In reply to Jed Rothwell's message of Wed, 18 May 2005 14:38:16 -0400: Hi, [snip] >This study indicates that we would require "millions" of wind turbines >worldwide to supply all energy, by collecting 20% of the wind energy >available at 80 m. I did some back of the envelope calculations and I also >came up with millions. (It depends on many factors but anyway, the number >is not 100,000 or 100 million.) In the US, the number would be roughly >comparable to the number of long-haul trucks. Millions of wind turbines >around the world would certainly be a blight on the landscape. Strictly >from an aesthetic point of view, I would prefer to see a thousand nuclear >power plants rather than a million wind turbines. [snip] The wind turbines should be placed in protected "parks" at sea, and such that they are over the horizon when viewed from land, i.e. not visible from the shore. The wind is steadier there anyway, and faster on average. By placing them in well known and clearly marked "parks", they are not a shipping hazard. Besides, they would then not be taking up space on land. Furthermore, it might be possible to install wave power generators in the sea at the foot of the wind generators, providing an extra source of power, at a reduced installation cost. Among other things, they could share the same power feed lines to the land.
Regards, Robin van Spaandonk All SPAM goes in the trash unread.
