Commercial Megawatt Wind Turbine Handbook For Dummies

Commercial Megawatt Wind Turbine Handbook For Dummies

One megawatt equals 1000 kilowatts. The early commercial wind turbines to come out ten years ago were small 660 kilowatt turbines. Today we see larger turbines like those in Falmouth, Massachusetts at 1650 kilowatts or what they call 1.65 megawatt wind turbines. These turbines are about three times the size of the 660 kilowatt Massachusetts Maritime Academy wind turbine.

A. MECHANICS

Wind turbine blades depending on the manufacturer spin from 1 mile per hour up to 40 miles per hour. While you see the blades spinning the generator inside the turbine does not cut in and operate until around 8 miles per hour. The generator starts producing electricity but does not achieve its maximum electric output until around 25 miles per hour and above. For safety reasons the turbine has brakes just like an automobile that shut down the turbine at 40 miles per hour or shifting wind gusts.
The turbine only generates power between 8 miles per hour and 40 miles per hour. There is no energy production under 8 miles per hour and at the cut out speed of 40 miles per hour the turbines shut down.

B. HEALTH

The U.S. Department of Energy, Dr Neil Kelley and his colleagues previously identified impulsive low frequency noise in commercial wind turbines in 1987. Dr. Kelly reference the low frequency noise as human annoyance.The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative today known as the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center in 2004 warned of two distinct types of noise from commercial wind turbines regulatory and human annoyance or infra sound.
Doctor Helen Parker has written to the State of Mass. Dept. of Environmental Protection. There are thousands of certified written noise complaints statewide. The Vestas wind turbine company Chief Operating Officer has admitted there is nothing that can be done about infra sound. The noise and sickness is real not imagined.

C. PARASITIC ENERGY CONSUMPTION

Commercial wind turbines have rechargeable batteries, computers, transformers, lights, heat, air conditioning, pumps and anything a normal power plant needs.

When the wind isn’t blowing 8 miles per hour or the wind speeds exceed 40 miles per hour the turbine needs power from the grid just like your home.

The wind industry and owners don’t like to talk about parasitic power use becasue it can equate to up to 20 percent of the output of the turbines at the commercial electric rates you pay for your home or business. Wind turbines like those in Falmouth, Massachusetts face mandatory half day shut downs over health concerns and court orders.

One turbine has been completely shut down. The Town of Falmouth will never disclose the parasitic electric power usage.

D. MAINTENANCE

Older wind turbines have what are called gear boxes. Commercial wind turbines were sold to last 20 years. The wind industry for years has hid a dirty little secret. The gear boxes have been failing at an alarming rate. These gear box failures have bankrupted big wind turbine companies lke NEG Micon a former Danish wind turbine manufacturer. Vestas wind turbine company bought out the bankrupt Neg Micon company and sold its wind turbines as Vestas V-82 1.65 megawatt turbines to the Town of Falmouth.

The rental for a special crane for three days to replace gear boxes in $150,000.00 minimum and a new gear box at around $ 600,000.00.

Blades on these type of turbines wear out just like ice skate blades. As blades get older they wear and lose about 2 percent of power per year. When gear boxes are replaced a blade inspection takes place. Bad blades sometimes signal the end of the usefull life of the turbines.

Expensive yearly maintenance contracts don’t cover replacement of major parts or lightning strikes to the turbine.

FINALLY : DUE DILIGENCE A STATEWIDE FAILURE

The Massachusetts state legislature, Conservation Law Foundation,CLF Ventures, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and various state agencies declared war on fossil fuels in an effort to stop the effects of climate change. In addition the news media went along for years printing weekly press releases from the Governor Deval Patrick administration in the daily news as if they wrote the propaganda about commercial wind turbines.

Millions of dollars of stimulus funds were wasted on commercial wind. The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center was used as a stepping stone for employees to go to work for wind turbine companies.

These groups planned to build 2000 megawatts of commercial wind by 2020. The plans failed they have switched to solar to reach the goal. There is only 100 megawatts of commercial wind in Massachusetts today a health and financial fiasco.

The Falmouth wind turbines are ground zero for poorly placed wind turbines in the United States and ground zero for the largest political mistake ever made in Massachusetts.

A mistake worse than the “ Big Dig .”

It seems that Massachusetts has never learned the lessons of its Big Dig.

Folks, The Town of Falmouth has eleven lawsuits over the wind turbines and hundreds if not millions in litigation fees. This all because state and local officials refuse to admit the mistake of placing megawatt turbines too close to residential homes.

How much more money and litigation will it take to admit the “ mistake ?“