbines.

[onelunar]

One thing that would help wind energy is to get away from standard wind turbines which is a 300 year old method. I have a wind turbine that will produce 6x a nuclear power plant and will work at 1 mph wind speed because I dont wait for the wind to come to my Turbine I bring the wind to my turbine. Standard turbines have to have 15mph to work.

[jlajr]

Those are really chopping some birds up! 🐔

[kerrycox]

Wind energy conversion.
In layman's terms, I will explain why 'renewables' are not going to solve the energy needs of a society that takes for granted that turning on a light is a simple process.
Wind is not something we 'farm'.
Wind is a result of the rotation of the earth at the speed of 1000 Kph at the equator.
A wind harnessing device called a wind mill uses this force to push huge aerofoils in one direction that are mounted on a central shaft that has a generator comprising of metallic elements, mostly copper, central to producing the power they are designed for, that requires no fossil fuel to operate.
But what it takes to get this machine upright and positioned in such a way and in a place that will cause this physical reaction to take place is something that people are not made aware of, for fear of a concerted back lash by those who have every right to be wary and concerned of the detrimental impact they have on the surrounding countryside and those who live close by .
What is involved to get it to that stage and the energy and materials needed to create these machines in it's self is, in no way, is a simple process.
Unlike the explanations our governments give us to have us blindly accept there is no other alternative, other than nuclear power, and that is their scare the shit out of us gun.
Starting with the mines that all the raw materials come from, then the transportation of this raw material to where they are converted into the millions of individual items such as nuts and bolts and washers to stop them from falling apart requires huge amounts of fossil fuels to power the tractors and trucks and locomotives and ships to get it to the first stage of their production.
Using the energy created by coal burning power generators to produce not only the steel needed but for every single item required to have the finished product that will end up cluttering up our skyline and oceans, will take thousands of tons of coal and gas to produce the type of energy required to produce the steel these machines are made of, and that means carbon emissions.
Getting all the components to the site needed for the assembly is a major logistical effort that takes thousands of people to perform, all depending on the machinery called cars. boats. and planes to do so.
All consuming power that is not produced by coal, but is a vital element in the so called reduction of our dependency on carbon producing fuels for humans and industry to survive.
As soon as these machines are on the ground, they start deteriorating and have what is called 'A use by date' after which there will be the requirement to replace them with new ones, and that will end up being thousands at any one time, and very little if anything of them can or will be recycled due to the nature of some of the materials used in their construction, such as the aerofoil blades that are made of synthetics that are not biodegradable.
Taking into consideration the average cost to have these machines operating is up to fifty million dollars at a time, it is usually the governments who will subsidize these projects. Believing there will be a return on the money invested in these projects, assisting the multi national companies who control all the natural resources and the extraction of the elements required for the manufacture of all things associated with the renewable energy market.. Solar panels included demanding funds to prop up a process that is flawed.
Everything produced for the renewable energy market has to be replaced every five to seven years, and when they are replaced, it will be at twice the cost of the original, due to the depletion of all the natural resources being used becoming more expensive to mine and process.
It is self a defeating exercise to keep thinking that 'renewables' can replace our growing thirst for our electronic device driven society to bare.
Carbon reduction. ?
That went out the door the second they thought that creating millions of tons of carbon in the production of all these devices by burning whats left of our fossil fuels was a good idea.
Clueless.
The whole lot of them.

[davidjones]

What a blight on our environment - the environmental movement has sold out on supporting this rubbish