Re: alternatives -Electric Generating Wind Turbines

[RadiumProj@cs.com]

In a message dated 5/1/00 6:06:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time, schoenho@via.at 
writes:

<<  Citizens
 oppose it because of the tremendous noise these wind wheels generate and
 even more because it is an "esthetic environmental pollution" of having
 dozens or hundreds of these hughe wheels on the horizon. I do not know,
 whether you have ever seen or rather heard such a "plant". I have seem
 single wind turbines for instance in Denmark, which were obviously supposed
 to generate electricity for a single farm. The noise was terrible and I can
 hardly believe that the inhabitants of the farm could stand it. >>
===========
Hi
Noise is one problem. Interference with TV signals is another problem seen in 
some windmill projects.  An interesting point of reference. Back in the very 
early 1980s the US Dept. of Energy spent several million dollars to erect a 
single demonstration electric generating windmill located on Block Island, 
Rhode Island. This was supposed to be an answer to the problem the residents 
had with the very high cost of oil generated electricity there.

The windmill caused such high levels of interference with TV reception to 
residents on the island [just a few miles off the RI coast] that DOE 
eventually installed cable TV to every resident on the island at government 
expense due to an embarrassing public outcry. People will tolerate a lot, but 
don't interfere with their TV reception.

Eventually, the cost of  repairs needed in trying to maintain the windmill on 
Block Island exceeded the value of the electricity being generated never mind 
not being sufficient to pay off any of the capital expense incurred. The 
windmill was eventually dismantled. There were definitely fewer politicians 
present at the windmill's dismantling that there were at its ribbon cutting 
ceremony.

If  our society ever learned to generate electricity from the excess "hot 
air" from numerous parties on technical and scientific issues [fill in your 
favorite parties here] we'd have a limitless supply of energy without burning 
any fossil fuels or having to split any atoms.

Stewart Farber, MS Public Health [Air Pollution Control]
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