Shetland windfarm - Viking Energy

[unlinkedstudent]

^^ That reminds me - in case the SIC continue to live in cloud cuckoo land and the bods at the Scottish Government decide to ignore the majority of peeps against this fiasco in the (dis)guise of a profit-making windfarm, there is the all important question to answer:-

 

When I'm out protesting and blocking the road, should I purchase a Helly Hansen, North Face or Berghaus jacket?

[ArabiaTerra]

You obviously don't see it as a problem, I was merely highlighting an aspect of the wind turbine 'efficiency' which I hadn't seen mentioned on this forum, and thought worthy of discussion as the group who are championing this 'wonderful' 'free' (cough cough) energy source have omitted to point out this negative aspect of the operation of wind turbines.

It is, of course, up to you to take it on board or not.

 

Fair enough, but I think you are exaggerating the impact of these factors and/or ignoring the fact that whatever generating system you look at you will find similar inefficiencies or operating costs. If the losses you've pointed out were unique to windmills, or even just larger with windmills than with other generators then you would have a point, but I very much doubt that they are.

[crofter]

and if any one of them was likely to be idle for longer, it could quite easily be cranked around every few days by hand

 

Really?

[unlinkedstudent]

and if any one of them was likely to be idle for longer, it could quite easily be cranked around every few days by hand

 

Really?

 

I can see the bods really wanting to keep risks to a minimum after reading the Working at Height Regulations with several hundred turbines requiring cranking by hand - mmm, who gonna do the Risk Assessment on that one then?

[MuckleJoannie]

The Shetland Times phoned me today asking if I was for or against Viking. I presume we'll see the result on Friday Morning.

[crofter]

The Shetland Times phoned me today asking if I was for or against Viking. I presume we'll see the result on Friday Morning.

 

Maybe. They phoned me last week and I thought it would be in the times last friday.

[Njugle]

and if any one of them was likely to be idle for longer, it could quite easily be cranked around every few days by hand

 

Really?

 

The head of a 1.5MW turbine only weighs 40tons, apparently. Have some spinach! Ack, ack, ack!

 

edit - http://www.aweo.org/windconsumption.html

[EM]

^

I have no knowledge of the specific mechanics of wind turbine drive mechanisms, but I would be surprised if they could not be rotated manually. There is a surprising amount of arrogance nowadays with respect to capability in moving things without motor or hydraulic power. This attitude tends to become apparent in many of the "modern expert tries to show how ancient structures could have been constructed" TV programmes.

 

Provided the motion does not need to be quick, there isn't much that can't be done using the original six machines of classical antiquity. In this case a lever and pulley blocks would seem appropriate.

[Njugle]

Fair comment EM, every Shetland bairn of a certain age knows he/she can push an 87ft fishing boat off the pier with a little patient determination. Hopefully your speculation is borne out by the hi-tech manufacturers including a geared mechanism to allow this, but I'll bet a pork pie and a pint that it is not industry practice to wind them over by hand when idle.

[unlinkedstudent]

I've suddenly got a vision of a rather large hernia.

[shetlandpeat]

You could get bobs "feckless" to do that

 

I would imagine there would be a mech to rotate them, but I feel it would be very slow, as the blades are geared to drive a generator at a higher speed, spinning the generator by hand would turn the blades but they would need to be feathered. Bit like startin out old A40, get it wrong and you loose your shoulder.

[peenk]

Back in the day if you asked a miller to build a mill did he do it on top o a hill or near water

[paulb]

john muir says

He added by saying that the trust supports sustainable economic development in wild land areas, but has concerns over carbon payback figures, and the developer's proposals to re-use 700,000 cubic metres of extracted peat elsewhere on the development site.

The trust’s chief executive Stuart Brooks said: "Peat has an extremely fragile structure, and once peat has dried out significantly it is impossible to reverse this process.

 

“You cannot, as Viking Energy are proposing, shift peat from one location to another and expect it to behave in the same way

if there reasoning is right the what about all the peat at the total gas plant. funny that lerwick are going to get the pleasure of three very large turbines. so it won't just be the country that has the privalage to experiance them.

that picture of the erosion on the hills agrees with the hills that you see driving about none are virgin bog.

[Far Haaf]

At last, a sensible use for wind turbines. Storing energy in the form of hot water.

http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2010/11/18/three-huge-wind-turbines-at-heart-of-plan-for-gremista-thermal-store

 

I think this is a brilliant plan.

Or have I missed something, since most folk here seem to think that electricity from wind is the only way forward?

[MuckleJoannie]

I certainly think it is a good idea. If windpower is just used for electricity the the energy is lost if it is not used at the moment of generation. Storing it, eg in the form of heat, means it is kept for when it is needed.