by VMarcHart » Thu 28 Aug 2008, 07:26:38
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('joelcolorado', 'M')y son in laws doctoral thesis is on alternate energy. It states that Kansas alone can provide 27% of the entire USA demand for electricity from wind. I would believe it as it never quits blowing here. We laugh our asses off when the hurricane pics are on the weather channel and there as SUSTAINED winds of 50 mph. THAT IS not too far off our daily average.
Not many days the flags dont stand straight out where I live. But the county chased the wind company out of town as they were ugly. Go figure. And an oil well or grain elevator or power poles are NOT
Joel, please! Supply the country with electricity produced in Kansas is like watering Central Park from Kansas with a garden hose. It doesn't work like that.
Some facts for you and your son-in-law:
1. The US needs about 1,000,000 MWs of capacity. 27% is 270,000 MWs, or 180,000 wind turbines. Each turbine requires about 100 acres, or 18,000,000 acres, or 34% of Kansas' surface. Even with the outstanding wind in Kansas, the net capacity factor is only 45%, so you'll need about 50% of the states surface to achieve your pipe dream of supplying 27% of the nations electricity, and all this is intermittent power. Does it sound realistic to you? A wind turbine every 250 acres!?
2. Class I wind is about 10-11m/s or 22-24mph, not 50mph. Sorry.