Paul Sarlo fears 10,000+ year old technology will fail

It really might not work ... (0.00 / 0)

As hard as it may seem, Sarlo is correct to want to look at the details as it is definitely possible that the windmills might not work.  I'll just give one example.  In the southern tip of the big island of Hawaii, there is a windmill farm.  The first one was built in 1986, but wasn't built well and ended being abandoned.  They've since built a new windmill farm there that works well, but the old one is still just sitting there.  

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by: princetonblue @ Thu Jun 24, 2010 at 14:00:32 PM UTC

Kamaoa (0.00 / 0)

is actually in the process of being refurbished. But it is instructive in a number of ways.

First of all, South Point is a harsh environment. High winds, salt spray, and the occasional sea storm combine to make it rather unforgiving. Anyone who wants to build anything there has to engineer it to fit the environment.

The Mitsubishi generators at Kamaoa were not engineered for resistance to salt spray. Additionally, Mitsubishi quit manufacturing wind turbines shortly after it was completed, so spare parts were always a problem. As time went by, mechanics began scavenging parts to keep them going.

But the project was only aimed at a 20 year lifecycle. When it shut down in August of 2006, it had actually reached that age. Contrary to common myth, the site is not abandoned. It was replaced by the Pakini Nui project, which went online in 2007. The final phase of Pakini Nui will be to tear down the old Kamaoa turbines, and - perhaps - replace them with newer turbines that are better engineered for the environment.

California has several inoperative windfarms, but the problem there was the state's incentive that pretty well guaranteed a profit just for building a windfarm. So companies built them, ran them long enough to get their government check, and then abandoned them.

Another problem with windfarms is that they tend to be very attractive during times of high oil/gas prices. Once those prices come down, people stop caring.

You are correct that we should pay attention to the details. That isn't what Sarlo is saying though - at least it doesn't seem to be what he's saying in the article. He's wondering if they will work here - in New Jersey. All he has to do is drive by the Jersey Atlantic Wind Farm.  

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by: Thurman Hart @ Fri Jun 25, 2010 at 01:12:34 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Thanks for the details (0.00 / 0)

I have to wonder if Kamaoa really did make it to the end of its 20-year cycle.  I was there in 2003, and on a reasonably windy day, the turbines weren't turning.  The locals I spoke to thought it wasn't operating anymore.  But maybe they were mistaken.  You certainly have more details than I ever heard.  

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by: princetonblue @ Fri Jun 25, 2010 at 02:10:07 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

It's always a windy day there (0.00 / 0)

They average 365 days of 20-knot wind per year. The operation was scaled back as time went on because they couldn't get adequate repair parts - so instead of supplying its engineered capacity, it whimpered its way toward shutdown. Officially, it was shut down in 2006. Obviously, not all of the turbines made it that far (but nothing lasts its rated lifetime without adequate maintenance).

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by: Thurman Hart @ Fri Jun 25, 2010 at 20:21:15 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

What a yutz! (0.00 / 0)

I suppose if Paul Sarlo lived 125 years ago, he would worry about whether cars would work instead of using horses for transportation.

As far as the costs of windpower are concerned, keep in mind that there are hidden costs with dirty fuels that must be in the equation.  Not only the costs of clean up of things like the BP disaster, but the costs of our oil wars, costs of reprocessing and storage of nuclear fuels, and the medical costs resulting from pollution of the air.

Blog: http://www.deciminyan.org

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by: deciminyan @ Thu Jun 24, 2010 at 14:05:04 PM UTC