Wind Farm Slaughter

[Tim Smith]

Yeah but a well known environmentalist and his politician uncle shot that idea down. Not in their backyard because they were ugly, noisy and bad for waterfowl. It is alright to put them in your back 40 however.

The flyways in the Gulf of Mexico would make windmills a problem there. Hopefully you could post far enough off the Eastern seaboard to avoid most of the Atlantic flyway. The aesthetic issues are subjective at best. Oil rigs make for excellent fishing and I suspect wind pylons could become pretty attractive recreational sites as well. The logic of the thing will eventually over-ride personal politics.

I also agree with the tidal production idea. As with the windmills they will require proper siting and safeguards, but they're another way to get off the fossil fuel heroin. Retrofitting existing flood control dams with turbines wouldn't suck either. Can't use them all the time, but they might make a substantial contribution during spring and early summer.

[Terrierman]

I think wave and tidal power is something that has great potential. It won't be high output, but it is as reliable as the sun coming up and going down every day. I know F& F can attest to the power of the tides ripping through the inlets and all the culverts set up for mosquito control. Best part is the tide is always going one way or the other and the output should be as simple as a few figures on paper. The times of peak production would change every day, but could easily be predicted.

It's nowhere as simple as figures on paper. The problem is still storing off peak generation to dampen demand curves v. generation capacity + T & D. That's not to say the problem cannot be solved, but it is far from simple. R & D is still needed and is happening.

[Justin Spencer]

It's nowhere as simple as figures on paper. The problem is still storing off peak generation to dampen demand curves v. generation capacity + T & D. That's not to say the problem cannot be solved, but it is far from simple. R & D is still needed and is happening.

I'm just saying with tides it is simple to predict output on a da to day basis. Not like solar or wind that will have good days and bad. Tides are tides, and with some simple tables we know what kind of ouput to expect at specific times, no wondering ifnext week will be sunny or windy.

[Terrierman]

We do indeed know pretty well high and low tide times and levels pretty much everywhere. It's the other stuff that gets complicated.

[exiledguide]

What was the total cost for the solar power installation? If you're willing to spend enough money, then you can probably power your house and charge your electric car with solar power. I've thought about installing solar panels on my house, but the payback doesn't work out.

I have not found the article yet but I will. I'll try to log in on the papers webpage tomorrow and get back with the cost.

[Quillback]

I have not found the article yet but I will. I'll try to log in on the papers webpage tomorrow and get back with the cost.

Thanks, I'm interested in what the current install cost is.

[Wayne SW/MO]

All this is where nuclear shines. Once the fire is lit it keeps the water hot, cleanly, and ready for low or high demand. We can send probes to Mars, but we can't figure out how to dispose of spent fuel? Something wrong with the picture.

[exiledguide]

Quillback, on 20 May 2013 - 06:29, said:

Thanks, I'm interested in what the current install cost is.

Here's what I got the news article but I can't send it anywhere so my summary....Jim Evans powers a 3500 sq ft house with solar panels on his roof and in his yard cost after tax credits either $19,000 or $27,000 kind of confusing in the article. But if you google jimevanssolarenergy when the options come up the KY3 site has along with a short story his email address if you want any info about solar power. There also is another TV station link that has a video but not much other info. Hope this helps.

[Quillback]

All this is where nuclear shines. Once the fire is lit it keeps the water hot, cleanly, and ready for low or high demand. We can send probes to Mars, but we can't figure out how to dispose of spent fuel? Something wrong with the picture.

We figured out a way to dispose of spent fuel, but it wasn't politically acceptable.

[Quillback]

Here's what I got the news article but I can't send it anywhere so my summary....Jim Evans powers a 3500 sq ft house with solar panels on his roof and in his yard cost after tax credits either $19,000 or $27,000 kind of confusing in the article. But if you google jimevanssolarenergy when the options come up the KY3 site has along with a short story his email address if you want any info about solar power. There also is another TV station link that has a video but not much other info. Hope this helps.

Thanks for posting that, that's in the range of what I found, I figure around $20 K for my house. my electric bill runs about $1500 a year, so if I could save $500/year on my bill, it would be 40 years to break even, leaving out any maintenance expenses that may pop up along the way.