Reply to: The green energy revolution

[minestrone]

MF is moonlighting ???

[ladymuck]

You'd never see other technologies 'self destruct' of course. People rarely live within the danger zone of a flailing windmill, unlike nuclear plants.

I like seeing stuff self destruct, irrespective of what it is, as long as no-one gets hurt and subsequent generations aren't at risk of growing extra limbs.

[d000hg]

Edit: And the wind turbines sometimes self destruct too (possibly NSFW due to some swearing):

You'd never see other technologies 'self destruct' of course. People rarely live within the danger zone of a flailing windmill, unlike nuclear plants.

[vetran]

It’s chimneys for very fat Santas

MF is moonlighting ???

[GJABS]

Also, for a bonus rant, that blowing up video is nowhere near as entertaining as controlled demolitions of power station chimneys. Definitely a PR fail there.

Indeed. And add a little Mozart too..

Edit: And the wind turbines sometimes self destruct too (possibly NSFW due to some swearing):

[AtW]

It’s chimneys for very fat Santas

[ladymuck]

They are not chimneys! They are cooling towers and give off water vapour. However, the environmentalists try to show them as giving off smoke which is grossly misleading.

That is very true. I typed chimneys before looking for a good video and forgot to change it. There is one chimey in that video but they're less exciting, hence going for a cooling tower.

[Paddy]

Why were they being taken down? Is this where we find out that these multi million pound pieces of kit that only work within specific wind speeds, and have to be turned off when the beaufort scale says it's a bit breezy, now only have a 10 year functional life span and we have to expend lots of energy to take them down and make new ones?

Also, for a bonus rant, that blowing up video is nowhere near as entertaining as controlled demolitions of power station chimneys. Definitely a PR fail there.

They are not chimneys! They are cooling towers and give off water vapour. However, the environmentalists try to show them as giving off smoke which is grossly misleading.

[AtW]

In 25 years we’ll have cold fusion reactors at home

NEXT!

[BlasterBates]

I nearly said 5 year lifespan but I tempered my assumption filled rant with 10 instead 25 years sounds more reasonable. With a traditional power station having a 25-40 year lifespan, and nuclear around 80 I think, one would expect to see work into wind turbines to extend their operational life. I bet there's some argument against putting wind turbines on the site of demolished power stations, which would be a good reuse of land.

Drax power station was first commissioned in the 1970's and the same machines are still in service. They can largely be refurbished in situ. There is probably no limit to life of power stations built since the 1960's.

https://www.drax.com/about-us/our-history/

[minestrone]

[ladymuck]

Wind Turbines have a 25 year life span, so if wind becomes the main source of energy you can probably calculate that there is going to be massive demand for steel.

https://www.twi-global.com/technical...-turbines-last

Conventional turbines are also subject to the same stress but can easily be refurbished, rather like jet engines. I used to work for a turbine generator manufacturer and refurbishment was big business. Wind generators can't be refurbished because it's too expensive to take them back to the factory. Blowing up wind turbines will become increasingly commonplace.

I nearly said 5 year lifespan but I tempered my assumption filled rant with 10 instead 25 years sounds more reasonable. With a traditional power station having a 25-40 year lifespan, and nuclear around 80 I think, one would expect to see work into wind turbines to extend their operational life. I bet there's some argument against putting wind turbines on the site of demolished power stations, which would be a good reuse of land.

[BlasterBates]

Why were they being taken down? Is this where we find out that these multi million pound pieces of kit that only work within specific wind speeds, and have to be turned off when the beaufort scale says it's a bit breezy, now only have a 10 year functional life span and we have to expend lots of energy to take them down and make new ones?

Also, for a bonus rant, that blowing up video is nowhere near as entertaining as controlled demolitions of power station chimneys. Definitely a PR fail there.

Wind Turbines have a 25 year life span, so if wind becomes the main source of energy you can probably calculate that there is going to be massive demand for steel.

https://www.twi-global.com/technical...-turbines-last

Conventional turbines are also subject to the same stress but can easily be refurbished, rather like jet engines. I used to work for a turbine generator manufacturer and refurbishment was big business. Wind generators can't be refurbished because it's too expensive to take them back to the factory. Blowing up wind turbines will become increasingly commonplace.

[ladymuck]

Why were they being taken down? Is this where we find out that these multi million pound pieces of kit that only work within specific wind speeds, and have to be turned off when the beaufort scale says it's a bit breezy, now only have a 10 year functional life span and we have to expend lots of energy to take them down and make new ones?

Also, for a bonus rant, that blowing up video is nowhere near as entertaining as controlled demolitions of power station chimneys. Definitely a PR fail there.

[OwlHoot]

Why?!