Wind Energy in Iowa...Your Thoughts

CtownCyclone

Midnight Rider
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jan 20, 2010
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Where they love the governor
I think you missed the biggest Con. The wind is not constant and therefore it really messes with the electrical grid and base load production. It is difficult to fully utilize the power.

That and you need proper wind density to make it worthwhile. For certain areas, it's going to be a good thing. For others, not so much. And again, not for baseload.
 

kilroy

Well-Known Member
Jun 10, 2010
3,097
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hills to flat lands
We are paying for them and subsidizing them, and then the energy company makes the profit off them. Not to mention they aren't taxed properly and the property right restrictions they encumber the land that they are on.

If they could go on their own or even partially on their own and didn't tie the hands of the land they were put on, they would be freaking great, but they are nothing more than a look how green we are icon.

Also someone mentioned the manufacturing emissions part of them. Yah, that has to be factored into the overall green scale or you are just kidding yourself.

Just like electric cars, the electricity (aka energy) has to be produced somewhere. It still takes a certain amount of energy to do a certain amount of work. It has to be produced somewhere and that equals emissions.
 

crawfy54

Well-Known Member
Dec 28, 2006
1,993
368
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Ames, Iowa
I don't even understand how this happens:
Windmill-Wind-Turbine-Explosion.gif
Pitch (blade angle) system failed. These can be either electric or hydraulic. The brake system is also failing to apply. "Runaway turbine". Its definitely possible that they had a grid outage and the emergency pitch system failed to return the blades to feathered position. Add in a leaky valve on the hydraulic brake station and voila. These catastrophic failures are happening less and less, as obviously the engineering of these machines is getting much better.
 
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c.y.c.l.o.n.e.s

Well-Known Member
Feb 21, 2007
1,646
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Hoax.

Here is a great article explaining why.

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/...-wind-xi-its-legal-but-is-it-ethical-20161120

Some tidbits for the article...

"At the federal level, the wind production tax credit and double-declining accelerated depreciation can pay for two-thirds of a wind power project. Additional state incentives, such as guaranteed markets and exemption from property taxes, can account for another 10 percent of project costs. According to data from Subsidy Tracker, a database maintained by Good Jobs First, a Washington, D. C.-based organization that promotes corporate accountability, the total value of the subsidies given to the largest wind energy companies, which includes MidAmerican, is now $176 billion."

MidAmerican claims no new rate increases will occur to support its 1,000-turbine wind factory, but that’s because they already raised rates from 2014-2016 through a three-year annual increase plan.

Data from the U.S. government’s Energy Information Administration, shows Iowa’s residential electric rates increased 18 percent from 2008-2015 while the national residential electric rates averaged 7 percent increase. Iowa median household income from 2008-2015 increased a measly 1.5 percent. This mean’s Iowa electric rates are growing 12 times the rate of growth in the typical Iowa household income during this period.

Wind turbines are known within the energy industry to be grossly inefficient and the cost of the power they generate is incredibly expensive compared to other sources of energy minus government subsides.

It is a scheme. MidAmerican’s uber-boss, Warren Buffett, acknowledges wind energy for what it is when he told his investors in 2014 that: “I will do anything that is basically covered by the law to reduce Berkshire’s tax rate ... We get a tax credit if we build a lot of wind farms. That’s the only reason to build them. They don’t make sense without the tax credit.”
 

Walden4Prez

Well-Known Member
Jul 8, 2014
4,192
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If it was as great as some lead us to believe, it wouldn't need to be subsidized to the level it is.

I drive through the north central part of the state quite often where there are structures for miles. On a nice windy day, it always makes me wonder why only a certain percentage of those things are turning. Why wouldn't we make all of the glorious electricity that we can when the wind is doing the work for us?
 

crawfy54

Well-Known Member
Dec 28, 2006
1,993
368
113
Ames, Iowa
I work in the industry. I can't tell you about the overall carbon footprint. In the past few years, however, companies such as Vestas and Seimens are producing some MASSIVE energy producing machines. Larger than what we see here in Iowa. We're talking 5-7MW/hr. With an expected lifespan of 30 years. I believe they would be cost effective even without the tax breaks.
 

nocsious3

Well-Known Member
Aug 23, 2013
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768
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I don't see chemical battery tech advancing enough to make it cost effective to store wind energy and release it on demand to the grid. We're light years away on battery tech on so many levels.

My van carries around a 500lb battery that gets me 30 miles of range. I can go the same 30 miles on 1 gallon of gasoline. Factoring in the weight of the tank and gas is still a much better fuel.
 

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