wind power texas

[plkracer]

Originally Posted by N8ball

Of course wind power has it's pros and cons. The impact on local and migratory birds can be seen on the ground around the towers... in the form of their dead carcasses. Imagine flying along, on your way to your favorite winter hot spot, when out of nowhere, WHAMMO!! A 100' blade chops your little birdie head off. The birds haven't quite figured it out yet, but give 'em a couple thousand years, and the ones that like to fly by the towers will have been thinned out.

The tidal stuff is cool. There are floats that capture the up and down energy of each wave, which is neat, but not as productive as the capturing of tidal pools. After the tide goes out, the H2O is released into a specially designed canal. The canals narrow as they approach the turbines, which causes the H2O to accelerate, and more energy is therefore harnessed. They actually tried to get a form of this here in Utah. Being that there is no tide here, the idea was to pump water from Bear Lake, uphill during the evening hours when power use is lower, then release it during peak hours, to generate power. Anyone who passed high school physics might realize that this system would use more power than it harnessed, which is why it was shot down in large part by Gov. Huntsman.

We have a lot to learn about energy. Both in terms of how we harness it, and how we use it. Some thing I have been seeing in my head, is an escapement device, like clocks in the old days, where I can lift a weight, then slowly convert it's potential energy to kinetic. Connect that to a small generator, which powers some efficient LEDs, and let there be light.

Imagine that.. working out AND getting free energy. I've always wondered why no one has tried that in our gym. There are sooo many bikes and rowing machines, and most of them use electrical resistance to provide mechanical resistance. Imagine pumping that power back into the system.

[Shmeefer]

I've seen stationary bikes that power the electronics from a generator tied to the pedals. I also remember a bike at the Indianapolis Children's Museum where you pedal and the faster you pedal the more electrical appliances come on. I remember it took a full on sprint to power a small b&w TV. Of course, this all reminds me of that ESPN commercial where they power their building from a generator tied to Lance Armstrong's bike

[N8ball]

Some one needs to create a Gym\laundry mat. Power the washers with pedal power. No generators, just a mechanical pedal powered washer. Low resistance, easy pushing for the agitation, and the "big hill" could be the spin cycle.

The dryers would need some more juice. Maybe gas for the heat, but pedal powered tumbling.

These are all free ideas. If some one wants to run with this, I don't need any kick backs. Just let us all know how it works.

[plkracer]

Originally Posted by N8ball

Some one needs to create a Gym\laundry mat. Power the washers with pedal power. No generators, just a mechanical pedal powered washer. Low resistance, easy pushing for the agitation, and the "big hill" could be the spin cycle.

The dryers would need some more juice. Maybe gas for the heat, but pedal powered tumbling.

These are all free ideas. If some one wants to run with this, I don't need any kick backs. Just let us all know how it works.

The instant the public finds out about that though, they will want recourse too. If people do it in their homes, their workout will turn into a chore.

[kenny110482]

Wind power is not foolproof.

YouTube - Windmill/Wind Turbine Explosion

[nutz4sand]

I am thinking that wind turbine did not fail on its own. The fact that they were filming it and seemed to think it was a good thing suggests it was "taken out".

[Gene]

I think Lee1969GB was doing some testing to make sure it was ready for distribution!

Seems like a purposed video to me . . .

[plkracer]

If you ever see one spinning that fast, something is bound to go wrong. Out in ellensburg they have a wind farm and even in 50+ mph winds, they are only turning a few revolutions per second.

[kenny110482]

From what they said on the news they had some gusty winds and the breaks failed that were supposed to keep it at a safe speed. I just wounder how much power it was putting to the grid right before it went boom.

[kenny110482]

Originally Posted by nutz4sand

I am thinking that wind turbine did not fail on its own. The fact that they were filming it and seemed to think it was a good thing suggests it was "taken out".

The vid. quality is not that good but ive seen it on tv and they slowed it way down and you could see the blade flex in and hit the tower. There were also 5 or 6 towers close. They were running at a normal speed. I dont think that they would risk destroying a multi- million dollar tower so close to others and risk damaging them as well.