Nov '07: An energy model for all to see | StarTribune.com
A towering wind turbine at Great River Energy's new headquarters in Maple Grove is the most visible sign of its determination to be a leader in renewable energy.[This afternoon, as I drove by in my reliable fossil-fueled vehicle, I noticed that this wonderful model [above] was gone. Where is it?!]
The wind turbine at the headquarters of Maple Grove-based Great River Energy was dismantled last week for maintenance.After you've assembled all the raw materials, refined the steel, manufactured, shipped and installed a massive amount of cement for the turbine base, shipped the turbine to Denmark, put it up, taken it down, shipped it to South Dakota, refurbished it, shipped it to Minnesota, manufactured, shipped and installed another massive amount of cement for another turbine base, put it up again, taken it down again, shipped it somewhere else for repair, shipped it back to Maple Grove, and put it back up again, then watched it sit motionless while the wind fails to blow hard enough, how much net energy have you gained, and how much better is the weather in Mozambique?
Installed in November 2007, the Micon 700 turbine first operated in Denmark before being refurbished by Gary, S.D.-based Energy Management Services (EMS) and erected next to Great River Energy’s headquarters. Capable of generating 200 kilowatts of power, recent inspections of the turbine revealed gearbox problems that required repair.
EMS is expected to repair the gearbox and re-install the unit’s turbine blades before the end of 2009.
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1 comment:
Tom is right on -- this wind energy in the name of "green" is just a scam. We don't use hot air balloons to travel for a reason. Wind is unreliable and a big money maker only for wind companies as they are subsidized by the governments (that's us folks). Makes people feel good thinking we're actually doing something -- in reality, these things make people sick, are hazards and NOT environmentally friendly. Wake up, we're smarter than this.
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