HOW MANY WIND TURBINES WOULD IT TAKE TO POWER THE UK?
This isn't a joke, despite how the question is worded
To POWER the whole of the UK solely on WIND generated POWER using the kinetic energy produced alone, how many of those huge turbines would we need to have?
Also, do you think is a feasible solution to the energy crisis?
WINDMILL FARMS ANSWERS:
Great question.
I came across 30,000 as the figure. They cost approx lb2M each. That's lb60B. We could do that in 5 years with 1p on income tax or NI. Site them out at sea where no one can see them.
Couple that with a small turbine on every house and solar - give local grants for this and we'd be pretty much energy independent within 5 years and carbon free.
This sounds too easy - what's the problem?
Backup and intermittency - Use nuclear, hydro-electric and bio-mass burning energy plants - all oil and coal fired power stations closed. Get some tidal energy systems installed - tidal is much more consistent that wind. Have battery storage at home (some safety issues here but not insurmountable and really no different than gaving a gas supply). That would sort those issues out.
Job losses - Yes but these would be offset by jobs in these new power sectors.
Impact on oil prices and the UKCS Oil industry - Probably a price drop in oil but as these are diminishing resourses there would be upward price pressure from market forces supply and demand therefore - probably overall no change.
We could export our surpluses giving us a tidy way of clearing the costs of converting to wind, tidal solar etc. The Oil industry would be unchanged - it's in decline anyway.
Unhooking ourselves from gas - Micro generation fuel cells using hydrogen from local hydrolosis using clean wind energy would sort that out.
We'd be energy independent and carbon free with a significant new export revenue source. Surely this is do-able. I think I'll write to my MP about this - what about you?
Joseph asks...
WHY DO PEOPLE OPPOSE ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE ON AN ECONOMIC BASIS?
Many people, especially free Market- advocates, often oppose federal action against climate change by saying that it would lead to an economic slowdown & job loss. Which I find ridiculous, since clean energy technologies would introduce far more JOBS than would be lost by the Oil & coal industries. I was talking about this with my Dad (An ardent Conservative Republican) and he pointed out that with any new technology, entire new professions associated with it are introduced. For example, if WINDPOWER becomes a major source of energy for the US, we won't just need people to make the turbines. We'll need people to install, repair, maintain, develop, sell, & market the turbines. Environmental purity notwithstanding, with the oil industry falling out of favor, less American money will end up in the pockets of middle-eastern oil companies. And even if there IS an economic slowdown as a result, isn't losing money better in the long run than going extinct?
WINDMILL FARMS ANSWERS:
Your dad is right, IF the new industry is market driven. Look at the dot.com industry and all the internet stuff that wasn't there not too long ago.
But gov't dictated change doesn't work like market change. You can't just order new clean energy technologies that are also economically viable.
Remember the old Back to the Future movies, and they had something called Mr. Fusion, that was a portable power plant that ran on garbage? Well, if it was as easy as you say, let's just have the gov't order energy companies to develop those, and then we won't have to hassle with wind turbines.
Ridiculous right? So is just thinking we can demand new economically viable alternative energy and having it delivered.
If wind power was economically viable, we'd already be doing it without government intervention, because it would just make sense.
Don't even get me started on Climate Change. Big gov't advocates have latched on to that like the holy grail.
Doesn't it bother you that the world stopped warming in 1998? We've only been spewing more and more CO2 into the air each year. It should be getting worse, but it isn't.
Doesn't it bother you that all the climate models ignore that big ball of fire in the sky we call the sun? The sun has cycles too you know? It is not a constant, and the energy it outputs goes up and down.
Doesn't it bother you that the earth's climate has changed back and forth long before the invention of coal power plants and the internal combustion engine?
Linda asks...
WHAT DEGREE IS SOLAR AND WIND POWER CLASSIFIED UNDER?
I'm trying to figure out what colleges I should apply for. I'm leaning towards solar and WIND energy. Would this be classified under environmental engineer or electrical engineer? Also if you happen to know any good colleges I would love to hear about them.
Thanks in advance
WINDMILL FARMS ANSWERS:
The Master of Applied Sciences in Alternative Energy Technology Degree program is a part of the Electronics Engineering Technology program where I found it at Arizona State University (a few years ago). I stopped abut half way though the program because of demands from my job and because I already had one Master's degree and a good job. But the science there was very fascinating. If you want to learn how to calculate everything required to install a solar electric system or a windmill power farm to just about any desired specification, that's where to learn it. You'll also learn about a few more esoteric sources of energy like wave power and liquid fuel from algea. But think twice if you go that route because until the mainstream goes that way, the number of jobs there will be limited.
Sandy asks...
WHY ARE SO MANY PEOPLE OPPOSED TO NUCLEAR ENERGY?
I've wondered this for a long time. There has never been an accident in the US that killed anybody. (No one died from Three Mile Island.) Coal energy, for instance, HAS killed a lot of people. Coal mines are little better than death traps.
Nuclear POWER is also much cheaper than coal, oil, and natural gas by dollars per megawatt-hour. And currently, water, solar, and WINDPOWER can't get the job done.
Nuclear POWER will also help prevent global warming.
So, what's everyone afraid of?
EDIT: Wyomugs gave quite possibly the dumbest answer so far. Congratulations!
WINDMILL FARMS ANSWERS:
Everyone is afraid of:
1: accidental explosion
2: radiation
3: the disposal of nuclear waste
4: the similarity to nuclear weapons (the no nukes crowd)
5: Homer Simpson might cause a China Syndrome
For the record, I am for the increased use of nuclear energy, as I believe that most of those concerns have either been met, are not relevant, or are a risk worth taking when you consider the benefit.
Sandra asks...
WHAT ARE SOME JOBS RELATED TO RENEWABLE ENERGY?
Such as
-solar POWER
-WINDPOWER
-hydroelectric POWER
-exc.
WINDMILL FARMS ANSWERS:
Solar power - A panel cleaner or a mirror polisher. This is a hot job.
Wind power - Blade sharpener, fin adjuster, or running around with a birdie scooper/funeral director.
Hydroelectric power - Turbine tester, sentry, or fish ladder cleaner.
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