Wind farms in Texas and Bonaire
If you've been reading my other posts you'll know that my father Kent Britain is using money from the shale oil on his land in Texas to invest in wind power. Additionally, as we have begun researching wind power options we have explored the construction and production of industrial sized wind turbines. I've tried to explain just how big these windmills can get but the pictures really don't do it justice. Quite a traffic jam results as they are traveling to the site each day. The trucks they travel on only run at 35-40 MPH, and there was quite a backup earlier today on the freeway as shown below. One might consider just how much gas is being wasted as these massive structures are transported to their sites? No matter, the cause is a good one.
Saturday, I got some shots of the central hub being hauled to it's site as shown below. To see a few shots of the wind turbine propellers curing in the Texas sun check out my other post here. So what you see below is the central hub that will be mounted on the mast, the mounting plate for the blades is between the hub and the truck cab in this photo. This is what the blades will fit into when it is all finally assembled.
The blades are about 120 feet long (which is larger than an average sized home), and there are multiple blades to be attached to each turbine so it's quite massive. Industrial grade wind turbines are created in such large sizes due to the efficiency gains that can be achieved. A larger turbine doesn't have to spin as fast as a small one in order to generate electricity, also by placing the turbine so high there is often an increase in wind speeds to be reached.
Just west of Abilene, Texas there are over 1,100 of these massive wind turbines. This used to be West Texas crude country. The wind turbines, though, will still produce power as long as they are maintained, as compared to the oil rigs that were left behind several decades ago, left to rust across the landscape. That said, there are many island countries (such as Bonaire) which received wind turbines from sponsor countries many years ago which have not been maintained. Upon falling into disrepair the turbines have stopped and while the wind keeps blowing no energy is being captured even as tourists flock by the hundreds for some of the worlds best wind surfing there. Thankfully, in the case of Bonaire there are plans to build new turbines and make the island country carbon neutral in the coming years as support for wind power has grown.
It's worth noting that the great Lone Star state now produces more electricity from wind than even California. Welcome to the Wild Windy West!
Saturday, I got some shots of the central hub being hauled to it's site as shown below. To see a few shots of the wind turbine propellers curing in the Texas sun check out my other post here. So what you see below is the central hub that will be mounted on the mast, the mounting plate for the blades is between the hub and the truck cab in this photo. This is what the blades will fit into when it is all finally assembled.
The blades are about 120 feet long (which is larger than an average sized home), and there are multiple blades to be attached to each turbine so it's quite massive. Industrial grade wind turbines are created in such large sizes due to the efficiency gains that can be achieved. A larger turbine doesn't have to spin as fast as a small one in order to generate electricity, also by placing the turbine so high there is often an increase in wind speeds to be reached.Just west of Abilene, Texas there are over 1,100 of these massive wind turbines. This used to be West Texas crude country. The wind turbines, though, will still produce power as long as they are maintained, as compared to the oil rigs that were left behind several decades ago, left to rust across the landscape. That said, there are many island countries (such as Bonaire) which received wind turbines from sponsor countries many years ago which have not been maintained. Upon falling into disrepair the turbines have stopped and while the wind keeps blowing no energy is being captured even as tourists flock by the hundreds for some of the worlds best wind surfing there. Thankfully, in the case of Bonaire there are plans to build new turbines and make the island country carbon neutral in the coming years as support for wind power has grown.
It's worth noting that the great Lone Star state now produces more electricity from wind than even California. Welcome to the Wild Windy West!
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