Those turbines creep me out

[phantom power]

[havocmom]

1. Always thought they look like people in an aerobics class

:shrug:

Would the newer, cylinder type, bother you less?

[Warpy]

2. They might be a little kinder to birds

and that's a good thing. They might not fail as spectacularly as the large blade turbines have failed, sending shrapnel up to a quarter of a mile away.

I'm all for improving a problematic design.

[havocmom]

4. Wouldn't mind having one of the home sized models of that design

Birds are friends and with the cylinder design, seems like it would be more do-able.

The big blades were a real problem in the area of Livingston, MT where there is LOTS of wind. There are more blades going up in more sheltered areas and it is amazing what a difference it makes to communities and co-ops. The cylinders seem likely to be even more helpful.

Improving problematic design, yes, that is always something to strive for. But for the life of me, I can't come up with adequate improvements for the nuclear power plants. That spent fuel rod problem seems a tad bigger than anything facing wind and solar power. We have lots of really smart people, time to give them incentive for coming up with better solutions that get us beyond the whole nuclear concept.

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. Today's large turbines aren't especially unkind to birds

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/04/common_misconce.php

Common Eco-Myth: Wind Turbines Kill Birds

by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04. 6.06
Science & Technology (alternative energy)

It's a given that anytime we post a story on wind power someone is going to comment that "turbines kill birds," suggesting that wind power may therefore be unacceptable. Compared to what? Hitting birds with automobiles (along with turtles, groundhogs, and deer)? Birds caught by feral cats? Birds colliding with buildings or phone towers? Quite possibly, a higher mortality will be attached to the transmission wires needed to get the wind power to market. Why, then, do many associate bird mortality only with wind turbines? We hope to get to the bottom of this "death by turbine" myth hole, and point to the factors that can actually be managed though public involvement.

Our hunch is that the Altamont Pass California wind turbines, reportedly the site of some of the highest bird mortalities associated with any US wind farm, and using what is now an antique turbine design, are at the root of the widespread association of bird mortality with wind turbines in general. Now might be a good time to have a glance at this site, to get some perspective on the hundreds of raptors killed per year by the Altamont turbines.

…

Whether by intent or because older studies are more common, opponents of wind power will have cited bird mortality data from studies done before 2000 and, to make their point, are likely to focus on studies done on wind turbines erected in high exposure situations: e.g. in migratory pathways, at mountain passes, near nesting areas, and so on. Those are the numbers that get quoted at public hearings, published in the media, and that therefore underlie the collective consciousness about wind turbine hazard to birds. Not unlike what happens to people who constantly see fires crashes and shooting on the local news and come to think that what they are seeing is far more common than it really is, it all comes down to a risk communication problem.

…

For an excellent overview of all the major bird mortality categories we suggest you http://www.awea.org/faq/sagrillo/swbirds.html">visit this site page maintained by the American Wind Energy Association.

Indeed, my brother told me of watching flocks of birds fly around and through turbines upstate repeatedly. He said they seemed to be having fun!

[phantom power]

3. Oh, they don't really creep me out. I just thought it was funny.

Al Gore, you've doomed us all!

:rofl: