As I’ve mentioned many times, I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing many hundreds–perhaps a thousand–of cleantech business plans. I would say, to be charitable, that maybe one in 20 holds any water. Most of the others are asinine, and some …
Category: Wind Energy
The “SkyBrator”
Shown here is a bladeless wind turbine that generates electricity from the vibrations the wind sets off in it. The company says it has plans to create a 140 meter turbine with a power capacity of 1 megawatt. Let’s do …
Best Home Wind Turbines
This article ostensibly helps the consumer make the right decision concerning a home wind turbine. Here’s the problem: the concept of small wind, i.e., wind products that generate amounts of electricity suitable for residential use, is not workable. Various attempts …
Tagged with: compete with the grid or rooftop solar, home wind turbine, large towers are expensive and unattractive, small wind, wind conditions at low altitudes are terrible, wind power is a function of the cube of the velocity, wind power is a function of the swept area, wind product that generate amounts of electricity suitable for residential use
Offshore Wind Coming Along Nicely
Virginia’s Dominion Energy has filed construction and operations plans to build a 2.64 GW offshore wind project, located 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, to be completed in 2026. The project will make use of Dominion’s 12 MW …
Are Wind Turbines Burning Money?
There’s a report being passed around social media to the effect that the cost of fires in wind turbines could be as high as $9 million. Although I have no way to verify this, I can point out that there …
Comparing Coal Plants and Wind Turbines
Let’s begin with Poe’s law, which is an “adage of Internet culture stating that, without a clear indicator of the author’s intent, it is impossible to create a parody of extreme views so obviously exaggerated that it cannot be mistaken …
Take a Cool Guess—The Fun Quiz on Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability. Today’s Topic: Wind Turbine Placement
Question: There are at least three central problems with the idea put forth here, i.e., installing wind turbines under bridges. What are they? Answer: Can be found at Clean Energy Answers. Relevance: A great deal of thought goes into siting …
Wind Energy Physics Quiz
Here’s a video that will test your understanding of physics, if you don’t have a 5th or 6th grade education. It’s a wind turbine on a kite powered by eight motors that push the device into and through the wind …
Tagged with: Wind Energy Physics Quiz
Could This Be the Safest, Most Powerful Wind Turbine in the World?
Here’s a short video on a new wind turbine concept. A breakthrough? Ahhh…..no. This is bulls***, for three main reasons. a) Wind power is a function of the area of the turbine. Tiny turbines necessarily generate tiny amounts of power.
Tagged with: Powerful Wind Turbine
Kitepower? Ahhhhh….No
Occasionally I like to apply some mathematics to claims that are made about renewable energy technology. Pictured here is something called Kitepower, another variation on the theme that we’ve seen so many times over the years.
Tagged with: Kitepower
