PSE&G Proposes Wind Farm Off New Jersey Coast
- Thread starter Boyd
- Start date
Wow, that's fantastic. I wonder if the construction can also serve as a reef? That would be a win-win situation.
While I am a staunch advocate of petroleum-alternative energy sources, and have devoted myself to the cause, I'm not sure this is the best use of resources. Wind energy, while clean after setup, is fine for small scale operations it won't do much to put a dent in our oil dependence. Also would the resources spent on this wind farm be better spent on R&D for making more efficient solar panels? And what about the poor chopped up birds? And anything with PSEG on it makes me skeptical.
Haven't there been studies that show that birds don't get chopped up in those things?
I don't think a solar farm around here would work so well. Maybe in AZ or Southern Cali where open land is cheap and there's few clouds in the sky. I'm all for wind power.
I don't think a solar farm around here would work so well. Maybe in AZ or Southern Cali where open land is cheap and there's few clouds in the sky. I'm all for wind power.
I am a huge proponent of wind farms. But hasn't this project been proposed in the past and brushed under the carpet?
I do remember of course a thread here before on this topic. I reiterate some sentiments. I find it a practical method and this region suitable.
I have been right up to the ones by Borgata and find them graceful and fascinating without being unpleasant. There are worse things to see and out in the water, who cares? Sue's sentiment was an interesting twist as well. The ratio of birds lost, please... If you would really see how those things turn, probably more birds lost cracking accidently into car windows.
Craig, as far a PSEG, who'd be your preferred alternative?
BADFISH... great to see you back man! I've been wondering. Where ya been?
g.
I do remember of course a thread here before on this topic. I reiterate some sentiments. I find it a practical method and this region suitable.
I have been right up to the ones by Borgata and find them graceful and fascinating without being unpleasant. There are worse things to see and out in the water, who cares? Sue's sentiment was an interesting twist as well. The ratio of birds lost, please... If you would really see how those things turn, probably more birds lost cracking accidently into car windows.
Craig, as far a PSEG, who'd be your preferred alternative?
BADFISH... great to see you back man! I've been wondering. Where ya been?
g.
The birds thing was kind of a joke. While I like the idea of windfarms because of their low impact both environmentally and visually (if out in the ocean), they don't provide a long term solution to our mounting energy problems. They just don't produce enough power. But at the moment neither does solar. Some of the most efficient panels have efficiencies hovering in the low 20% under lab conditions. Most commercially available panels are in the low teens. Compare that to photosynthesis with near perfect efficiency. We have a long way to go, or at least need one big breakthrough. I just had lunch with someone in charge of writing a prospectus on alternative energy sources for the DOE, and he said they foresee our energy coming from a lot of different sources but solar making up the lion's share.
As far as an alternative to PSEG, if we each had an efficient solar system powering our houses we wouldn't need someone selling us energy. At least not until sunlight becomes a commodity. But until then I guess there's not much we can do in the way of getting off the grid.
As far as an alternative to PSEG, if we each had an efficient solar system powering our houses we wouldn't need someone selling us energy. At least not until sunlight becomes a commodity. But until then I guess there's not much we can do in the way of getting off the grid.
As soon as I can get an extra $30k, I'll install one and let you know how it works.
There is a company down this way, a customer of ours that does "Solar Solutions". The price range like you say is steep but they have some way of working it in to an equity loan for you and the payback balances itself back.
I really don't know those details but I've seen them do a number of area homes. Look into that angle if solar intrigues you.
Maybe your bank would give you such a loan to put up your own windmill.
Might be a little unsightly in the average development though.
g.
I believe the problem with tall structures is that the migrating birds fly into them and die at night, according to the studies I have read anyway. However since they will provide good structure for the fisherman I suppose there will be a steady supply of chum also from above :-O
I know, it's horrible at the moment. Not only are they supremely inefficient but they charge an arm and a leg for them. Almost a crime. That's why we need more R&D for these things, we need that breakthrough. Take Giant Magnetoresistance, for instance (Nobel in physics 2007). It made high capacity storage devices smaller in size, larger in capacity, and cheaper all at the same time. Think about how much 160GB, the size of an ipod classic, would have cost in 1970, let alone the size of the room needed to house it. Then there were transistors before that and on and on... Where was I going with this??
As a civilization, for us to spend energy and resources investigating any new source of energy that doesn't provide somewhere near the same number of easily transportable calories as oil is just rearranging the old deck chairs. Wind farms are neat (anyone ever see the Altamont Pass farm west of San Francisco?), but you could carpet the ocean and the land with them and not replace the energy we need, in the form we need, to keep this whole ball of twine from coming unravelled.