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Many factors affect wind power

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Editor,

There are three things that make wind power on a par with coal; no, four. (This is only in certain areas though where the price of coal and distance to the power plant are factors. The Colstrip mine and the Billings power plant are untouchable by wind power, even in the worst of times for coal.)

1) The turbines and structures have to be under warranty; 2) The wind farm has to be subsidized by the government; 3) No natural disasters have to befall the windmill structure (look up “damaged wind turbines”); 4) The wind has to blow (but not too hard). If any one of these four factors fails, you have a boondoggle.

There are probably some places on the earth where natural disasters (icing conditions; over speed – too much wind; blizzards; tornadoes; lightning; hurricanes; and the natural corrosiveness of saltwater as in sea-based wind farms) don’t occur. These places could probably add to the longevity of windmills, but you have to place the turbines where they do not affect aircraft, airport and weather radar. Imagine a wind farm in an area prone to, and in need of, instant tornado forecasts.

High-output turbines in the future will bring down the cost per megawatt, but you have to have a turbine structure that can handle what Mother Nature throws at them. “Manufacturers’ projected lifespan” is not enough to throw your money into. “Real lifespan” is what has to be known, and more redundancy built into the structure and the turbine results in more zeroes added onto the final cost.

Ried S. Hurtig
Pablo

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