144,000 wind mills? Really?

[nbr3bagshotrow]

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012...tudy-says?lite



Does anyone else think this is a little overboard?

[JadeGiant]

After reading the article, it makes sense as wind is not an energy source that depletes over time like coal and natural gas. Cost will be the hurdle as the initial investment would be massive. I would also be concerned that mother nature might not be kind to the turbines. Maintenance would not be easy either it would seem.

The study itself doesn't expect that wind power would meet all demand, they were just looking into how many wind mills it would require if they did want to meet all demand.

Expanding wind power is a pretty solid idea in general. Lots of good places for it, proven technology, no lack of wind. Offshore wind generating the most power during peak hours is a nice perk too.

[Underdog07]

God help us if those building these drink more than 16 ounces of soda in one sitting.

[Underdog07]

Bayonne NJ erected a 260 foot wind turbine. Figures I heard were it would pay for itself in 20 years. It is an eye soar and we are just talking 1, not hundreds of thousands

http://www.nj.com/bayonne/index.ssf/...stands_st.html

Putting one in the middle of a residential area seems a really strange decision. That's like putting a coal power plant in the middle of a city (just you know, less pollution).

Fortunately, not really a concern with offshore wind mills, unless you're building on top of Atlantis.

[MrYac]

i've never understood why Solar energy hasn't really caught on, seems a hell of a lot easier to slap some panels around then to build thousands of giant windmills

[Argonus]

What really disappoints me is that these windmills aren't being used to churn butter.

Silicon Valley makes use of some windpower, and has done so for years; there's a few hills with such windmills on them right outside the city (SF).

[nbr3bagshotrow]

Originally Posted by MrYac

i've never understood why Solar energy hasn't really caught on, seems a hell of a lot easier to slap some panels around then to build thousands of giant windmills

I've had estimates to put them on my roof and it's like $30,000. My average utility bill is about $200/month. It'd take 150 months to pay back the cost, let alone the loan interest.

[Babytoxie]

Wind farms are all over west central Texas and the panhandle - pretty understandable due to the open space and strength of the wind out there. According to wikipedia, they generated 6.9% of the power in the state in 2011.

I've never regarded them as an eyesore. They actually look pretty cool.