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

From: Dan Bloomquist (EXTRApublic21_at_lakeweb.com)
Date: 11/02/04 

Date: Tue, 02 Nov 2004 16:12:29 GMT

jmfbahciv@aol.com wrote:
> In article <4186C5C1.50506@lakeweb.com>,
> Dan Bloomquist <EXTRApublic21@lakeweb.com> wrote:
>>Strange Creature wrote:
>>
>>>Different windmills are designed for different wind
>>>speed ranges. The major problem is converting the
>>>output of a propellor that can operate at a range
>>>of speeds into a continuously useable 60 Hertz output
>>>that can be fed into homes and also be sent across
>>>the power grid without potentially contaminating
>>>the grid itself with AC out of phase and not
>>>sinchronus with the main power lines with minimal
>>>loss going from the output of the generator.
>>
>>I'm not sure where you get all that, (and into one run on sentence!).
>>The current generation of turbines are DC so as to further decrease
>>cost.
>
> But the assumption of this thread has been that the generation
> of each windmill has to be AC. I got this from the piece of the
> spec that said farmers would run off their windmill anded with
> the statement that installation costs were a couple K. That cost
> could have not included converting all electrical device to DC
> or rewiring the house and barns and buying new power tools.

I looked upward in the thread and only saw Strange Creature bring up AC.
  I saw something about royalties running $3000/turbine, not installed
cost. For that it may be best just to look up the industry numbers. It
runs some $.85 to $1.20 per nameplate watt.

>
>
>>...(They are not dependent on one speed.) There is no such thing as
>>'contaminating' the grid as you say. Most small providers will simply
>>push energy into the grid while demand is met by faster peakers and
>>hydro. Even at current growth, wind is some two decades off from being a
>>'concern'.
>
>
> <GRIN> Is your two-decade estimate the same kind of estimate that
> told me 30 years ago that we would run out of oil in 20 year?

No. A while back I took the current growth rate and came up with some 15
to 20 years before there would be 20% of total generation. That may have
to be adjusted if the tax credit is not extended.

As far as oil goes, all you have to do is plug the USGS numbers in. Last
weekend I had a guy tell me the myth that there are 30 years of oil in
Alaska. I asked him if he had bothered to look up the numbers for
himself. Of course when I googled and had shown him the numbers he was
sobered.

>
> /BAH

Best, Dan. 

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