[Spridgets] Wind energy again

[Dave KK7SS]

The Nine Canyon Wind Project here at Kennewick, WA (12 miles from my house) occupies 75 of the 400+acres reserved for the project and the 63 turbines produce up to a maximum of 95.9 megawatts

A direct cut and paste from Energy Northwest's (project manager) own fact sheet makes interesting reading:

Quote:
The turbines are self-starting and begin generating electricity
when wind speed reaches 8 mph. Generation increases as the
wind speed increases, with full power achieved at about 35 mph. If
winds exceed 55 mph on a sustained basis, the turbines shut down
automatically by engaging a large disc brake and restart when the
winds fall below 45 mph. The pitch of the blades is automatically
adjusted to maximize power generation from the available wind.
Unquote:

Second quote (from the same page):
Wind energy is typically more expensive than coal, natural gas
and nuclear power options, but often less than solar, biomass, and
developmental technologies like wave and tidal power.
Unquote:

IIRC we've only had one turbine burn up this year!

--
Dave G  KK7SS
DN06ig   Richland, WA

'59 Morris Minor 1000
'65 Sprite - in process
'76 Midget - shared with my #4 son.
'06 Honda Civic Hybrid

----- Original Message -----
From: "derf" <derf247 at gmail.com>

I wonder how big a big generator on a stick would need to be to power
the average American home.
As of now, big generators on a stick are not cheap, either.