As my Great Grandfather used to say....

piece-itpete · #1 10-07-2010, 11:36 AM

"You're full of hot air."

But apparently only at night

"Wind farms, especially big ones, generate turbulence that can significantly alter air temperatures near the ground, say researchers.

As turbines often stand on agricultural land, these changes could in turn affect crop productivity."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11470261

Pete

BlueStreak · #2 10-07-2010, 11:59 AM

"In the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the team says the impact could be reduced by changing rotor design."

So, if there is a problem, you find ways to correct it.

I think windmills are an excellent idea, and I don't understand why
people hate them so? I don't understand why people on the right try to
poo-poo any attempt at developing alternative energy sources?

Ummm, that was a lie. Yes, I do understand.

Dave

piece-itpete · #3 10-07-2010, 12:13 PM

I'm a sci/tech nut.

My problem with stuff like the windmills is folks think we can wave a magic wand and poof everything is fine.

Even best case scenarios would have us needing more real power plants.

Ideally, we should just build solar collectors in space, beam down the power in wide low intensity lazer form. That is as clean as it gets, and it might be rocket science but there is no reason we couldn't do it.

Go one further, move manufacturing to space. Raw materials in abundance, no worries about pollution, mining, etc, and superstrong superlight foamed alloy metals among other amazing things one can only do in zero gravity. We could indeed make Earth a garden planet.

But one needs to persue those things, and we aren't. Instead, we're building some fans and feeling smug.

Pete

Grumpy · #4 10-07-2010, 02:17 PM

I am all for putting windmills outside of petes window,

Some kraut and beans earlier that day and were good to go for a few months

piece-itpete · #5 10-07-2010, 02:21 PM

Lol! Supercharge it with some Genesee.

Pete

JJIII · #6 10-07-2010, 02:37 PM

I wonder if the temp. problem is the same with something like this?

d-ray657 · #7 10-07-2010, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJIII

I wonder if the temp. problem is the same with something like this?

It looks like modern art.

Regards,

D-Ray

JJIII · #8 10-07-2010, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by d-ray657

It looks like modern art.

Regards,

D-Ray

Art.... science.... it's hard to tell the difference sometimes.

d-ray657 · #9 10-07-2010, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJIII

Art.... science.... it's hard to tell the difference sometimes.

You are correct again. The representations I see of a strand of DNA are pretty cool. Many well executed components of technology can be things of beauty.

Regards,

D-Ray

BlueStreak · #10 10-07-2010, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

My problem with stuff like the windmills is folks think we can wave a magic wand and poof everything is fine.

Kind of like the people who think party line voting will fix everything.

Even best case scenarios would have us needing more real power plants.

True, but you don't think windmills can be used to feed power into the grid during strong winds to reduce, (Albeit not necessarily replace.), our dependence on conventional power plants? Sure, the technology still needs to be improved, but that's no reason to give up.

But one needs to persue those things, and we aren't. Instead, we're building some fans and feeling smug.

Who is "feeling smug"? The only irritating smugness I see is on the Orwellian telescreen during my lunchbreaks. There's a collection of smug bastards if there ever was one.

Pete

I do find that solar contraption you described intriguing as well. Only, I think if you find windmills to be expensive, you will load up your BVDs at the sight of the price tag on THAT thing.

Dave