Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordon Booth
Current expected life span of a wind turbine- 10 years before major failure or major maintenance. Some are only lasting 3 or 4 years before the gearboxes go 'crunch'.
Efficiency- I think it was less than 20% and on the cold, windless days in winter the only way they'll keep you warm is if you keep running round them.
Wasted money- I think so. Blots on the landscape- definitely.
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I do not think wind turbines are all that we are told they are. Maintenance costs must be horrific - bad enough on land but what about the ones in the sea. If there is no wind then back up power must be provided - fossil fuels or nuclear. If there is too much wind then then the same problem arises as they have to be shut down.
They are supposed to be the answer to climate change, but to my mind they actually contribute significantly to climate change.
Firstly there is the manufacturing process, not just of the turbines but also the construction and additional cable - all of which use significant energy.
Secondly, we are told that energy cannot be created or destroyed, so if we assume that a turbine is 97% efficient then for every megawatt of electricity that a turbine generates more than a megawatt of energy is extracted from the wind - lots of turbines, lots of megawatts must result in a very great reduction in the winds. Wind is an intrinsic factor in weather patterns, so if the wind patterns change then the climate must change, perhaps that is why weather forecasts have become so unreliable.
Stop the turbines and increase nuclear or fossil fuel power generation seems to be the only sensible way to go.