John, that's why I posted both the ratings and the actual, annual outputs.
That's what the terawatt-hours numbers a actual annual output, in
Watt-hours. If you looked at the numbers you noticed that, contrary to what
you said, the actual Watt-hour output of the wind generators in the US is
2-1/2 times that of the PPL Susquehanna plant. If you didn't look at the
numbers, you're not getting it.
The annual energy output relative to the power rating for wind, and for
solar, are much lower than for a coal-fired plant or a nuke. But that isn't
what I was comparing with the TWh. Are we on the same page here?
The big problem with these altenate energy sources is that they are not
reliable and most times put out energy when its not needed. At one time
they were diverting the energy into big water pumping stations and
filling resivoirs at night and then using the elevated water to turn
water turbines during the day. Now the main backup systems run on
natural gas powered turbines because of their quick startup times.
I go buy some windmills about twice a week and they arent always turning.
I guess that means the wind isn't blowing, huh? g
The nuke plant is always putting steam out of its cooling towers. That
sucker nets about 1 million a day. I did a job a couple of months ago
that was going to a nuke plant in Florida.
That's not to say that wind power is going to replace nukes -- we need a
lot more nukes, IMO -- but, even now, with wind power still in its
infancy, it replaces 2-1/2 decent-sized nukes in the US. That's not a bad
thing.
There would have been windmills up a long time ago if they were
profitable.
They weren't profitable until fairly recently. Now, many of them are.
A little bailout money always helps. It looks like GE is the one that is
getting the bailout dollars.
"It looks like"? Does that mean you have actual data?
Nah, I let you look up all the data and get the numbers, and old
technique I was exposed to by some prof.
They are now in the process of building another plant so Ed can keep his
lights on in NJ.
I don't think we get any power from PPL. We do, however, have our own
nuke at Oyster Creek, which, my utility tells me, supplies 28% of my
power.
You better tell that to PPL since they are getting the permits and right
of ways to run a major power line into NJ. It is ****ing off a lot of
local people in the Poconos that are forced to grant easements to PPL.
The power isn't for NJ. I checked it out: it's running across NJ and into
the NYC grid.
PPL and PSE&G are part of the 13-state Eastern interconnection grid that
runs all the way out to Illinois. The connection to the NYC grid is one that
the DOE identified as a major congestion area in 2006. PPL wants to send
power to the grid but the butthead governments in the Poconos, and in 15
butthead towns in north Jersey, are blocking it.
Wheb Marcy soutn was built they cut up a lot of property in NY state. I
knew one guy that had his property cut in half for no good reason. That
line is as crooked as a voting district border.
This is what Wes, Larry, and I were talking about. Every pipsqueek town in
most states, with a town council of ignorant buttheads, can stop or
seriously delay a transmission line. As long as that goes on there is no way
the US can have an efficient electical network with long-distance
transmission. On top of the butthead towns, there are the butthead states.
g
The line should be run down an existing right of way like the center
median of an interstate or along a railroad track. I guess if they do
that though the politicans couldn't prebuy up the property and resell
it at a substantial profit like they did with the Delaware Tocks Island
national park or the PA turnpike extension.
Local government is stupid government, and the more local, the more stupid
they are. BTW, I knew the mayor of Berwick, which is the town closest to the
PPL nuke -- Lou Biachii. His big accomplishment was teaching the junior-high
football team how to chew tobacco. After that, he ran out of intellectual
steam. Lou could be the poster boy for stupid local government.
I wondered why all the people in Berwick chewed.
Now if Berwick didnt get a good piece of the action like the towns in
Jersey that have power plants in their town do, I coulc see why he would
oppose it. In PA the local towns dont get much tax benefit from the plant.
The thing I like about it is that you can catch fluke (summer flounder)
in their cooling stream until the end of October. And the crabs they grow
there...well...let's just say you wouldn't want to meet one in a dark
alley. d8-)
The proposed offshore wind farm in NJ is getting $19 million of state
money, which is a drop in the bucket. It's just over $2 per person in the
state. Its capacity will be 346 MW, which is more than 50% the size of
our Oyster Creek nuke. Not bad for a start.
The federal goverment has all types of tax incentives for wind farms. I
wonder how long the windmills will hold up in the sal****er enviorment and
gale coditions the frequently occur. Maintanece will be a big cost.
If you can come up with some specifics relating to the offshore systems
planned for NJ, and now for NY, we're all ears.
Here is an article that discusses the maintenance problems with wind
turbines. It seems that they are already having problems with the gear
boxes. They have not developed a failure history on the rest of the
elements. On the ocean all the problems of maintance are increased.
http://pepei.pennnet.com/display_art...ines-Spinning/
Maybe the fishing around the windmills in the ocean will be good. Fish
like to line up along the magnetic field the transmission lines will
generate. Maybe it gets them off.
Just dont set your hook into one
of the lines.
John