Alternative power sources

[Dorsetmike]

This showed up on another forum

"Some time ago ago there was a very detailed article in an American science magazine that calculated the total energy budget to build a wind turbine. The paper took things back to the energy costs, for instance, of building the quarry truck to get alumium ore to the plant, processing it etc.

The final analysis was that even with optimal winds, effective positioning, and a 25% increase on the anticipated working life, they would NEVER pay back the total energy used.

(But of course, all that is irrelevant, since this was a scientific paper, and wind farms are all about politics and ensuring your friends make lots of money.)"

My preference would be for tidal power rather than wind, tides are consistent and predictable compared to wind turbines, also less visual and environmental impact. Do the costs compete with wind turbines in terms of return on investment? in terms of KWh per buck.

They are currently trying to get planning approval for a large "wind farm" a few miles offshore here, in the order of 250 turbines, the way I see that would be that the cost of getting the power from the turbines to the shore should be about the same in terms of cabling and any other infrastructure, the only differences would be the turbine installations being either wind driven above surface or tidal flow driven below surface.

Geo thermal sources could also do with further investigation.

Discuss ... .. ...

[Corno Dolce]

As a partial solution to energy needs I perceive "Tidal Turbines as being far more effective than "Wind Farms". Tidal forces are much more reliable than wind currents, as we all know.......

[GoneBaroque]

You are correct Mike. Wind Turbines and Solar Panels are all about political Help-A-Buddy. Back in the late 1970's a friend in New Mexico who worked for the Department of Energy told me that the Los Alamos Latratories were working on Geo-Thermal power. To the best of my knowledge nothing ever came. There have been a number of other plausible solutions which have died a slow lingering death at the hands of our political masters who are not interested in solutions.

[teddy]

Any one else seen the pictures of the wind turbine that caught fire in Scotland........due to high winds?

teddy

[JHC]

Solar energy is the only way to go when we have the technology to use it that is. Regarding the costing of 'Wind Turbines' would not this apply to most things that are being considered??