Quote:
Originally Posted by Rusty
Wind turbines produce about 3 MW's each on a good day (the new ones, 300ft). Cost about $250,000 each. Takes 30 years to pay for it's self. Plus they have to be built where the wind conditions are just right. Low wind will not produce enough electric. Too high of wind will over-speed the turbines, and kill them. When wind speeds are over around 25 mph. They lock the blades in place so that they don't spin, and turn them to a neutral position. So now it's not producing anything. Most of the wind farms are in the mid-west. I'm waiting to see a tornado wipe a farm out. Then see what the experts say.
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Yep
, Wind power is usually nothing more than a big bird blender. While the turbines have brakes to control the rotor speeds, the systems are a maintenance headache. Let the rotors get out of balance & lose the breaks, look out. I've seen more than one rotor separate from the generator & tower. They are not a consistent source of energy and as mentioned the return on investment blows. You'll be lucky to see a return on investment over the true life of the equipment & taking away subsidies.
Oh & back on topic, I kind of wish they would pull the plug on the Z if they have no plans to update anything.
