To this end, such a turbine has been installed in a local country park with the intention of reducing energy consumption, carbon footprint and cost.
Shipley Country Park Turbine
All very well but this installation is nowhere near generating the amount of power that was promised or indeed required from it. The council have thoughtfully provided a display in the visitor centre of how much power has been produced since it was first turned on and also daily figures.
Since it was installed, the energy generated is only about 25% more than my household consumption over the same period. This is from a turbine that has a total height of 19.5 metres and a rotor diameter of 9 metres.
I probably do not use much energy, despite this computer. If you were to look at the electricity bills for my neighbours who have children, with the associated games consoles, multiple computers etc. I am sure you will see that the turbine only provides enough power for one household.
Should we have a wind turbine each down our street? I think everyone will acknowledge that is ridiculous. What is more it makes a mockery of the small turbines that people look to install on their houses to 'be green'.
Certainly larger installations are likely to be more efficient, and can be placed in locations where there is more wind (though that has the requirement for cabling to bring the power to the national grid) but the underlying problems are the same.
Wind is not consistent and does not always blow within the windspeed range required for turbines - too fast or too slow and no power can be generated.
No viable storage solutions have been demonstrated for large scale use to make power available when the wind isn't blowing.
The area of the country or close off shore required to build all these farms is significant and has an impact both upon the appearance of the environment and the effect on people.
The bottom line is that at present wind power is not viable.
I agree with most of the comments you make. Location is the key for wind farms.
ReplyDeleteBut it has to be said that viable storage systems have been devised, with a grid-storage-grid efficiency as high as 70%. As usual (and as indeed with public sector activities) the key is investment. Without investment there will be no gain and other countries are not so reluctant.
Did you know that the money wasted on rescuing the banks in the last 2 years (keeping the banking chiefs in well paid jobs) exceeds the amount spent on science since the time of Jesus?
Of course this is a figure of speech.
(We all know in our hearts that there was no such person as Jesus.)
Investment is key but as a country we have no money. We need to look at technologies that can be made flexible such as fission and fusion.
ReplyDeleteStorage systems may exist with efficiencies up to 70% but what capacity is available and is the cost of this included in calculations - we already have a 'renewables tax' in our energy bills and this is promised to increase significantly.
I agree with your comment on the banks and can feel a separate post brewing on the subject.
As a country we have enough money to go invading Afghanistan, to bomb Libya, to pay aid money to other nuclear powers (India and Pakistan), to run Trident, to fund the bankers' bonuses and to pay MPs a FULL pension after 5 years in parliament . . . but not to live sustainably. That's odd.
ReplyDeleteIt is even more odd that I find myself appearing to argue against fusion!
Wow. That's almost a whole blog post in itself. I might publish it at http://somethingsurprising.blogspot.com. :)
I can see this generating a whole series of related posts both on The Sceptical Curmudgeon and Something Surprising.
ReplyDeleteIn particular I am opposed to aid money being misspent and banks who are owned by the taxpayer flouting all morals and paying themselves bonuses we cannot afford.
As a country we need to prioritise our spending to address the important issues. This will inevitably upset some groups, for example we will be reminded of the poor and starving in India. What these groups fail to recognise is that little if any of the aid money reaches these people. Their rulers however do get to upgrade their private jet to the latest model.