Open Thread – Oh, Canada! Part Deux
Continuing on our virtual flight from Houston to Anchorage, we are still over Canada. My best guess is somewhere near the border of Alberta and British Columbia.
When I woke up from a nap and looked out the window to see this, I felt like a kid at Christmas! Or maybe more like one at Easter, peering into one of those little magical sugary eggs to see the scene inside. Wind turbines! Dozens of them. And I could see each one of them turning in the invisible wind down at the surface. I’ve seen plenty of moving things from a plane, most notably cars and trucks, but this was different. It felt hopeful. I wondered if some day this would be a common sight for people looking out the windows of planes; tiny turning pinwheels dotting the landscape, showing that sometimes humans can make things that are forward thinking, and actually reduce our ever growing carbon footprint.
I wondered what it would feel like to be down there looking up at them turning and listening to the wind. I wondered who lives in those farmhouses and what they’re growing. I was so enthralled I almost forgot to snap a picture.
I bet if corporations owned the wind, we’d have more of these.
If you can, you should see Huell Howsers episode on such turbines in Southern CA. He is on KCET and was in total wonderment.
Love that picture! It is very cool to be driving across country and see these wind farms.
Twenty years ago, there was a man across the river who had the reputation of being a little “off.” He’d stand outside in his yard, in full view of the road and just laugh and laugh, all by himself. In full view of the twenty one wind turbines on his property that were bringing in cash for him from the electric company.
I’d have laughed too.
Me, too, Nan!
BuffGal: We were missing you in chat! I left at 12:30EDT wondering how you could miss your own birthday party.
I see from the Shannyn thread that you had trouble getting in.
So sorry! But it’s not like we pulled the ladder up in the tree house or anything, just so you know!
Glad to know Shannyn’s daughter is home, resting and will be fine after only a few uncomfortable days.
I think they’re beautiful. Funny how people visit Cape Cod to visit the old windmills, but they’re fighting over new wind turbines. We’re having a bit of a tussle about it in Vermont, too. We don’t have plains, so our turbines would have to go on mountain ridges and I understand people not wanting to see them there. I guess all of you folks with great expanses of windy plains are going to save the country and make the moolah.
AKM’s right – if someone owned the sun or the wind we’d have solar and wind technology.
The windmills/turbines are a beautiful site and a great hope for our future.
You are an artist at heart – shows in the wonderful photos you take and share – thank you!
@#4 – I’m a native Vermonter although I haven’t lived there in over 30 years. Lived there when the first Yankee nuclear plant was built and how much concern it generated. Old-timers thought we’d all go out in a big explosion or start glowing in the dark from leaking radiation.
I did read that an area in western Massachusetts now has a turbine (or more than one?) and are generating some of the town’s power, along with operating one of the ski lifts, so there may be some spots in Vermont where a few could be installed and make a little difference.
What a fitting tribute the last few days have ben for Teddy Kennedy! It was so sad to hear his children and grandchildren recount their fond memories – think I used a whole box of tissues. Most of them are involved in community works of one sort or another but it would be good to see some in the political arena.
With Teddy’s death, a special part of my youth and young adulthood is gone. I grew up with the Kennedy’s held up as a shining example to emulate, was a volunteer in high school, worked with the Peace Corps, then had 15 years of volunteering with Special Olympics. Let’s hope that President Obama’s hopes of re-vitalizing AmeriCorps takes hold and we have a new generation of selfless young people to give to others.
Not enough people are aware of all that the Kennedys did to help the average American, and obviously Palin’s followers don’t. How can people be so hateful? One of my daily newsletters for websites has this header:
Sarah Palin’s Facebook ‘Friends’ Celebrate Ted Kennedy’s Death: “One Less Socialist,” “Good Riddens”
This is the link: http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/142220/sarah_palin%27s_facebook_%27friends%27_celebrate_ted_kennedy%27s_death%3A_%22one_less_socialist%2C%22_%22good_riddens%22_/
One of the poster actually suggested that Mitt Romney appoint Sarah to fill Teddy’s Senate seat…….hmmmm……..last I knew, Mitt was no longer governor of Massachusetts, and to the best of my knowledge, Sarah hasn’t taken up residency there.
On a good note – the *tenthers* march on Austin TX yesterday to proclaim sovereignty or secession only had about 150 people show up, but no sighting of Sarah, although one poster begged her to come down and take Perry back to Alaska with her.
Hope all have a super Sunday and that there will be a little calmness and rationality across the country for just one day.
I love those huge windmills too…remind me of giant dragonfly wings.
BUT there has been a bit of flack about them recently here in Oz. The constant noise of the ‘turn, turn turning’ is driving many out of towners crazy. There are those that moved out of town for the peace and quiet and are now finding that their little tranquil havens have turned into a large continuous ‘squeek-squeek’, day and night. It has also devalued their land prices.
The Jiminy Peak ski area has its own windmill. turbine. It is in Hancock, MA and is visible from several directions, as it is on a ridge. If you take the ski lift to the top, you can walk over to get a closer look.
Yup, the Jiminy Peak sike area. I think it’s working again. For awhile they had to stop it. Don’t know why though. It’s not very noticeable. I’d be up for more of them.
AKM, I think you’re right about owning the wind. Look at what corporations did with bottled water. Not only are they making a mint, but they’re filling up landfills.
I’m for windmills. Those that are shaped like the DNA strand are really cool. You can put them sideways on roof tops in the cities and they can withstand the weird winds of the city tops.
It’s our town’s fair today! Oldest on going in the area. Hope to get out there.
We have a wind farm after a long a protracted battle.
It had nice views, nothing spectacular but to me, the windmills are beautiful. They grace the air. They are so much of our past.
Joe and I got out at a secluded spot. There was no horrible noise or vibrations.
If I could I would power my house with one.
What a strange coincidence – I had a long dream last night about wind turbines and someone was showing me how to make them more effective using the rule of inertia. I had no clue what it meant when I woke and then, first photo of the morning is, wind turbines. Go figure!
My maternal grandfather and his brother’s came over from Holland so windmills big motif in our home. I inherited my Mom’s collection of windmills so I have them all over the house. I think they’re gorgeous, old and the new. Buffalo has a number of them at the waterfront. Very peaceful to watch.
And yep , I sure did try to get into chat but couldn’t get through the door. Seemed like I couldn’t access the server. Someone else (was it booboo?) said that they couldn’t get in, either.
Heard a nice bit on NPR this morning about tides turning and seniors starting to speak out at town halls against the fear mongers. Also mentioned that AARP is going to start pushing this week with a campaign of facts. Fabulous!
Good morning to all! Off to watch Meet the Press . After all, it’s Sunday !
Zim: The complainers of the ‘squeak squeak’ could possibly invest $1.49 and buy a can of WD-40 to handle that problem!
I would love to have windmills around. They show progression and a cleaner future. They aren’t THAT ugly and perhaps the double helix ones are a bit “cooler”, but for what they provide, it’s a small price to pay to have them within the view of other vast majesty.
Make it a great Sunday, everyone!
When we came into a wee bit of money, we decided to invest it. But we wanted to invest responsibly. So we researched and studied, researched some more, talked with folks and finally decided. and divvied up the money between a small wind turbine company, a fair trade coffee company, and a company that makes these micro-thin solar panels. All small companies, all in need of support and capital. We’ve been told we won’t see any returns on our investments, that we squandered the money, but we knew what we were really investing in – green energy, fair market values, and hope. I think our little investment will pay off dividends of the highest quality – a greener, more equal future for generations to come.
We have a few wind turbines in our local area, as well. We should have dozens more – a company has proposed them, and the area is perfect for them – but residents have come out in force AGAINST them. The main reasons:
1. If wind turbines become popular, it might mean that the coal mines (which shut down in the 70′s) might NEVER open again. (Yes, people here have been waiting for nearly 40 years for the “mines to open up agin.” WTF??)
2. The wind turbines “scare away the deer.” (Ok, I live in an area where all schools shut down during deer hunting season!)
Are you hearing the banjo music………….
GreatGranny: I didn’t see the funeral in full, but Andrea Mitchell just did a wonderful recap on MSNBC. What a contribution this family has made to the fabric of our lives!
I’ve said it here before, the Kennedy Family has always been devoted to public service in a most pure way. I can’t name a single one who just sits around being rich without doing meaningful work.
Rose and Joe certainly raised a good bunch of descendants!
Prayers and good thoughts are extended to our friends north of LA and to the brave firefighters battling the blazes there.
psmini: oh dear! the mines might not open again! what a horror! my grandpa used to work in a mine in PA. i remember granny telling stories about how his white medic uniform would come home ‘covered in soot’ that she would have to get back to a gleaming white. That was well before the ’70′s, though.
And yes! yes I DO hear banjo music! City populations in MI thin out pretty well during firearm deer season (only 2 weeks long in Nov), but shutting down the schools for hunting is unheard of. Generally, the men go hunting, the women go on shopping spree junkets and the grandparents make sure the kids get to school!
Greytdog: Your investment will serve you and others very well.
Well, we probably we won’t in the near future.
But we can have poutine.
I’m not sure there’s much diff.
Some environmentalists (and good people) oppose wind farms because they kill birds. This may be true. Gee, do cars & trucks kill animals and humanoids? Let’s ban them! Seriously, if turbines do kill birds, can they be made safer?
I think they are looking of ways to protect birds, maybe by making them shorter.
Thanks for good wished from Samper on LA area fires. No Santa Ana winds and it is already this bad. But our firefighters deserve our greatest thanks.
Please keep your fingers crossed.
This is a speech by Robert F. Kennedy from 1968 – 41 years ago – funny how no matter how much change comes our way somethings remain the same. Those who wallow in hatred live very sad lives indeed. I would rather live on the streets than walk around with such hatred in my heart.
The Menace Of Violence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_Vll-t0H6A
oops should have been
The Mindless Menace of Violence
nwsfrm: I’ve lived in Santa Ana, Newport Beach, and Santa Monica. The SA winds can be absolutely BRUTAL… I remember once trying to get into JCPenny’s and the winds were so fierce, they had a big, hulk of a guy at the door JUST to open it against the wind for customers. Thank God those winds aren’t fanning the fires. YET. Let’s pray they don’t kick up.
I also remember a visit to mom about 6 months after some fires (Mom lived in CA for like 20 years, I was there for 3). It was really sobering to see the charred land and then see how the fires would “jump the road” and continue on the other side. Just amazing destruction!
Many good thoughts and prayers for a quick extinguish of the fires! I leave for Athens in 2 days (and a “wake up” – today and travel day don’t count in the official countdown
) and they just got through 3 days of fires. It’s amazing what Mother Nature can do!
Athens had 2500 year old churches in jeopardy. A true tragedy to lose such a thing.
Have they determined a cause yet?
sorry! that should be “nwsfm CA”. I learned in Dale Carnegie courses that it’s a huge insult to get someone’s name wrong!
I don’t want to go all “technical” on everyone, but any “squeak, squeak” sounds in a windmill indicates a metal-to-metal or similar rubbing that causes friction, heat, and/or sound that dissipates energy and lowers the output of the windmill. Better lubrication eliminates the problem and increases the performance of the windmill. That kind of noise is not a valid complaint.
I was listening to npr.org on Thursday and they were discussing http://www.mariahpower.com/ a different kind of windmill. Very cool
We have several wind turbine “farms” in Texas. They are putting some in the Gulf where the ocean winds blow continuously. I think its a good thing for the environment and energy. As with everything else, it will take a while for them to be widely accepted.
I read that people in Estes Park, Colorado didn’t like the individual ones that homeowner’s are putting up….it disrupts the view. Yet, this is a community that advertises its being an enviromentally sensitive town.
Great Grandma2B…thank goodness for the low turnout at the capitol sans Scarah!
What a very interesting photo- I think it has to be from the Pincher Creek area of SW Alberta. This is north of Glacier National Park in Montana and is one of the windiest areas I know. This month I made a camping/business trip through, and saw maybe 2-300 turbines- to me they seem beautiful- moving not quite synchronously but to the same slow speed, whitely graceful. While driving I kept asking my 10 year old grandaughter to take photos but unfortunately her priorities led her to scrub them off her disk so she could photograph birds at a raptor sanctuary.
Wondering if your photos might be in Northern Alberta led me to a gargoyle search- they’re not, but here are a few interesting links, with the 3Ws truncated so they don’t end up in spam. Pros and cons— I hope they can solve the cons- especially the bats-
-w.canwea.ca/index_e.php
-w.cbc.ca/technology/story/2006/09/08/bats-turbines.html
windfarms.wordpress.com/2007/04/24/alberta-turns-to-natural-gas-after-wind-lessens-reliability/
-w.wind-watch.org/news/2009/08/30/bill-would-overrule-local-rules-on-windmills/
zyggy – yes! Very cool! I want one.
There must be people wealthy enough to afford wind turbines in Kansas, we saw quite a few farms sporting their own single turbine, I can hardly wait till it becomes more the norm. I want one! We’ve got good wind in MO.
I have a friend in CO who studies birds all over the world, last time we spoke he said they were studying whether they are a problem for bats, I hope not.
They don’t all have to have that type design. Here’s a you tube page full of goodies. People are experimenting with making their own.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ5kX5Yw4eY&feature=related
My wife says that I am a wind turbine.
I enjoyed your recent Canada photos. I simply love that country and would have a difficult time choosing between it and Ireland should I ever have to leave the U.S. I am most familiar with Quebec and the Maritime Provinces and actually spent most summers playing hockey just outside of Montreal. As I commented on another site, unfortunately, I only learned enough French to get my face slapped.
4 lemonfair Says: August 30th, 2009 at 2:27 AM
I think they’re beautiful. Funny how people visit Cape Cod to visit the old windmills, but they’re fighting over new wind turbines.
___________
One person’s bushel of bananas is another person’s peck of pickles.
Visiting a few old windmills is one thing but having to look at dozens upon dozens off Craigsville Beach is quite another. It’s like having a triple line of high tension power lines between you and the view of an endless sea. And it’s not much better along the verdant mountaintops. Guess I like my viewsheds to be uninterrupted.
The 3-blade windmills are nothing like the windmills of Holland. There is nothing aesthetic about them. They are as butt ugly as the cell towers that have popped up all over the place. And they have a tendency to kill flying critters. Peregrines, hawks, song birds. Bats.
200 years ago, industrialists thought the sight of unending smoke stacks were beautiful. One here and there isn’t so bad. But one after another after another is ugly. The modern windmills are the same with the exception of the belching smoke.
Put ‘em on my mountain and I will knock ‘em down.
@GreatGranny2B Says:
August 30th, 2009 at 3:14 AM
Hey, GreatGranny! That was me trolling that thread correcting that particular bit of stupidity as well as others.
Thank you, AKM, for traveling out into the wide world to bring us shut-ins news that there are small bits of hope dotting the countryside.
Samper, don’t worry about the name and thanks for your concern.
Santa Ana winds are the only thing I don’t like about living here. When I was a kid, we saw a fire jump across all the lanes of the 101, right in front of a car load of us as it went from Chatsworth to the ocean. Another fire when I was in HS got with in 4 blocks of our house (which was 2 houses from open fields up the hill) before burning to the ocean. In the 90s, an ABC news van was burnt to a crisp about half a mile away before burning to the ocean. Notice the theme? It is the geography that speeds the wind as it goes through the mountains/hills and the only thing that stops it is the world’s biggest body of water. LA and Ventura Counties have really tough brush clearing standards which they enforce. Other counties should learn from that experience, but they don’t. Our firefighters are the best in brush firefighting, imo, due to the never-ending practice they get.
On a hopeful note, I saw fog off the coast yesterday, and this AM, there were drops of water on my screens–maybe this will help with the humidity inland.
Hope you have fun in Greece (which I think is one of LA’s sister cities).
I found something quite useful when exploring the link GreatGranny put up. This link gives 7 ways we can defeat the Fascistic right wing folks before they manage to grow beyond our ability to defeat them. I urge everybody to read this and start following this advice. Remember, we outnumber them by millions.
http://tinyurl.com/l93uqz
for those of you unfamiliar with tinyurl, this is a way to reduce the size of links for posting in comments. When I use one, let me assure you that the website my link directs you to is safe(Web of Trust verified) as is the tinyurl site.
27 prisonernumbersix Says: August 30th, 2009 at 7:15 AM
I don’t want to go all “technical” on everyone, but any “squeak, squeak” sounds in a windmill indicates a metal-to-metal or similar rubbing that causes friction, heat, and/or sound that dissipates energy and lowers the output of the windmill. Better lubrication eliminates the problem and increases the performance of the windmill. That kind of noise is not a valid complaint.
___________
That’s not the noise at issue. Frankly, if you can hear “squeak, squeak” from a windmill then you are standing too close to a thing which is about to come apart.
The real noise comes from the blades as the wind turns them. Think of an old Humphrey Bogart movie where you can hear the thump-thump-thump of the ceiling fan. Increase that sound by a factor of about 10 (depending on wind speed) and you’ve got the noise just about right. And then there’s the percussive affect. It’s not anything you want close to your house.
this guy shows how to make a wind turbine out of a 55 gallon plastic barrel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UPe6A_UVPc
when I lived in Illinois a while back, every other farm had a wind turbine. I don’t remember ever hearing any noise. Lots of houses had solar panels. Right before I moved to Kentucky, a new thing was building underground (or partially underground) houses. Since the 1980s, my part of Illinois was very much into ethanol gasoline (my vehicle didn’t know how to behave on straight gasoline), soy diesel, soy ink, soy crayons.
DH is working on a DYI wind turbine in his spare time…I can hardly wait for it to be up and running!
” How to Take America Back ” – Bachmann has been confirmed as a speaker. Please take a look at the workshops they’ll be running. They have become terribly cocky and are bringing their narrow, xtreme xtian party right up to the surface http://www.howtotakebackamerica.org/
“How to Activate Your Church” !??!?!
” How to Recognize Living Under Nazis and Communism” ???
My gawd. this is nuts.
Justa: YOU have MAIL!
Prisoner: Which is why I recommend WD-40!
London Bridge there is a Dutch company that is working on the bird issue. According to their research birds play around turbines because of the thermal drafts the turbines create when harvesting the wind. . . but birds getting whacked by the turbines is rare. Usually birds who getting killed already have something wrong with their internal systems, sometimes a mite issue, disease, or something like that impacting their neurological warnings.
40 justafarmer Says: August 30th, 2009 at 8:13 AM
when I lived in Illinois a while back, every other farm had a wind turbine. I don’t remember ever hearing any noise.
____________
We’ve got plenty of those around here. But the farmer’s windmill is 6-8′ in diameter whereas the turbines are 80 – 120′ in diameter. There’s a huge difference there. Not to mention that a farmer’s windmill might be up to 40′ high compared to the turbine at 300′ or more.
Japan Election; Democrats won in a landslide sending conservatives out of power after 54 years. Time for change. YES
http://news.aol.com/article/japan-election/476269
Sauerkraut: Again. WD-40 will cure what ails the turbines!
Justafarmer! Check your inbox!! Hugs, Gramiam
any updates on Shannynon’s daughter? Amazing how if something happens to yourself, it’s never a big deal, but when it’s your child, you always “die a little” until things are back to normal…..
zyggy… ( post 28)…
I was doing some personal research just last month on these turbines because I remembered that there was a story on TV of a bunch of former Detroit autoworkers and an owner who had converted a shop to make turbines in the NEW economy.( don’t know if this was the Co.)
They were of the upright variety like those described by mariahpower. The advantage of course is that they are not as high up so they are not as unsightly to the landscape and could be placed in something like a residential backyard. I read that they require less wind to operate and don’t need extremely high winds. A small farm seems like a perfect application ( or some rural Villages in Alaska ) where they can generate some electricity rather than pay high fuel costs to try to generate power. They would be their own little grid and not have to be tied to some big Corporate structure.
When reading about these smaller ‘ types ‘ ( helical or cylindrical ) the negative seems to be the total power output that they can generate, the Wattage. They seem to be rated so low that someone said they could not even run a small appliance. Not sure if that is true. Some engineers and highly technical people would need to weigh in. If that is the only problem maybe the issue is having technological advances improve the efficiency factor as new ideas and concepts are improved on.
Maybe one of these wind turbine companies could ‘ invest ‘ in setting up a trial set-up ( test subjects ) for a Rural Village to see how well their product works. If it worked as good as advertised this could be turned into a sales tool for the Company with a video and testimonials. Prove that the product works in a real-life application. The product would then sell itself.
Is there a company willing to come to Alaska…. ? Do these wind companies use lobbyists to have conversations with States to promote their product. What State Agencies would be involved to make something like this happen.
Imagine if Gov. Parnell would have talks/negotiations with a Wind Power Co. to come to Alaska as a business partner instead of Exxon or Chevron. He would move forward toward solving the problem he now has as to the high costs of fuel for these Villages. It would be a Win-Win.
Maybe AKM in a follow-up story could tell us whether or not anybody or any Organization is actively working toward this type of solution…?
Whether it be Sen Begich, Gov. Parnell or someone else…. has anyone ever asked a ” T. Boone Pickens ” ( character or company )to come visit Alaska. Imagine the possibilities.
chuckle…ADN’s Alaska Ear has an amusing bit about Eddie Burke…appears that one of his staff who acts as counterpoint at times, said on the show words to the effect ” It’s a wonder someone hasn’t come up and put a bullet in his head”….guy got suspended for a week, and Burke wore a vest for a bit……and how that would keep a bullet from the head certainly baffles me …
There was an AKM update at the end of SMoore’s show thread.
benlomond2 Says:
August 30th, 2009 at 9:10 AM
chuckle…ADN’s Alaska Ear has an amusing bit about Eddie Burke…appears that one of his staff who acts as counterpoint at times, said on the show words to the effect ” It’s a wonder someone hasn’t come up and put a bullet in his head”….guy got suspended for a week, and Burke wore a vest for a bit……and how that would keep a bullet from the head certainly baffles me …
________
So, Burke takes an offhand comment from a colleague seriously enough to wear a vest, but when he and other radio hatemongers are accused of formenting violence against others (esp our President!) he wants us to treat it as one big joke. What a pathetic hypocrite!
@#35 karenmarie – Many thanks for your timely intervention! Where do these trolls come from?
@#37 gramiam – Glad you found the site with the 7 ways, etc. They really and truly are getting scary with their determination to do damage. The awfullest part of all these groups is they proclaim to be Christians with the Lord on their side. One of those first articles at palingates mentions her religion and church. There are a number of articles on these Alaskan blogs that go into further detail of their teachings and casting out demons, and ultra-extreme behavior.
Rachel Maddow has been reporting extensively on the C Street group known as The Family and their attempts to place chosen people in all levels of government. Sanford, Ensign, Coburn, and a host of other Congressmen have been involved with them. They are even scarier with their determination to rule this country with their beliefs. Jeff Sharlett was able to infiltrate the group and has written an excellent book called “The Family” and I’ve begun reading it. I think I mentioned this on another posting – it is NOT a book to read at bedtime. I highly recommend it. One of the founders of the church is named Doug Coe. He is also connected with the dominionist group that Sarah Palin belongs to, and he is also connected to Erik Prince of the infamous Blackwater aka Xe group. I don’t know how these church groups can continue to be tax exempt under 501(c)3 with all of their political involvement and anti-government stance.
I live in rural western KY and this county is almost totally red, with the exception of a very small group of us. There are several local blogs moderated by local professionals who are heavily into local politics. The postings are filled with hatred, racism, and the blatant lies we see all over the conservative sites. Our local newspaper is owned and controlled by the same small group and they will not print anything that doesn’t follow their party line of BS.
Racism is alive and obvious around here and lots of vandalism and sign stealing and defacing occurred during the election season. I can’t believe how nervous and cautious I have become about airing my views. Being a rural area where everyone knows everyone else, it is easy to determine one’s political and religious stances.
I had never experienced racism and divisiveness prior to retiring to this area 20 odd years ago. I pray that the insanity stops, that those responsible pay the penalty for their actions, and that we all weather this ordeal and come out of it stronger and safer.
@#41 BuffaloGal – You are so right – they are crazy!
I also find it funny that their home page has a number of grammatical errors – don’t they proofread? I know we all make spelling, grammar, and typos when we are simply blogging, but one expects better from those proclaiming to be the best.
Along with Bachmann, they’ve also got Huckabee speaking. For a pastor, he’s a lying snake with his going on about death panels and Teddy Kennedy’s suffering and death. This paragraph about him on the front page has a couple of those errors I mentioned:
Featuring Gov. Mike Huckabee and Cong. McClintock on Saturday night!
We excited to announce that on Saturday night we’ll hear from former Governor Mike Huckabee, who will flight directly from New York City after the taping of his show to be with us, and Cong. McClintock from California. This will be one night you won’t want to miss!
The first wind turbines I saw where in the Odenwald and all the sound they made was a very majestic slow “Whoosh” “Whoosh” sound. It is not very loud, although the turbine is enormous If there is no other sound around it might be a bit irritating if it goes on all day and some people are even bothered by the shadow. I would take the whoosh and the shadow anytime (just moved to a noisy road and am anxiously awaiting electric cars – they are so much quieter!).
CLAP CLAP for SAMPER!
I’m coming in at 38-40 pounds (depending on which way one weighs) for checked luggage!
WOO HOOO!!!!
I’ll miss you guys, but hope to check in…. Mom DEMANDS (yes, DEMANDS, somehow, she thinks Brian is not an appropriate escort) daily check in via email… might as well catch up with you fine folks at the same time.
10PM EDT Saturday (midway in Shannyn’s show), 9/5, I’ll be raising a glass, as will Brian! Look for our pics and please raise a glass as well for Brian’s Excellent Adventure!
WOO HOO! Life long dream: 30 years in the making. Touching the Parthenon: PRICELESS!
I’m gonna cry! No… wait… I AM crying!
It’s a good cry. A cleansing cry. A cry that means what I’ve waited to do for 30 years is SO within reach!!!!
Can’t even express the emotion at seeing the birthplace of democracy up close!
So many who worked and were friends of Senator Ted Kennedy showed unashamedly their emotions for the loss they are feeling. This is a true testament of Ted Kennedy, he was loved by all who knew him. They described him as someone with a “generous heart” and did all he could to help others in need. A very thoughtful man, he will be sadly missed by us all.
I had some comments earlier about a possible questions to the Rural issue and their energy needs.
One component along with the physical blades or turbines is the ability to be able to ‘ convert ‘ the energy. There may be some interesting reading on this companies webpage. They work with both the Solar and wind technology. Something that the Rural Villages have both of and might be able to use.
Wind power: One comment from their website.
“The Windy Boy works in perfect tandem with the Sunny Island, creating stand-alone grids for the electrification of remote areas.”
{ IE: remote areas ? }
http://www.sma-america.com/en_US/products/wind-power-inverters.html
I guess the key would be can the components withstand the cold temperatures if used in Alaska. If you Mudpups live in other states… it might be worth checking out. And you would think that there are all sorts of rebates or incentives ( through the Government) through all these Green Programs out there right now if you wanted to buy Green Technology Products.
I can’t remember now why I bookmarked this website, but in exploring it today I found this page about Religion and politics. This Theologian makes excellent sense, no matter what your particular religious preference is. Separation of church and state is inherent in good religious practise IMHO.
http://swedenborg.newearth.org/hcsg/chap_23.html
Earlier this morning I was watching ” This week with George S.-ABC ”
I do like George in that he will not allow his guests ( the GOP ) to sit there and blatantly lie if he knows they are distorting the facts. He has called them on it in the past.
However… for the life of me.. WHY would he ever invite Liz Cheney onto his show? You KNOW she is going to Lie. And part of the discussion this morning was the topic of the DOJ investigating torture and abuses under her Dad.
No surprise, she takes partial quotes ( rather than the Full reports claim) out of context to sell and defend DICK Cheney. And of course she wants to talk over anybody while they are talking ( rude ) rather than let them speak.
I just wish we all had George’s direct phone number or email to tell him to STOP letting her on his Show. ( can someone send Him a Twitter? ) It serves no purpose. Like Palin… she just makes stuff up. GAwwd !
Question about the wind turbines? Are there any smaller ones that might power a house full of appliances? Any that could be used by rentals and then taken with at the end of the lease?
Our house (rented) sits in a natural wind tunnel all year round. We’ve been trying to figure out how to get off the grid in the middle of town. Wind seems a natural.
redwoodmuse
60 HIG, I caught the Liz Cheney screeching, too, and thought she was disrespectful of the rest, and I hope she’ll never get invited back.
Watching all the fire news in CA has made me wonder why the wingnuts are not attacking the fire departments as socialist, government institutions that need to be done away with?
Fire services are wholly funded by tax dollars. Why can’t we use the fire service model to get health care services for all. Just a thought and another example of just how well government can function with able administration.
The next time some conservative try to tell me “government can’t do anything” I’m going to engage in a discussion of how fire services are set up and run for the public good.
#
61
redwoodmuse Says:
August 30th, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Question about the wind turbines? Are there any smaller ones that might power a house full of appliances? Any that could be used by rentals and then taken with at the end of the lease?
Our house (rented) sits in a natural wind tunnel all year round. We’ve been trying to figure out how to get off the grid in the middle of town. Wind seems a natural.
————————————-
redwoodmuse….You should probably ask the company in my # 58 link to send you some info and what the details might be to do something like that. That company is only about and hour and a half away from you as well so they should know all of the Rules that apply and might even suggest a name of a sub-contractor to talk to in your neighborhood.( couldn’t hurt )
One feature of these inverters or converters ( at least some of them ) when they are connected to an existing grid is that IF you are generating extra power and not using all of it at that time they can have the ability to send it back to the power companies grid. You could actually get paid by the energy company or I guess you would get a credit maybe toward your own usage later. I guess the key is ask your Power company if they are set up for this option. You can probably get those details from SMA since they service or work with contractors and companies in your area.
63. Fan from CA
Please make sure Congressman Tom McClintock (I hate typing those words)and Grover Norquist are in the room when you have that conversation.
OK… this story is not good news. I can only imagine how she might be talking about Dad in the future if she keeps a regular spot with NBC down the road.
{ blagghhh… I want to gag }
“NEW YORK — NBC’s “Today” show has hired someone with White House experience as a new correspondent – former first daughter Jenna Hager.
The daughter of former President George W. Bush will contribute stories about once a month on issues like education to television’s top-rated morning news show, said Jim Bell, its executive producer.’
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/30/today-show-hires-jenna-bu_n_272220.html
BuffaloGal from what part of the city of Good Neighbors do you hail? In another life, I was the manager of the Cavages Record store in Main Place Mall. Spent my formative years living in the land of the crabapple.
Samper – I am SO excited for you!! Big smiles and cheers from Va!! Have a wonderful amazing trip with Brian. I’m so glad to see your dream realized.
AKM – I too am amazed by wind farms and agree: if corps owned the wind, the country would be covered with turbines. Saw my first wind farm in PA – right in the heart of Pennsyltucky off I-80 (or is it I-81?) heading north towards the Poconos. It was a great sight. Wish there were more. Sigh.
London Bridges @ 69 – I hail from Buffalo, ny , just neigh of the border. Wow. … “Cavages” – I’ve not heard that name for many years! I spent many a dollar at Cavages, in my youth.
What years were you working at the Main Place Mall?
Geoffrey Dunn got a good one on the Huff right now….it will make you all chuckle..
What years were you working at the Main Place Mall?
’73-’74.
traveling through Germany i see a of of turbines, but what i seen even more where solar panes, they really caught on. My dad’s apartment building is converted to passive solar energy http://www.newenergy.org/sesci/publications/pamphlets/passive.html
He told me that the turbines are not without controversy either. I really like the passive solar energy idea though. I guess they are converting a lot of older buildings. I imagine it it costly but the result is worth it.
Londonn Bridges @ 73 – I shopped downtown Cavages around the late 70s thru 82. (ish?) I rembember buying M. Jackson’s “Triller” at that store.
The Buffalo Main Place Mall is said now. Someone with bucks could do well to come in and take it over. It could do well with the right marketing .
There is a spot along the Transcanada traveling through northern New Brunswick (near St. Leonard I think) on the way to the Quebec border where if you look off to the left, you are looking into northern Maine. There is a row of wind turbines clearly visible there, and I keep wondering why we aren’t doing it here.
As far back as the 1980′s when Jerry Brown was Governor of California, he started a wind farm near the Altamont Pass in the East Bay. The powers that be bitched & laughed & called him Governor Moonbeam & they stopped putting them in. There are some there, but the plan was for many more & in more areas. Think where we would be now if the idea had kicked in in the 80′s.
nswfm Ca – CONGRATULATIONS!
The California Little League just won the little league World Championship – how sweeeeet it is!
The beat Chinese Taipei 6 – 3!
USA!
Don’t know what happend to my comment so I’ll try again. Back in the 1980′s Jerry Brown, Governor of Calif started a wind farm on the Altamont Pass. The powers that be laughed at him & called him Governor Moonbeam. Think where we would be now if this have continued since the 80′s.
Charlie Cavage died a few years ago. His obit was amazing. A truly self made man! Worked on the railroad. Lived in a box car. Went to school and got his engineering degree.
http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/using-radar-to-protect-birds-from-wind-farms/
“The same technology was originally developed for NASA and the US Air Force. It can detect approaching birds up to four miles away and assess their altitude, numbers and visibility. It then analyzes weather conditions to determine if they are in danger of flying into wind turbine blades. If so, the turbines are programmed to automatically shut down and restart once the birds are a safe distance away.”
There is a solution to everything if you want to find it.
Phoebe @79 – Jerry Brown may be running for our Gov. again! If he wins (what a mess he will inherit) – he will be both the youngest and oldest Gov. to hold the office.
#83 Lori
As we were saying ….what a long strange trip it’s been. I hope he does
run…….how could we possibly be any worse off. Brown’s a humanitarian & gets the big picture. I bet he’d be innovative now when it’s really needed. Hey, he was innovative then.
When my post gets through the spam filter, you will find a link to a windfarm, that explains how they can avoid birds being killed.
There always is a solution if you care to find it.
78 Yay! Chula Vista Little League!
79 Jerry Brown was a visionary and there are wind farms in the Tehachapi Mtns and near Palm Springs in So Cal in addition to Altamont up north.
Though I didn’t vote for AS for gov, I am glad he went for million solar roof program to help bring down cost of panels. In So Cal, energy demand is highest when it is hottest, ie when the sun is shining. We can grow crops year ’round here because of the sun so solar is a no-brainer.
There is SOOO much we can do still from an efficiency standpoint. The majority of us are so wasteful. When in NYC, I lived on the top floor and never turned on the radiator because I’d have to have been wearing shorts and a tank top or leaving windows open in the winter, as an example. The summer was unbearable because of the humidity in addition to the radiant heat from the roof. Now they are talking of planting on the tops of buildings to keep them cool.
Some of these ideas are so low-tech and common sense, but we are too lazy to act sometimes. CA gets a lot of ridicule, but we are trying to help lead in environmental issues.
On a gallows humor note, Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about how we are in the hole, so we’re on fire to collect the insurance money.
Hey Lori, how’s the smoke by you? I’m voting for Jerry, if you couldn’t tell.
I don’t think you want a wind mill farm near your house. They can be really loud!
#88
They don’t put them near houses. They put them in open spaces.
Well said Martha UYS.
Fixing my #86:
I did have AC but no thermostat, so I bought an appliance timer to have it off while I was at work.
The thing that annoyed me was businesses leaving doors open with the AC on which only makes the AC have to work harder, using more power, and dumping more heat outside, making it a feedback loop. How hard is it to shut the door? (It is simple, common sense stuff like this that made me nuts the first year I was there in NYC.)
I live in Phoenix, where it was 111 degrees today. I have discovered that there is a third and more cost effective way of cooling than either swamp coolers or A/C. My apartment complex is cooled by a “chiller”. Chilled water is pumped through pipes and air is blown over the cold pipes to cool it. What I didn’t know, is that this method of cooling is used to cool about 20 of the major buildings downtown, including the U.S. Airways Center (Suns Basketball, Chase Field (Diamondbacks baseball) and the newly expanded Convention Center. The water is pumped back to the Chiller and supercooled late at night to be recirculated the next day. As a closed system, no water is wasted and most of the buildings have also installed solar panels to further reduce the power costs.
Our Altamont windmills are placed right on the pass, in the path of a major bird migration route, plus they’re put on the crests of the hills where big hawks soar on the updrafts looking for groudndsquirrels. The old-style windmills on Altamont (when not completely still) spin so fast the blades are practically invisible, and the hawks just don’t see them as they fly through the area. I don’t know the numbers but it’s a huge local death trap for hawks.
Some environmental groups and power companies are working to identify bird corridors and pick the areas that will have the least impact on birds. There is also a move towards placing fewer, larger/taller/more powerful windmills whose blades move more slowly.
Just spent 20 of 30 min drive looking at the smoke near LA and am so depressed, I’m going to hide under the covers. It looks like a volcano blew up.
Fellow So Cal Mudflatters, stay safe.
My brother [and our Dad] did a science fair project on windmills back in the ’80s – they built a windmill of bicycle front forks (one for the pivot, one for the part that spins with the blades) and a chain drive to an old copier motor as the generator. A big threaded rod ran through the upper bicycle fork, holding curved wooden brackets to which they screwed vanes fashioned from filets of a green vinyl trash can. It sat on a post on top of the lower roof in front of our little upstairs bedrooms.
This being in San Francisco, generally it spun at a pretty good clip. There were times we could have gotten a lot more work (load) out of the generator (it made enough electricity to charge batteries). This was before the days when anything ran on rechargeables. If the blades really got spinning you could hear it through the entire house, and down the block. If it got so fast that our bedrooms started shaking it was time to climb up the ladder to the upper roof, grab the tail, swing it 90 degrees to the wind so it would slow down enough to grab the blades and angle them so they’d point straight into the wind.
Obviously the commercially-built machines will be more efficient, balanced, and quieter. Mounting it in the ground (rather than on your frame house) would be a good idea but as others have said there may well be some blade noise, depending on speed of the wind/rotation.
nswfm – Yes, I will be voting for erry Brown too; I agree with what you said about him.
erry=Jerry oops
I seem to be having trouble getting into chat through the forum. I am going to try going to http://www.mibbit.com/chat/ and enter “themudflats” under channels. Don’t forget to use your mudflats name, or you’ll come to life as a mibbit!
Lori
I’m voting for Jerry Brown too. Can’t wait for a new governor. The fires look so terrible…say safe.
Just a reminder that we have comment guidelines here, guys. In particular this one –
Trolls:
A troll is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, with the intention of provoking other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.
If anyone sees an obvious troll, please drop me an email, or post in the most recent thread. Remember to tell me where the troll is – name of post, and time of comment – so I can find and vanquish them quickly.
Engaging trolls in conversation generally pumps them up with all kinds of goofy brain chemicals that make them behave even worse, as they revel in stressing out the community. So, please do not to feed the trolls. If they are ignored, they usually go away. If you feed them (post in response to their post) it only makes the problem worse, and upsets the people you like.
If anyone does feed a troll, or respond to an inappropriate post, I will need to delete their responses to the troll as well as the troll itself. This makes more of a clean up chore for me. So please abide by the ‘no feeding trolls’ rule.
You can refresh your memory on the comment guidelines by clicking on the tab oddly enough named “comment guidelines” at the top of the blog. Or click here.
http://www.themudflats.net/comment-guidelines/
I have flung the troll off the flats and done some cleaning up. Please do not reply to them in future.
Maybe some of you don’t remember that Jerry Brown was also known as mr. feel good brown because of some drug issues back in the day.IMO He can be bought and paid for by the highest bidder.At least arnie did not take a salary while serving and I don’t think brown would go along with that idea. I just do not think well of Brown at all.I sent him an letter as the AG of Ca,. and he never had the courtsey of giving me a reply,which even my GOP represenative did do. That was when he was running around with Linda R. JMO
A Fan from CA said: “Watching all the fire news in CA has made me wonder why the wingnuts are not attacking the fire departments as socialist, government institutions that need to be done away with?”
Actually, they have been. The Orange County Register (surprise!) proposed just that in 2005, before the big fires that hit the Southland a few years ago. This article from the California Progress Report talks about it.
Oh, and here’s a page about wind farms in California: http://www.energy.ca.gov/wind/overview.html
#81: phoebe:
You could do a lot worse than Jerry Brown as Governor. He saw this coming in the 70s. He wanted to move CA to sustainability at that time, and he tried very hard to do that. He has a strong desire to protect the environment, and at the same time provide a good life for the people of CA. He is a very charming, and very interesting man as well. Like I said, you could do worse.
Prayers and good thoughts to all in SoCal.
Take some time now to prepare in case your area is called to leave.
Stay safe and PLEASE obey any local evacuation orders.
I just wrote to all the fair managers listed on post #92. We will see if I get any responses.
.
Having a wee bit of an Irish wake for poor auld Teddy, we are. Sinead’s “Danny Boy,” a Cherokee version of “Amazing Grace, ArethaFranklin, et alia. BYOB, unfortunately.
Slainte, and Goodbye, America’s Senator.
.
Oops…My #101 post should have been on the State Fair thread…sorry…………
Every time we go home to West Texas, we are amazed at how the landscape has been transformed by thousands of giant wind turbines.
The acrid smell of oil fields from my childhood has been replaced with white blades turning in the ever-present breeze. With every whoosh, I like to imagine that’s one less gallon of oil purchased from the Middle East.