You would think that the lack of any supporting evidence would prevent people from quoting and then exaggerating even his already wildly exaggerated claim. [8], Hawaii has the potential to install 3,000 MW of wind power, capable of generating 12,000 GWh/year with 80 meter hub heights operating at 30% capacity factor or more. In a previous post regarding the disrespectful placement of wind turbines on the D Day beaches of Normandy it was concluded that leftist propagandists would be up in arms if this are were home to a threatened species of bat: Now if the area around the Normandy beaches were home to a threatened species of aquatic fruit bat then every NGO from Greenpeace to the WWF would be up in arms. Its now apparent that this assumption is wrong and that the wind turbine comes second to none for climate change activists. City: Honolulu; Commissioning: 30 turbines: Siemens SWT-2.3-101 (power 2 300 kW, diameter 101 m) Commissioned in 2006, it comprises sixteen 660 kW wind turbines 9a. [ Hit "play" button below, or click click here to view or download as a 1-MB FLV file or Abandoned wind farm on Big Island Hawaii - Dreamstime Abandoned Wind Corporations however survive on making their basket the only basket in town. Wind power in Hawaii - Wikipedia Some in Hawaii. No hard facts, no inventory counts, nothing but worst-case speculation, perhaps this, and perhaps that. This is seen through their quiet attitudes regarding the slaughtering of bird species caused by the wind turbines. As a day job, Mike has had the good fortune to work on Smart Grid projects for IBMs clients, in addition to many other interesting initiatives that IBM is uniquely positioned to undertake. farm, hawaii, wind, island, abandoned, big, background, We would like to have no bird deaths and no bird injuries. 14,000 abandoned wind turbines November 19, 2011 by Don Surber As Jimi Hendrix may have put it: And the wind cries bankrupt Minnesotans for Global Warming report that in the last 30 years, the United States has had 14,000 wind turbines abandoned. A crew of Built in 1986, the Kamaoa wind farm at South Point on the southern tip of the island of Hawaii stopped producing energy for the Big Islands grid in the last ten years. "dG0_G*JYzWJGFk[6~w['O*eJ.&aPSH*1|eR[ 0XD&$gZ/bQZ THE MAINTENANCE ISSUE Wind power is a labor-intensive industry with rotating and electrical machinery that requires continuous maintenance. by Don Surber, UK Daily Mail Nov 19, 2011, As Jimi Hendrix may have put it: And the wind cries bankrupt. As this happens, wildlife experts are warning that this renewable energy source will have a negative impact on the bird species in the area including the numerous protected eagles, owls, and hawks. One can be sure that if the societal needs had to do with oil rigs, the same people remaining silent on the death of birds would be up in arms against the oil companies. More money x\M8! kSNSimk:;K`x]h_cZM,jL7\;U=%V|,Nu"3JqZ![h3O jS*BwyG#[3.q^zv7ZMchgr9H4,$Xxz4.DD+- He wrote an article starting with the Kamaoa Wind Farm in Hawaii, that was heading for decommissioning and repowering and pulled the number of 14,000 permanently inactive wind turbines out of somewhere. And the number of permanently inactive wind turbines is diminishing as they are replaced with working modern turbines. But, once again, we have to balance all the needs of society. It was a movement of radical, idealists, like myself who wanted everyone to be able to produce their own power needs, which when coupled with conservative measures would be much less than you might believe possible. Theres an anti-wind energy myth floating around that refuses to die. A more realistic maximum number is at most 1 per cent of installed wind turbines perhaps 2,000 wind turbines and perhaps 0.1 per cent of generation capacity. WInd turbines dont whiz around like the fan you have in your office. The alternative is to simply abandon the outmoded turbines as several operators in Hawaii and California have already done, lay the costs on the so-far unsuspecting public, or find some way to use the unrecyclable materials in the blades for other purposes. Wind was free, natural, harnessing Earths bounty for the benefit of all mankind, sounded like a good idea. (LogOut/ Abandoned Wind Farms - 2aHawaii They are highly unsightly, and they are huge, and thats a lot of material to get rid of. This article was originally published on Barnard on Wind. Self sufficiency is empowering to the individual. xncendangered_species_in_hawaii_threatened_by_planned_wind_farm.html E/PC`HB10 $= AZe-wc^^)F> d4g>g`!%(' ]v7c0A.rx6`ATr`cQ\#=FR+K| The sensible methodology to arrive at a very conservative aka unreasonably large but defensible number of permanently inactive wind turbine has a few steps. ALL alternative energy technologies were meant to be individual, small scale hybrid set-ups. An Alameda County Community Development Agency study points to 10,000 annual bird deaths from Altamont wind turbines. They experienced problems from the noise and shadows that come and go with the turning of the blades, claiming that this produced sleep disruption, depression, seizures and other neurological effects. Not so with subsidized turbines. Hawaii News Now reports: An endangered native bat is at the center of a fight over a controversial wind farm proposal on Oahu's North Shore. It was a nice dream, a very expensive dream, but it didnt work. +100. k here to add your own text and edit me. Apollo Energy removing old wind turbines on Big Island Following a lengthy discussion with Margaret Atwood and others related to siting of wind turbines in a major birding area on her blog, he became a blogger on energy concerns, focusing on debunking myths about wind energy. In the best wind spots on earth, over 14,000 turbines were simply abandoned. Existing law allows an, e.g., 600ft (180m) to be placed 600 feet from the nearest house (1:1).The Hawaii State Energy Office offered support for a setback of a mile or more from homes and structures. Altamonts turbines have been shut down four months out of every year for migrating birds after environmentalists filed suit. The 14,000 number has been applied to the entire world, the continental United States and the confines of the state of California. source:https://americanelephant.wordpress.cunited-states/. It would appear this was a wrought! In parts of the United States, there are cases where wind facilities were abandoned for some time before being decommissioned or repowered. WebAbandoned wind farm on Big Island Hawaii Royalty-Free Stock Photo Abandoned wind farm on Big Island Hawaii. They lobbied the government to get the bulk of the grant money for research given to them, and to squash the idea of individual power with huge wasteful energy farms, paid for largely with tax money, but after construction, the monthly bill profits goes to the corporations. 14,000 wind turbines in the USA is laughably unrealistic; the US has about 20 per cent of installed wind generation, so a more likely maximum number is 400 small, old wind turbines around the US. Abandoned windmills in Hawaii, click to enlarge. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Wind power in Hawaii has the potential to provide all of the electricity generation in the electricity sector in Hawaii. He doesnt show calculations. Thats pretty damn fast for something that massive, and something as massive as a turbine blade can do some serious damage at that speed.). Hawi Wind Farm - Wikipedia Hawaii Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care, Hawaii Free Press - All Rights Reserved. Apparently this whole wind power thing is falling apart. This is obvious hypocrisy and shows everyone that wind farms are above the law and that anything that shows them in a negative light should be downplayed or simply ignored. Abandoned Wind The hype is great use natural wind resources. This article is the work of the With governments facing financial troubles, the subsidies are unaffordable. [11] Hawaii used 9,962 GWh in 2011, so Hawaii has the potential to generate all electricity used in the state from wind and solar power. Died a quiet Death. About 75% of the capital cost of wind farms is for turbines, turbine parts and components, towers and blades so a large share of the wind farm cost is for imports. 14,000 Abandoned wind turbines. The normalised load factor for UK onshore wind farms declines from a peak of about 24% at age 1 to 15% at age 10 and 11% at age 15. I challenge any scientist or engineer to prove that energy farms are not wasteful. In this push for more wind turbine farms, Kern County picked out an area of 225,000 acres slightly north of Los Angeles due to its wind resources. In the best wind spots on earth, over 14,000 turbines were simply abandoned. What is a good way to calculate the worst-case ratio of inactive wind turbines? 14,000 Abandoned Wind Turbines in USA > Hawaii Free However, the quality of evidence doesnt matter in the global warming denialist and anti-renewables crowd, what matters is the quotable claim. When not enough wind they wont function. There are five other abandoned wind WebThe bottom line is that using the demolition costs from the other wind turbine project decommissioning study would translate to a Beech Ridge demo cost of $12.03 million, i.e., $3.35 million more the applicants $8.68 million estimate. Are all wind turbines that arent spinning permanently inactive? The majority of the permanently inactive wind turbines were built in the 1970s and are very old technology. So why did I use the term Game above. Salt water is far more damaging than sun and rain, and offshore turbines dont last as long. You apparently know little about the carnage they cause worldwide to our flying friends. 14,000 is a number that has been conjured from thin air by an anti-wind advocate for rhetorical purposes. One more instance of companies paying up for harming protected species was in 2005 when a fish hatchery owner had to pay $65,000 and spend six months in a federally-run halfway house after shooting an eagle for feeding out of his businesss hatchery. California had the big three of wind farm locations Altamont Pass, Tehachapi, and San Gorgonio, considered the worlds best wind sites. 14,000 wind turbines permanently inactive would represent about 6% of the total installed base being inactive today. When an honest history of this period in the United States is written, it will no be kind to the corporate cronyism that preyed upon public ignorance of earth science to create a crisis global warming to exploit and loot the Treasury. These early examples were all out of service by 2010. California and What percentage of generating capacity would these represent? 194 Hawaii Wind Farm Premium High Res Photos - Getty Residents also expressed concern about the threat to endangered wildlife, particularly the opeapea bat. Hawaii; Details. The tax payers who paid for the subsidies to build the wind farms, then paid over the odds for an unreliable source of power generation will, ultimately be left to pick up the bill for clearing up the Green eco mess in the post man made Global Warming world. Thousands of abandoned wind turbines littered the landscape of wind energy's California "big three" locations -- Altamont Pass, Tehachapi, and San Gorgonio -- considered among the world's best wind sites. This type of shoddy and sensationalistic tactic is unfortunately typical. Hence the term I used above Hybrid where your solar produces on sunny days and your wind produces on cloudy, usually windy days, and if you can situate your site near a stream you could add small scale hydroelectric to your options. He doesnt list sources. http://bit.ly/1UDsOJT, (Also, 20rpm = 1 full rotation every 3 seconds. Genious? The reality we figured out way back in the 60s and 70s was for most sites a person would have to combine two or more alternative energy technologies to make enough power. He asks:If wind power made sense, why would it need a government subsidy in the first place? If I shoot an eagle, its a $10,000 fine and/or a vacation of one to five years in a federal pen of my choice.. According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), there are just under 240,000 working wind turbines as of Q1 2013. Reproduced with permission. The power companies could see we were making progress with our many DIY projects and because of the OPEC scare, we were growing as a group of concerned citizens who only desired all Americans to be free of energy bills. President Obamas offshore wind farms will be far more expensive than those sited in Californias ideal wind locations. But nice tax scams for his crony-capitalist backers will work well as long as he can blame it all on saving the planet. Abandoned Wind Farms Is there a more immoral form of power generation than wind? Minnesotans for Global Warming report that in the last 30 years, the United States has had 14,000 wind turbines abandoned. I was wondering what had happened to the ones in Kahuku and elsewhere. There are many hidden truths about the world of wind turbines from the pollution and environmental damage caused in China by manufacturing bird choppers, the blight on peoples lives of noise and the flicker factor and the countless numbers of birds that are killed each year by these blots on the landscape.The symbol of Green renewable energy, our saviour from the non existent problem of Global Warming, abandoned wind farms are starting to litter the planet as globally governments cut the subsidies taxes that consumers pay for the privilege of having a very expensive power source that does not work every day for various reasons like its too cold or the wind speed is too high.The US experience with wind farms has left over 14,000 wind turbines abandoned and slowly decaying, in most instances the turbines are just left as symbols of a dying Climate Religion, nowhere have the Green Environmentalists appeared to clear up their mess or even complain about the abandoned wind farms.The US has had wind farms since 1981: Some say that Ka Le is hauntedand it is. When it is not blowing, they require full-time backup from conventional power plants. In 2006, transmission was finally cut off by Hawaii Electric Company.Californias wind farms then comprising about 80% of the worlds wind generation capacity ceased to generate much more quickly than Kamaoa. Thousands of abandoned wind turbines littered the landscape of wind energys California big three locationsAltamont Pass, Tehachapin (above), and San Gorgonioconsidered among the worlds best wind sitesCalifornias wind farms comprising about 80% of the worlds wind generation capacityceased to generate much more quickly than Kamaoa. P:]:%N]WC]kT2dA9yi?7wM^|~il].'\kn_:/.oO{z3F\x@{X Hubs awaiting recycling. The Audubon Society makes up numbers like the EPA, but theres a reason why they call them bird Cuisinarts. They have THOUSANDS of wind turbines in New Zealand, where their native fauna is predominantly birdlife, and they are totally unconcerned about wind farms killing birds. When it is time to clean up after a failed idea, no green environmentalists are to be found. The US has had wind farms since 1981: Some say that Ka Le is hauntedand it is. [1]:2[2] In 2012, Hawaii generated 367 million kWh from wind power.[3]. They produce less energy before they break down than the energy it took to make them. Spinning, post-industrial junk which generates nothing but bird kills.. WTr;.ZQeRE.75fV9{ukRZoN8GB)q?SS3ve1C[q+Rl6[e2z@[Iv}-L3e}m)q?0'pBfB0+!w The mysterious sounds are Na leo o Kamaoa the disembodied voices of 37 skeletal wind turbines abandoned to rust on the hundred-acre site of the former Kamaoa Wind FarmThe ghosts of Kamaoa are not alone in warning us. Two developers have submitted proposals for three offshore wind farms. Audubon calls Altamont, probably the worst site ever chosen for a wind energy project.. abandoned wind In response, rules that govern turbine siting, such as increasing the minimum distance from residences to 1.25 miles, are under review by the Honolulu City Council. There are about 5,000 wind turbines installed at Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm and of these, approximately 100 are inactive. What is the myth? [citation needed] The 132 commercial wind turbines in the state have a total capacity of 236 MW. Tehachapi Pass Renewable Transmission Project, just under 240,000 working wind turbines as of Q1 2013, Summer on the NEM: What the extreme heat didnt do to demand, What you need to know about Obamas energy secretary nominee, New premium solar panel brand hits Australian rooftop market, Most inverters for rooftop solar and storage wrongly installed, audit finds, Inverter giant targets rooftops that cant go solar, with new lightweight panel solution, Tesla Robotaxi could hit roads this year, analysts say, as safety data stacks up, California to ban new diesel trucks from railyards and ports from 2024 in landmark move, Daimler debuts new Rizon brand for electric trucks for last mile and city use, Calculate the worst-case ratio of inactive wind turbines, Determine the total number of wind turbines, Calculate the worst-case scenario using the ratio. The towering symbols of a fading religion, over 14,000 wind turbines, abandoned, rusting, slowly decaying. Unfortunately the same areas that are good for siting wind farms are a natural pass for migrating birds. Installed and Potential Wind Power Capacity and Generation", "State wind energy potential (2010) spreadsheet", "Renewable Energy Technical Potential | Geospatial Data Science | NREL", The Cost and Feasibility of Floating Offshore Wind Energy in the Oahu Region, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wind_power_in_Hawaii&oldid=1111572894, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Megawatts of Installed Generating Capacity, Kamaoa Wind Farm, 9.3 MW, in use 1987-2006, This page was last edited on 21 September 2022, at 18:17. California had the big three of wind farm locations Altamont Pass, Tehachapi, and San Gorgonio, considered the worlds best wind sites. Wind He doesnt make any effort to show how he arrived at this magical number. So your science and math to debunk the 14,000 number is nothing but conjecture? After the debacle of the First California Wind Rush, the European Union had moved ahead of the US on efforts to subsidize renewable energyincluding a Feed in Tariff even more lucrative than the ISO4 contracts. He gives the wind farms a free pass when Eagles are killed. Simply put, Dont do as I do, do as I say.. Californias green energy is growing quickly with wind turbine growing the fastest. So, 14,000 permanently inactive wind turbines world-wide is gross hyperbole at roughly four times the worst case scenario, and becomes close to an order of magnitude of inflation when compared to a likely scenario.