Air Hits Fans…..
Remember all those stories of the ‘useless’ wind turbines. Operating at less than 25% capacity. £283,000 a year subsidies for managing to operate at 30%?
Last night the near stationary fans in Scotland finally got enough wind.
And whoops…
Ardrossan, North Ayrshire, Scotland
And double whoops…
Coldingham in Lothian and Borders
Oh dear…
December 9, 2011 at 16:09
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I am no tree hugger but harnessing the power of nature can and will be of
future benefit to us.
I am positive many a combustion engines exploded in the early years and the
horse breeders would have pointed to the inefficiency of such a form of
transport.
All new endeavours will result in mistakes and adjustments.
Progress shall be made.
Which generation of Turbine was it that came down?
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December 9, 2011 at 20:35
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But every man, woman & child in the country didn’t subsidise the
early motor car.
No-one escapes subsidising bird shredders.
- December 9, 2011 at 22:11
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You can improve the stength of the bird choppers by refining the
construction materials but you’ll never improve the efficiency of energy
capture except by the most marginal of increments. The wind (lack or excess
of it) is forever the limiting factor. The pig’s ear will never become a
silk purse.
- December 9, 2011 at 12:57
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The well-known saying from ‘It Ain’t Half Hot Mum’ springs to mind:-
“Oh
dear; how sad; never mind”
- December 9, 2011 at 11:43
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The blades were going faster than Huhne.
- December 9, 2011 at 10:27
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Maybe there’s a way to increase the efficiency of these things? Put some
high-pressure water pipes and a small boiler on the turbine, so that when it
catches fire, the steam generated in the pipes and boiler can drive a small
turbine-generator set and make good the electricity lost because there’s too
much wind.
- December 9, 2011 at 09:24
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Police are currently seeking a cantankerous nonagenarian with a stangulated
accent seen in the area with a shotgun.
- December 9, 2011 at 08:56
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As I understand it – the primary purpose of such ‘wind farms’ is to
generate subsidies – not electricity?
- December 9, 2011 at 10:21
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From the landowner’s point of view, that is (regrettably for the rest of
us) quite correct.
- December 9, 2011 at
10:52
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In a nutshell, yes.
For when the wind falls and a thousand windmills cease to turn, a hundred
CCGTs have already been burning fossil fuel in spinning standby mode, ready
to take over the load.
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December 9, 2011 at 08:48
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What a big surprise.
Possibly, in the scramble for subsidies the contractor, beady-eyed at the
prospect of valuta, neglected to install any bearings in the wretched
thing.
But – hey-ho! A few birds saved…
- December 9, 2011 at 08:25
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The Daily Telegraph said with regard to the turbine fire:
A £2 million, 100 metre tall wind turbine catches fire in
hurricane-force winds at Ardrossan, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The wind turbine
was spinning so fast it caught fire. The engine of the giant turbine
went up in flames and its blades were blackened by smoke. The turbine was one
of 15 set up on hills overlooking the Scottish coast, built to supply green
electricity to 20,000 homes.
Presumably “the engine” is used to drive the fan when the wind isn’t
blowing to maintain the PR “spin” (sorry!).
- December 9, 2011 at 08:10
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And they didn’t generate any electricity because there was too much
wind!
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