Re: Wind energy a boon for farmers - tenfold returns !

From: Alex Terrell (alexterrell_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 11/01/04 

Date: 1 Nov 2004 04:21:21 -0800

frisbieinstein@yahoo.com (Patrick Powers) wrote in message news:<9511688f.0410300118.38187f41@posting.google.com>...
> jmfbahciv@aol.com wrote in message news:<2MCdnfAtbKentB_cRVn-pA@rcn.net>...
> > Who pays for materials, installation and who does the maintenance?
>
> The owner. The land owner (usually a farmer, but this could be just
> about anywhere) just gets a check.
>
> >
> > > ..typically receive $3,000 a year
> > >in royalties from the local utility for siting a single
> > >wind turbine, which occupies a quarter-acre of land.
> >
> > That is a huge windmill.
>
> You bet. And a quarter-acre is just for the base and not very big.
> You can easily farm around it below the blades, which are up 100 feet
> or so.
>
> > This is supposed to be a passive form of energy generation.
> > Exactly _what_ jobs will a wind farm bring?
>
> Money always brings jobs. People like to spend it. Jobs like selling
> luxury pickup trucks with huge tires.
>
The largest wind turbines will soon be 5MW, designed for offshore
work. These will have a tower diameter of about 5m at the base. In
theory, therefore, they only actually occupy 20 m2. There may also be
a small transformer station.

The blade diameter is some 115m and the hub height is about 85m,
making the maxiumum structure height over 140m.

> >
> > > .. Within a matter of
> > >years, thousands of ranchers could be earning far more
> > >from electricity sales than from cattle sales.
> >
> > Only as long as the price of electricity stays higher than
> > beef. If everybody generates power, the prices will plummet
> > to nothing and beef prices will soar.
> >
>
> Power that is as cheap or cheaper than oil is in huge demand right
> now.
>
> I read that covering North Dakota with windmills could supply all of
> the US's needs. Much cheaper than war, a notorious "hidden" cost.

Perhaps. With reference to another post, avoid Tornado areas. Storms
are not a problem, though the rotors cut out if the wind speed goes
above 25m/s.

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