Conserving energy?

WillowTheWhisp

WillowTheWhisp

Resident Waffler
Overlooker
You know these wind turbine oojimaflips that Blackpool is having as a partial power source for the illuminations?

Well there's going to be 3 of em and they are going to be cutting £13,250 a year from the town's electricity bills. Sounds good doesn't it? Until you work out that they cost £147,000 each - that's £441,000 for all three. They are expected to have a 25 year lifespan, so in 25 years they will have saved Blackpool £331,250 on the leccy. That's a deficit of £109,750 before you take into account any maintenance costs over the 25 year period.

So remind me again - why are they having them? :confused::rolleyes:
 
They could have saved a fortune by wiring that old windmill up at Lytham.:D
 
Tinkerbelle said:
......... :rofl38:


Then sit mthead on it too, he creates enough wind to power the whole of Britain :rolleyes: :p :D
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Do you have a gas BBQ? If so you could shove the pipe up his a**.
Mthead can sit drinking beer and eating beans while you do the BBQ'ing :D:D:D

mthead said:
Well I'll be conserving energy tonight,Feet up in front of telly watching the match
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Don't fall asleep, Tinks will be checking what pipe size you are ;)
 
Sorry Willow but your maths are a bit wrong or may be the article that you've read it from has been a bit misleading. They have added in the factor of the additional purchase cost and they still save £13,250 per year. They will pay for themselves in 10 years.
 
I live in the Rhyddings Conservation Area , do you think I will get planning permission for one on my house?
Or is the Council only 'green' when it suits them?
 
WillowTheWhisp said:

So remind me again - why are they having them? :confused::rolleyes:
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Theres more to environmental friendly than money. They are reducing teh carbon footprint and greenhouse gases that would have been spewed out by the power station. Also teh 25years is a min expected lifespan, if they carry on for 40 years they are well in credit
 
Yuo don't need planning for certain types Neil, have a quick google about them there is loads of info
 
A guy in Kingston renovated his home and went solar. Panels all over the roof and stuff like that. Now he generates a lot more power than he needs. The excess he is allowed to sell to Ontario Hydro. Sort of like going double green ... help the planet and help finance the renovations in one swell foop.
 
you can do a similar thing here where your meter runs backwards if you feed an excess back into teh national grid. In reality, teh technology is still in its infancy and not generating enough to cover an individual houses needs (e.g. teh wind turbines sold by B&Q generate about 200-500W, not even enough to run a hairdryer.)
 
Gayle said:
Sorry Willow but your maths are a bit wrong or may be the article that you've read it from has been a bit misleading. They have added in the factor of the additional purchase cost and they still save £13,250 per year. They will pay for themselves in 10 years.
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I'm not quite with you Gayle. Can you explain how they have arrived at this figure?

This is a direct quote from the LT
TWO wind turbines are being set up on Blackpool's promenade to help power the resort's illuminations. In May, a third will join the pair, which cost £147,000 each, and together it is hoped they will cut £13,250 from the town's annual energy bill. They will sit on the front close to the Sandcastle Water Park, and are expected to have a 25 year lifespan.
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It actually only says 'hoping' to cut the annual bill by £13,250 - o it's even possible they might not save that much, and 'expected' to have a 25 year lifespan. They may possibly not even last 25 years. I don't see how the cost has been factored in to the projected savings. Nevertheless the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. They just don't sound very cost efective.

entwisi said:
Theres more to environmental friendly than money. They are reducing teh carbon footprint and greenhouse gases that would have been spewed out by the power station. Also teh 25years is a min expected lifespan, if they carry on for 40 years they are well in credit
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Have they taken into account the carbon footprint for creating the windmills and installing them? ;)

I actually like them and think we should have more of them. The only thing that does concern me is that birds apparently fly into them but apart from that I can't understand why people object to seeing them on hillsides because to me they do not look ugly at all as some claim.
 
Off B&Q site.........



 The Windsave wind turbine delivers up to 1KW of supplementary energy synchronised and adjusted to supply directly into your household power circuits, using Windsave's unique technology the appliances in the house will absorb energy from the turbine before using grid voltage. This could contribute to a potential energy saving for the average home whilst reducing the household CO2 emissions. Product Features

Brand: Windsave Product Type: Wind Turbines

Additional Information

  • This product is not available for self-install
  • You will be contacted on purchase of this item regarding a survey pre-installation
  • Survey required pre-installation
  • Planning permission will be required - please check with you local council prior to purchase
  • AC Input (Mains): 230 Volts (nominal) ac, @ 50Hz
  • Power Input (Mains): 6 Watt (Power consumption of the Plug n Save ™ unit in "standby" mode)
  • Rated Power Output: 1kW @ rated wind speed
  • Rated Wind Speed: 12.5m/s
  • Cut-in Wind Speed: 3.5 to 5 m/s @ hub height
  • Cut-out Wind Speed: 14 m/s@ hub height
  • Reference Extreme Wind Speed: 35 m/s @ hub height
  • Wind speed figures assume a steady value, as gusts to this figures will not always provide maximum output
  • Operating Temperature Range, Generator: - 15C through + 40C at altitudes < 1000m above sea level
  • Weight Generator System: 25kgs excluding support pole and brackets
  • Weight, Plug n Save ™: 11kgs
  • Dimensions - Generator Assembly: 320mm long x 150mm wide x 110mm deep support shaft
  • Swept Area, Blade Assembly: 2.4m sq
  • Swept Diameter: Blade Assembly: 1.75m
  • Dimensions: Plug n Save ™: 535mm long x 315mm wide: 130mm deep
  • Noise, Generator System: 52 dBA 5m behind turbine @ 7m/s gusting
  • Noise, Generator System: 33 dBA 5m behind turbine @ 5m/s gusting
  • Operating Speed Range of Blades: 100 - 900 rpm (useful power output range)
Price £1498.00
 
We used to have one when we were on a caravan site with no power source. It was incredibly handy for powering TV and fridge and anything else we might want to use. Sold it for £100 :eek:

At one time we had it fixed to the caravan itself but it used to rock like billy-oh in windy weather so we rigged up a frame cemented into the ground and connected it to that. The was a job and a half dismantling when we sold it.
 
WillowTheWhisp said:
I'm not quite with you Gayle. Can you explain how they have arrived at this figure?

This is a direct quote from the LT
It actually only says 'hoping' to cut the annual bill by £13,250 - o it's even possible they might not save that much, and 'expected' to have a 25 year lifespan. They may possibly not even last 25 years. I don't see how the cost has been factored in to the projected savings. Nevertheless the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. They just don't sound very cost efective.
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What they're saying is that the normal cost of the energy bills is x, the cost of the energy bill plus the cost of the windmills is y and y is £13,250 less than x spread over 10 years.
 
I don't know if one can put a dollar value on the future of the planet. I have an uneasy feeling ... not a conspiracy theory ... that the Earth is in worse shape than we know. Its such a huge, complex system that much of what we know may be little more than educated guesswork. I find that many, no, most people I know are concerned enough to be doing something about it. No one complains about the chore of sorting garbage for recycling any more. I believe that we have run out, or are fast running out of options. I try in little, undramatic ways, to conserve. I drive my car as little as possible. I have the advantage of living downtown. I can walk to the stores, the beer store, the liquor store (oops, a revelation of my lifestyle), the lake etc. In summer I ride my motorcycle. I can pack a collapsible fishing rod, camera, binoculars, munchies in my saddlebags. I even have room for a tent and can strap on a sleeping bag. Only if I have to go a long distance do I drive my big gas guzzling Caddie. To look for a quick techno fix is, I believe to look in the wrong direction. We should look inwards, modify our values, stop thinking of our wants as needs. We do have the opportunity to undo some, though unfortunately not all, of the damage we have done.

Radix mallorum cupiditas est: the root of all evil is greed. And there is nothing more evil than destroying this beautiful planet of ours.
 
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