Alternative power

[thepeopleseason]

People in the know about the entire alternative energy movement know that generating excess power through solar or wind turbines will net you a surplus energy check from the utility company. According to Treehugger.com, however:

Wind turbines across the land should be a much-embraced idea but instead the concept has run into great opposition from local residents who find them ugly and intrusive.

Here's my proposed solution--combine your individual wind turbine with a Persistence of Vision system. It doesn't have to be just a wind turbine--it could be a clockface, or if we're talking urban areas, you could even sell adspace and get a nice monthly check from some local business...

Comments

[glueandglitter.livejournal.com]

I wonder how big those checks from the power company are! That could make the difference between solar panels being worth it or not.

A wind turbine seems like it's really labor-intensive...you have to raise and lower them, depending on wind patterns and whatnot.

[thepeopleseason.livejournal.com]

I do know that the Federal Government is giving some kind of tax break (I'm not sure if it's a deduction or a credit) on solar (and perhaps other alternative energy) installations.

Ah found it:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/08/knock_4000_off.php

[glueandglitter.livejournal.com]

Ooh thank you!

[flattop.livejournal.com]

Capitol idea, man. I thought abut a POV ceiling fan for a while but then decided I didn't have the skill or knowledge to pull it off.
For those of you thinking about building a wind turbine so you can get paid by the power company, check out this map from the DOE:
http://www.nrel.gov/wind/images/wherewind800.jpg
For a huge portion of the country, wind energy will never amount to more than a fart in a hurricane (narf!). Its interesting to note that the readings for this map were taken at 50 meters, 164 feet for imperial types. Turbines for individuals are typically much lower than that and will net less energy as a result. After all the furor over cell tower aesthetics, its hard to imagine people would be receptive to big spinney things popping up all over the 'hood.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not poo-pooing the whole idea of wind power. I just don't see it ever being more than a niche player in the energy market.

Breaking wind power.

[(Anonymous)]

Some states require the power companies to pay you if you put enough power back into the "grid". Of course, the power companies are allowed to set certain minimum standards for your equipment, which can only be satisfied by their particular equipment. Guess how much that costs to lease per year... (Hint: Playing by the house rules, you can't beat the house.)

And the p-o-v idea has a bit of a problem. Blood splatters don't look too pretty when spinning. The effective turbines are placed in high-wind areas. Those happen to double as bird migration paths. Chop-chop, splat-splat. c.f. http://www2.ucsc.edu/scpbrg/eagles.htm and http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/Programs/bdes/altamont/altamont.html . Birds fuse images at a much higher rate than humans, so the p-o-v displays look like a bunch of scattered lights and don't help.