Wind Turbines, hopefully on their way out

We could always get rid of swans. Then they wouldn't fly into wind turbines. Or we could legislate that swans must fly between certain altitudes and create no fly zones around wind turbines. Then we can shoot them down with STA missiles as practice incase the ruskies continue to get uppity.
 
Mynight said:
Who'd have thought a thread on wind turbines would net ocuk new members :D.

Out of interest does anyone know how they test concepts? Is there a software solution or is it the case of making a scale product and testing it in a swimming pool with wave machine?
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A mix, fluid dynamic simulations have progressed a lot in the last 10 years but they will also use feedback and analysis from current deployed models and prototypes.
 
Finally found a way to both deplete the grey squirrel population and stop swans getting killed.

I suggest training said squirrels to fire one warning shot before a second hunter killer squirrel is launch.
 
if they located wind and solar around the country to suit its position best then there wouldn't be a large spike in electric produced from one area and expected to travel down the same electric cables. this would give even distribution which should save on some upgrade costs.

surprised the government hasnt made a deal with all council / housing companys to have solar installed on house roofs.


borrowing 600mw from france after eastenders LOL

http://www.bbc.co.uk/britainfromabove/stories/people/teatimebritain.shtml
 
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Without seeing them up close you don't really appreciate just how large they are:

3348491430_d090a84a25_b.jpg

I personally don't see why people think they're an eyesore (as long as they are appropriately located).
 
No agenda in this thread title.

The world would be in less mess if people stopped spouting on about how something offends their aesthetic tastes. Get over yourself.

Your personal feelings on how turbines look are so pathetically insignificant compared to the importance of renewable energy sources.

Unless your severe feelings against the wind turbine drive you to invent an invisible wind generator. But then wont someone think of the birds?!
 
Old Man said:
I know it will be quite a few years before it happens (if it happens), but it just looks so cool thinking about not having to look at all of those spinning blades taking up all that space. Something coming which will replace those blades and though wind farms will still exist, it will at least (for me) be a vast improvement to the mess that's already out there.


http://www.wired.com/2015/05/future-wind-turbines-no-blades/
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What is wrong with spinning blade wind turbines? Are you a NIMBY? Well, ARE YOU, punk? :D
 
Works for me, we build wind to tide us over in the short term while India/etc do all the heavy lifting and the risk taking perfecting next gen nuclear, then we license the technology off them and sell of the turbines for scrap. Everyone's a winner :D


kaptainmarc said:
Wind is taking off big time with a lot going up out at sea. There's a lot of things in this world that look a lot worse than a wind farm
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None that generate energy though...
 
Wind turbines are growing on me - but I still feel we are still not as good at exploiting/managing the energy they produce as we could be - but that's down to lack of technology I think more than anything else (e.g. storing excess energy production / unpredictability of the wind etc...).

I'm still a massive fan of nuclear power - but unfortunately it's not as reactive as a coal station for ramping up/down quickly.

I've also been doing some research/work within the realm of dynamic demand and smart grids and powervaults - a way of lowering the burden of the national grid by dynamically controlling high voltage applications across the national grid, meaning that there are less peaks and troughs, but also energy is then managed more efficiently, so overproduction doesn't occur, and energy is just redistributed to areas that need it.
 
Maybe the likes of boiled water could be gradually stored throughout the night instead of needing 2000W+ (usually too much water used aswell...cause idiots) via kettle.

Though that would likely require everyone having solar heaters...
 
Mynight said:
Argh right cool. Didn't realise vortices would be such an issue underwater.
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Caused by currents rather than wind but it's the same thing really.
Can trigger something called viv - vortex induced vibration. You basically end up with things moving in directions you don't want them to go which can result in collisions or fatigue in the worst cases.
 
pete910 said:
Are you two insane :eek: Do the one's you have/seen look different to the one's where I am?

We have over 150 of the bloody things. There is not one single direction I can look too and not see the damn things. :mad:

They should never been allowed to erect them from the start, Anywhere ! . The energy that was used to produce/install them will never be produced by them in the life time they have or even ours for that matter.
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Complete diatribe, I suggest you look into life cycle analysis of a wind turbine. The large one repay energy costs in under 6 months

http://www.variablepitch.co.uk/output/on_shore_wind/2014/Mar/


altus said:
You are ignoring the cost of keeping power stations running to back up wind turbines when the wind isn't blowing.
They are actually using diesel generators as backup as well.
Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR)

Also you cannot ignore the cost of altering the grid to handle the unstable power they create.
Who will we have to pay billions in fines to?
Tax breaks are not subsidies, you pay tax on profit.
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Incorrect, The wind is predicted fairly accurately up to 48 hours in advance, even more accurate at 24 hours. It take up to 4 hours to bring the power stations up (less for new gas stations). Watch Bang goes the theory by the BBC it explains how our grid functions. We need a mix of generation and renewable has its place. Regarding subsidies, onshore wind is the cheapest form of renewable energy going

Every single form of energy production in the UK has backup. I suggest you learn what the term is actually referring too. Again its explained in bang goes the theory.

Mynight said:
Surely we should be investing heavily in wave power were surrounded by coasts. I'd hope we could be self sufficient and not have to rely on importing power during peak times.

It's not like tides have on and off periods.
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We need to embrace all forms of renewable, but onshore wind is the cheapest. Tidal has peaks and trough's with production the same as any other renewable energy source.

http://www.variablepitch.co.uk/output/tidal/

alfiemarley said:
They are an eyesore and swans are sometimes killed flying into them as they have poor eyesite. Get rid of them I say.
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Windows kill a massively greater number of birds per year. Get rid of them I say. RSPB have their own wind turbines btw.
 
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