Wind turbine

Wind turbine is the modern day windmill which is marketed as a clean energy solution to replace power from fossil fuel plants. The addition of multiple wind turbines in the same geographical location is referred to as a wind farm. The sales pitch...wind turbines power millions of homes with wonderful “free” energy. The truth is a much different story. "The wind power industry claims switching from conventional power to wind power will save consumers money and spur the economy. However, data from the top 10 wind power states show just the opposite."

Cost breakdown

Wind energy from turbines are power generating losers when compared to other technologies such as coal, hydro, gas and nuclear. One giant downside is no wind, no power generation. Sources say you need at least 10MPH wind speed to generate power and speeds in excess of 50MPH will shut down turbines to prevent damage. Industry promoters often paint a rosey picture of the benefits of wind power when other sources claim as little as 8% of usable generation.

Not widely known but wind turbines actually use electricity from the grid (coal/gas/hydro/nuclear) to power their hydraulic systems that keep the blades facing in the same direction as the wind. In freezing weather conditions, electricity from the grid is used to keep the blades spinning at low speeds as a method of de-icing.

The misconception is that you install a wind turbine and it will pay itself off within a decade. From that point out it is a net energy gain at a fraction of a cost. Nothing can be further from the truth. Constant costs are involved to maintain these mechanical structures; Overheating bearings, plastic that melts, gallons of brake oil leaking, gallons of hydraulic fluid leaking, blades that fall off, towers that collapse, replacement of yaw gear drives, bearings, gearboxes, and generators. The cost to put out wind turbine fires, some self-extinguish themselves but others need fire departments to extinguish turbines and put out the brush fires below.

The cost to manufacture wind turbines prevents any offset gained transitioning to a 'clean' energy environment.

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A two-megawatt windmill contains 260 tonnes of steel requiring 170 tonnes of coking coal and 300 tonnes of iron ore, all mined, transported and produced by hydrocarbons.

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Landscape, seascape wildlife costs are a major downside to power from wind. Eagles, bats, birds of all kinds are killed in the thousands by wind blades. Their rotting carcasses litter the ground below. In Ontario Canada, every turbine destroys 3 acres of land, roughly 21,000 acres of farmland.

Government Subsidies and Crony Capitalists

Billion of taxpayer dollars are being shoveled into this inefficient scheme in order to promote Global Warming agendas at the expense of real power sources and the tens of thousands of jobs they replace. Government subsidies keep growing wind turbine manufacture and keep these devices running. Without goverment involvement, wind turbines become to costly to operate, go idle and start rusting the landscape. Without government funding, investors sell their investments and shelve plans to expand. UK's Labour party insists that wind turbines can't make a profit without subsidies. Tax credits are given to companies that manufacture, that install/maintain, to muncipalities that own the property. The IRS is giving away $13 Billion per year in wind energy subsidies.

The world's biggest billion dollar corporations, such as General Electric and Siemens, are reaping the investments in subsidized wind turbine construction. The U.S. government is considering the creation of an endless welfare system for big wind companies.

See also

• Alternative energy
• Global warming