Finally, I'm writing the long-promised post on wind power. I've found this fascinating blog by MAKE Magazine, and it has some interesting plans for making your own wind turbines and other turbines. The largest wind turbine on that site only generates 3 kW, but still, it's simply fascinating what a little bit of equipment and know-how can do.
Now that I've covered the micro, let's look at the macro: Wind farms. For this, I'll save myself some effort and refer you to the Wikipedia page on the topic, but I find myself more intrigued by the vertical-axis wind turbines. Although they have a lower efficiency on average than HAWT's, this can be offset by their greater versatility. In particular, I'm interested in giromills and Windstar turbines. I was, however, also moved by this article by ScienceDaily about the potential viability of wind turbines off the mid-Atlantic U.S. coast. Furthermore, I wonder if this might be, from a philosophical stance at least, considered a form of solar power, since it is the sun that generates the heat that causes the temperature imbalances that form the winds. This is just a few thoughts I had.
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8 comments:
Wind power needs to be used close to where it's produced, but every watt helps.
I'd go one step further and say that as much power as possible needs to be used close to where it's produced. Loss due to the resistance of the power cables and other factors is an unfortunate waste, and mitigating these factors may make for more efficient power production, especially with alternative power sources.
Have you seen the Japanese miniature nuclear power plants?
No, and while it sounds interesting, I'm not in love with any form of nuclear power.
Neither am I but they put an interesting twist on it.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn1186
Oh great the President was in Alabama yesterday praising the turn up of a nuke reactor - that's still broken.
We're screwed.
I know. It was covered in my local news. He landed in my part of Alabama, and I wasn't happy at all. There are alternatives to nuclear power, and this is especially critical in a hurricane-prone area or other disaster-prone region.
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