Let me belabor a couple of points, raised several
times previously, relative to supplying about 175
million Americans with windpower (those within 100
miles of ocean or Great Lakes).
1) *Offshore* windfarms are highly preferable
-stronger and more reliable wind with less impact on
wildlife and aethetics
2) Floating windfarms make more sense than permanent
mooring.
a) Catamaran Hulls made of ferrocement are cheap &
reliable
b) Hulls can provide storage for several days
production of liquid air
c) Can be moved to safe harbor in storms
d) Easier to accomodated vertical axis or 'Ladder
Mill' type rotors
3) Liquid air (O2 or N2O enriched) is the best way
to store wind energy
a) Linde Method is very efficient with ocean heat
sink
b) Product can be transported cheaply
4) Using liquid air (intitally) in gas/coal plants
provides double synergy
a) Free waste heat for expansion of liquid at high
efficiency
b) Increases combustion efficiency after or during
expansion
c) N2O has 'fuel' content in itself
5) Can eventually eliminate carbon altogether in a
stepwise process as fossil fuel prices rise.
6) Apadaptable to nuclear plants (using waste heat)
There is no better win-win (win-wind-win) scenario in
all of alternative energy - even the coal miners are
happy as it gives them a way to produce much more, and
cleaner energy from the same amount of coal. It is not
perfect of course, but neither is anything else which
can be implemented today without a technological
breakthrough.
