Pics from my trip to a small wind farm today.

[amerikat]

It's the Green mountain energy facility in Searsburg, Vermont.

http://www.gmpvt.com/whoweare/searsburg.shtml


I figured I would be able to see them from the road and I could. Fortunately the official in charge of the site was there and I asked if I could drive up the hill for a closer look(normal viewing is by scheduled tour groups). He asked what kind of vehicle I had(4WD Toyota)he said well go ahead up.

Here are the pics:

The view from the road:


Closer up:





Looking straight up:


Showing the size of the blades:



The connection end of a rotor blade.


I talked to the guy again when I came back down and asked about the two slow turning rotors and the broken rotor blade on another. The broken blade was struck by lightning this past February. The two slow turners had broken generators and the rotor angle was set to turn slowly which allowed the lubrication system to function and keep the gearboxes in good shape. About a day each to replace the generators and a week to replace the broken blade. He also said they had plans to add some 1 1/2 megawatt units on adjacent mountains.

We need lots more wind farms.

[Critters2]

1. I think they're amazing

I have a pic of my mom and I standing next to a blade--much like your photo--on the windfarm near Storm Lake, Iowa. The size of the blades is stunning!

[amerikat]

2. People are stunned when they see them close up.

You just can't understand the scale unless you are up close.

[LeftCoast]

3. There's a huge windfarm outside of SF, near Livermore, CA

They're starting to put in these larger turbines. They're pretty cool. I've read that the larger turbines are more wild-life friendly too.

Great pix! Thanks for posting!

[amerikat]

5. I've visited a couple of wind farms in CA.

Can't remember the names. They were near Sacramento. It was so windy there I could hardly open the car door against the wind.

[electropop]

4. Cool, but what about reliability?

I see 3 turbines in your pics, and you say 3 were dead. Not good?

[amerikat]

7. I think there are a total of eleven on the site.

I think the overall reliability is very good and getting better all the time.

edit for spelling

[JohnWxy]

6. You can see all your pictures displayed at once if you click on reply.

Thanks. Those things are beautiful. If they hadn't have been invented for a practical purpose some artist would have dreamed them up (and everybody would all be saying how beautiful they are).

A picture on the Green Moountain Searsburg Wind Power facility site shows all eleven. THis was interesting from that site:


"The turbines begin producing power in relatively light winds of 10 miles per hour (mph). Between 10 mph and the 29-mph "rated speed" for the turbines, the power output increases with the wind speed. Once the winds go above 29 mph the turbines continue to produce their maximum output of 550 kilowatts as the rotor blades are pitched to deflect the excess power in the faster wind speeds. In winds over 65 mph the turbines completely turn their blades parallel with the winds which stops the rotors and protects them from possible damage."

10 mph - that's really light wind.

[amerikat]

8. I think they are beautiful too. Graceful, the way they revolve.

They were very quiet too.

[patricia92243]

9. How much electricity do they generate? n/t

[amerikat]

10. Enough for about 2000 homes.

with no pollution.

[Odin2005]

11. We've got some BIG ones near Fargo.

The Red River Valley is one of the windiest parts of the country.

[amerikat]

16. Got a link to the ones in Fargo?(nt)

[Odin2005]

39. Unfortunately no, I'll try to find some.

[hunter]

12. It's disconcerting to stand under the big ones.

I always have this feeling that something so big shouldn't be moving like that.

[amerikat]

14. I know what you mean

It is a bit spooky. I guess if you were around them all them time you'd get used to a giant propeller spinning above your head. KInd of like flying, do it a few times and you don't even give a thought to the fact that your blasting thru the air in an aluminum tube with wings at over 500mph.

[Dead_Parrot]

13. Bugger the turbines...

I'm dribbling over the sky!



That's some weather you're having.

It's been raining here for a week, now... :(

[amerikat]

15. It was a beautiful day here

You could see for 40-50 miles I'd say. It was almost fifty degrees to boot.

[Dead_Parrot]

17. I hate you. nt

;)

[amerikat]

18. You live in NZ.

One of the most beautiful places on earth. :nopity:

[Dead_Parrot]

19. Not at the moment...

Taken 5 mins ago. See any blue? :P

3 PM, BTW. Yeuch.

[amerikat]

21. I don't mind the dreary weather unless it goes on too long.

At least it's not cold and snowy.

[Dead_Parrot]

23. Now THAT...

...is a nice photo...

I know, I shouldn't complain. At least it's a good excuse to huddle round the fire with a local wine...

[pstans]

20. So cool

We have a lot a of wind turbines going up here in Iowa. Iowa is the 3rd largest wind producing state behind California and Texas (maybe it's Minnesota, not Texas)!

[amerikat]

22. It's a silent revolution.

The good thing about $60/barrel oil is that it makes renewable energy more do-able.

[nicknameless]

24. Clean power!

:loveya: Floaty hearts for Green Mountain Energy. :loveya:

R'ed

[buddysmellgood]

25. Thanks for posting those! I've seen several wind farms from the road, but

never anything that shows the scale. Those shots are very cool.

[amerikat]

26. You have some wind farms in Wisconsin

I bet you could get a tour if you pursued it. Alternative energy folks are always proud of their projects and eager to show them off.

http://www.awea.org/projects/wisconsin.html

[buddysmellgood]

31. Yes! I've driven by them. And more are on the way. But to see those blades

with you next to them, and the connections...too cool.

[Critters2]

38. My dad lives in Wisconsin, and talks about how people are fighting them

there. Some kind of NIMBY attitude. I don't get that. I'm glad we're finding uses for land that will keep it fairly open. Better a windfarm than a mall, say I!

[buddysmellgood]

44. Hi might be thinking of the farm planned near Horicon Marsh. That's a bit

more delicate than most wind farms. The marsh is known for migrant flocks of Canada Geese, so there is reasonable sensitivity. I don't follow it completely, so I don't know just how close it is to the marsh or the flight path.
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/wildlife/reclands/horicon/
'

[immoderate]

27. Takes a lot of those babies...

to generate a decent wind.:)

--IMM

[amerikat]

29. There is always a comedian in the bunch

Neocon wind turbines blow hot air 24/7/365

[immoderate]

33. Somebody's gotta do it.

I liked your pictures.

--IMM

[amerikat]

34. Thanks.

I liked your humor.

[intheflow]

28. I love the idea of wind generators.

My dream is to have a house powered by both wind and solar.

K&R'd for reminding us all of how energy production could be.

[amerikat]

30. I think the latest news on climate change may make clean

energy a reality. Check out this mainstream magazine cover story.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/current Time magazine no less.

[intheflow]

32. I hope you're right.

But Time has featured "Endangered Earth" on it's cover before--in 1988 when it named Earth Person of the Year. :(

[amerikat]

35. Thanks for the link

I'll try to read it tomorrow. I think the difference in the new story is the alarm by scientists at the rapid decline of the ice sheets and the release of carbon from thawing permafrost just in the past year. Blows away all the climate models that were used in the past. I sense panic among formerly fence sitting scientists.

[JohnWxy]

42. 87% IN FAVOR OF TAX BREAKS TO COMPANIES TO DEVELOP ALTERNATIVE ENERGY!!

87% SAID WE SHOULD GIVE TAX BREAKS TO COMPANIES TO DEVELOP ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF ENERGY!

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1176975-3,00.html


Wind power grew at about 38% last year in the U.S> That figure would have been higher but the Wind Turbine manufacturers don't have the capacity to meet the demand. So projects are waiting for the Turbines. We really need to support expansion of Wind Turbine manufacturers capacity - to accomplish a large incrrease in their production capacity.

ONe way to do this would be to use Government insured loans and low interest rates to accelerate plant expansions. The loans would be from private sources. The Government would just be insuring the loans. I know most of the wind turbine business is GE's (60%), and some may wince at helping a very profitable company. but you know what? I don't care.

We are about to experience a climate catastrophe. The permafrost is starting to melt. There are millions of tons of organic material in that permafrost. As the permafrost melts the organic material will begin to decay. When it decays it RELEASES CARBON DIOXIDE. Once this gets going too far WE WILL SEE MAJOR INCREASES TO THE ATMOSPHERIC CARBON DIOXIDE. IF this gets too far ahead of us, all the passive steps at reducing contributions to the atmospheric CO2 won't mean very much. The decaying plant matter in the permafrost will be releasing CO2 to the atmosphere and keep heating the atmosphere no matter what we do. We would have come up with some massive form of carbon sequestration - really massive. How this would be done is still a matter of considerable conjecture - a number of ideas have been kicked around but none, that I know of, that have been tried yet.


If we expanded the production capacity of the Wind Turbine manufacturers we could see yearly gains of exceeding 38% (lets try for 100% yearly growth) for years to come. But this would take significant and continuing increases in the capacity of the Wind Turbine manufacturers.

But we must act immediately. Because we have delayed taking any action we are now in a very bad situation. We may have a few years to get going. But the margin here is extremely close. It may even be too late now, but we still must try. Not trying would make matters far far worse, and even the nonchalant naysayers, in a couple more years will be in favor of taking action. But by then it will be far more difficult to get matters under control - and delaying may doom us to failure. Then look for MAJOR changes to the Worlds climate and the to the biosphere.

[Boomer]

40. I was just reading about that combination

Solar works well in the summer and the wind turbines kick in during the winter. Sounds like a great complement.

My partner and I would love to power our house with green energy, but the laws in West Virginia aren't cooperating.

[crikkett]

36. problems with birds?

I hear many fall prey to windfarms.

[amerikat]

37. That is being studied at this wind farm.

I think pollution from fossil fuels kills far more birds, humans and other animals than wind turbines ever could.

[Dead_Parrot]

41. Insignificant, compared to cats.

I recall 1,000,000,000 bird deaths/year being attributed to cats in the US: Admittedly it was a wind-power site, but it must be close...
Probably insignificant compared to this, too.

[One_Life_To_Give]

43. Wish they could keep them all running

Something doesn't quite add up about the repair stuff.
Al least three of the turbines were not working right all last summer and I think there was 1 or 2 that were down the year before.

p.s. A frequent visitor to the "Cool Waters" just a little south east of there.

[amerikat]

45. The site is a "technology demonstrator" as they say.

I don't know for sure but making any tech work in extreme environment takes time. Cold, heat, lightning etc, all take time to iron out the bugs.