turbine story

[windyknight]

ok, you've asked for it! Its a long story and i'm not great at typing so it'll come in installments.

Background; Left a big co. management job 20 yrs ago and bought small farm in west wales to go it alone. To cut it short; intensive ag. and supermarket buyers nearly killed us so decided to convert to organic sheep and go extensive. Natural progression (actually no money, big electric bills and windy site!)led me to explore renewable option.

This site and Hughs book encouraged a pmg build, which i'm still struggling with,(I'm a few electrical smarts short of most of you guys).

I then decided to buy a 'readymade' 10+kw machine to try and power our house and a couple of stone barns which we'd converted to holiday cottages.

Endless rules and regs re building permission and grid connection meant electrticity would end up costing 3 x what we pay grid co. - and i'm not THAT organic! but then neither do i give up easily and since i had an 11kV line crossing farm i decided to go down 'commercial' route, sell everything to grid at top of farm and just buy back what i need down here.

We've got 3 oil refineries within sight so I thought we shouldn't get too many objections -DUH!

200 letters later and vilified in local press letters section (we even had one woman said it would spoil her view of the oil refinery!) we went for planning permission....

to be continued!

[Jeff7]

Well, I see that the epidemic of complaining about anything isn't just a disease of the United States.

Obstructing a view of the oil refinery one person said??? I like machinery in general, but I don't know that I'd call an oil refinery aesthetically pleasing. Not that wind turbines are gorgeous either, but they are basically just sitting there producing electricity, and not burning anything to do it. There is some beauty to that.

[sh123469]

As was said above, glad to see the epeidimic of whining about everything is not just confined to the U.S.

I hope everything works out for you.  That's a big mill.  Nice to see somebody going very large at their home.

I assume from reading your posting that it will be grid-tied and you'll essentially be buying back your own electricity at a higher price than you will be paid for it.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Steve

[pyrocasto]

People really really really irritate me. Most people want clean energy, and to help stop polution, ect.. ect... But when it comes time to take action, they oppose it very much.

[richhagen]

Wind turbines not gorgeous?  I can watch one for hours, working a way, a well oiled (greased) machine doing work while I watch.  -Rich

[richhagen]

Wow, I wonder how all of those old windmills on the farms in the midwest here (US), or in the Netherlands ever got built.  You would think it was a toxic waste dump or something with the way it is being opposed.  I guess wind is out for meeting the Kyoto protocol over there, huh.  Rich

[commanda]

The expression for all these whingers, at least here in Australia, is NIMBY.

Not In My Back Yard.

Unfortunately, everywhere is "somebody's" back yard.

Amanda

[jomoco]

My hat's off to you WindyKnight, and I'm as green with envy as the beautiful fields

behind your noble project. Best of luck and regards!

jomoco

[hiker]

no dou"t it was the oil refinery that did you in--if your in site of them--then they have you in their sites!!--last thing they want are windgens popping up around them..

most likly the pepole that live in the area--work at the refinery..i think you just picked a really bad location to go green..........................! its kinda like a slap in the face to the oil companies--you pulled out your little gun--they pulled out bigger guns!!

[electrondady1]

look at it this way windyknight. in 10 or 15 years the oil refineries come to a grinding halt . then the villagers show up at your gate willing to trade there daughters for some of your power!

[wgatenson04]

my sediments exatlly, People hate them cause they don't think that they NEED them, but every one that goes up makes our energy supply last that much longer.  Everyone wants to just wait for "Peak Oil" to do something to help the problem.

To me they are not a eye sore at all, I have almost wrecked my car staring at the 4 1.8MW that are about 3 miles from my house.  And also, they are not loud, like people like to say.

[ghurd]

There are a bunch of big ones visible from the PA Turnpike.

EVERYBODY remembers seeing them and being fasinated.

And they are 200 miles from here!

I can not recall anyone saying they are an eyesore.

G-

[ghurd]

Pic's and a video of them on the same page.

http://people.delphiforums.com/MCCONAUGHY/birding/windpower/windmills.htm