Wind Turbines
- Thread starter Track-T
- Start date
Telman2
Active Member
The picture of that blade prompted me to do a quick Google search, I never realized the blades were that big.
The widely used GE 1.5 megawatt model, consists of 116 ft blades atop a 212-ft tower for a total height of 328 feet. The blades sweep a vertical airspace of just under an acre.
The 1.8 megawatt Vestas V90 from Denmark is also common. Its 148 ft blades (sweeping more than 1.5 acres) are on a 262 ft tower, totaling 410 feet.
Another model being seen more in the U.S. is the 2 megawatt Gamesa G87 from Spain, which sports 143 ft blades (just under 1.5 acres) on a 256 ft tower, totaling 399 feet.
The widely used GE 1.5 megawatt model, consists of 116 ft blades atop a 212-ft tower for a total height of 328 feet. The blades sweep a vertical airspace of just under an acre.
The 1.8 megawatt Vestas V90 from Denmark is also common. Its 148 ft blades (sweeping more than 1.5 acres) are on a 262 ft tower, totaling 410 feet.
Another model being seen more in the U.S. is the 2 megawatt Gamesa G87 from Spain, which sports 143 ft blades (just under 1.5 acres) on a 256 ft tower, totaling 399 feet.
A company in Colorado is making these things and I passed a blade-toting truck on the highwy a couple of years ago. That blade was huge, but progably not as large as the one shown by Track-T.
There is a wind farm east of Palm Springs where I sat on the ground for 20 minutes just watching. I wondered why some were not turning at all while those next to, in front of and behind were turning. They might have been out of service for maintenance. It was interesting to watch as you could almost see the pattern of wind flow. Some units turning faster or slower than others.
While this alternate energy source has a future, it ain't here yet, nor does it make us energy independent as some would like us to believe. Oil runs the economy of this country. One way to put a gigantic dent in our energy problems would be to park Air Force One and all supporting equipment until it all runs on wind and solar.
There is a wind farm east of Palm Springs where I sat on the ground for 20 minutes just watching. I wondered why some were not turning at all while those next to, in front of and behind were turning. They might have been out of service for maintenance. It was interesting to watch as you could almost see the pattern of wind flow. Some units turning faster or slower than others.
While this alternate energy source has a future, it ain't here yet, nor does it make us energy independent as some would like us to believe. Oil runs the economy of this country. One way to put a gigantic dent in our energy problems would be to park Air Force One and all supporting equipment until it all runs on wind and solar.
Gerry
Well-Known Member
One way to put a gigantic dent in our energy problems would be to park Air Force One and all supporting equipment until it all runs on wind and solar.
[/quote]
Now theres a man with some sense and common decency. I for one am with you all the way on this one. Forget the aggression and try something a little more gentle.
Boy my hippy youth is starting to show through. Still love the days of pretty girls and a feeling of freedom. Never did anyone any harm... never had anyone do any harm to me
Ahhhh
Old and stupid
Gerry
[/quote]
Now theres a man with some sense and common decency. I for one am with you all the way on this one. Forget the aggression and try something a little more gentle.
Boy my hippy youth is starting to show through. Still love the days of pretty girls and a feeling of freedom. Never did anyone any harm... never had anyone do any harm to me
Ahhhh
Old and stupid
Gerry
Chief-T
Member
TubT
Member
The hub for one of these things is an oversize load all by itself, and the generator unit is hugely massive, reguiring one of those multi-stepped low-deck trailers. The trailer by itself weighs more than my rig fully loaded.
Texas is now the largest wind-generating state. The windmill farm out by Abilene runs about 40 miles along the ridge to the south, then over 20 miles north from Sweetwater up 84 toward Lubbock. Plus lots of smaller farms all over the state.
But keep in mind that we DO have still days in Texas, usually when the temp is 110 and you'd kill for a breeze. For that reason, for every megawatt of wind power you build (and this is even more true for solar power), you have to build a megawatt of some other generation, since you have to replace whatever wind power you normally would use when the wind isn't blowing.
There are hundreds of "combined cycle gas turbine" generators in Texas. They can be built in a very short time (less than 2 years) and with our huge new natural gas fields, they make a lot of sense. Pretty efficient, too. You wouldn't want to live right next to one (they sound like a jet engine up close, which is what they actually are), but they aren't a problem fairly close to residential areas, giving off pretty clean emissions.
Combined cycle gas generation
Texas is now the largest wind-generating state. The windmill farm out by Abilene runs about 40 miles along the ridge to the south, then over 20 miles north from Sweetwater up 84 toward Lubbock. Plus lots of smaller farms all over the state.
But keep in mind that we DO have still days in Texas, usually when the temp is 110 and you'd kill for a breeze. For that reason, for every megawatt of wind power you build (and this is even more true for solar power), you have to build a megawatt of some other generation, since you have to replace whatever wind power you normally would use when the wind isn't blowing.
There are hundreds of "combined cycle gas turbine" generators in Texas. They can be built in a very short time (less than 2 years) and with our huge new natural gas fields, they make a lot of sense. Pretty efficient, too. You wouldn't want to live right next to one (they sound like a jet engine up close, which is what they actually are), but they aren't a problem fairly close to residential areas, giving off pretty clean emissions.
Combined cycle gas generation
