That said that industry is poised to make a significant leap with "mega machines"
Twirling above a strip of land at the mouth of Rotterdam’s harbor is a wind turbine so large it is difficult to photograph. The turning diameter of its rotor is longer than two American football fields end to end. Later models will be taller than any building on the mainland of Western Europe.
Packed with sensors gathering data on wind speeds, electricity output and stresses on its components, the giant whirling machine in the Netherlands is a test model for a new series of giant offshore wind turbines planned by General Electric. When assembled in arrays, the wind machines have the potential to power cities, supplanting the emissions-spewing coal- or natural gas-fired plants that form the backbones of many electric systems today.
G.E. has yet to install one of these machines in ocean water. As a relative newcomer to the offshore wind business, the company faces questions about how quickly and efficiently it can scale up production to build and install hundreds of the turbines.
But already the giant turbines have turned heads in the industry. A top executive at the world’s leading wind farm developer called it a “bit of a leapfrog over the latest technology.” And an analyst said the machine’s size and advance sales had “shaken the industry.”
This one from GE puts out 13 MW---enough to light a town of 12,000 people
...and yes, the wind must blow and it kills birds---I get that Virginia
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill "Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis
As nuclear plants I helped to build are decommissioned I am happy to move on and this excites me. The study of the economics of renewable energy is not something of fairy tales---this is an industry that has moved into the forefront and continues to prove it's viability.
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill "Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis
They haul the normal blades down "my" highway (491, formerly 666), and they have to go thru our port of entry. They must make them somewhere up around Salt Lake or Denver, and I assume they are hauling them to southern NM/Texas.
They are damn big, but nowhere near 350' - maybe 100' or s shade over.
Wind confuses me. When I drive near Amarillo, they appear to be randomly sited. Like they just decide to put them where a cow craps or something. I'm sure there is a reason.
"Back after 5 years. I thought you had died.
don"
Splitting my time between the montane and the mesas
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Like they just decide to put them where a cow craps or something.
Close---it isn't only where they crapped---it is also the direction they were facing when they crapped---cows always look for a windy spot and are smart enough to always face into the wind when they crap----that's my story and I'm sticking to it
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill "Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis
They haul the shorter ones out of the Port of Houston going North up IH-45 really frequently. When I see them, there are usually three trucks in the convoy. I'd guess they are something a little over 100', but not much. The last ones I saw about two weeks ago appeared to be in danger of damage the way they were loaded and strapped down. It looked like any flex in either the wing or the pole trailer would bring the two together and damage the wing.
The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible - Arthur C. Clarke
They just replaced to old bird killer small turbines in the Altamont with the new big guys with the 100' blades. Watching the truckers drive them up the winding dirt roads to the job site is impressive. Even more impressive is that they assemble all three blades to the central hub and then a crane hoists the completed assembly up and into position onto the motor unit on top of the tower.
"The only thing that we learn from torture is the depths of our own moral depravity"
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- maybe 100' or s shade over.
Originally Posted by Mike
...Ben
