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Tuesday, November 15, 2016

YIMBY: Yes, In My Back Yard: Block Island Wind Farm Begins Operations

      The five wind turbines south and east of Block Island, Rhode Island, USA, are newly operational as the Block Island Wind Farm, the first such offshore farm in the US.



         I learned about the Block Island Wind Farm from my mom who saw one of my high school friends, Ms. Judith Gray, a Block Island resident and retired meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, on the national news last week.




        In a 2014 article, Ms. Gray noted she has seen the damage caused by fossil fuels firsthand after visiting the site of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska and the Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico. "Renewable energy does not pose the same risks," said Ms. Gray, whose home on Block Island is in view of the location of the wind farm.






     We spoke about wind energy about two years ago at  Partial Ellipsis of the SunIn a gust of very good news for the renewable energy sector, a survey of 163 wind energy experts has found that in the coming decades, the cost of electricity generated by wind should plunge, by between 24 and 30 percent by the year 2030, and even further by the middle of the century.





      One key reason for the lowered costs is that new wind projects are about to get even more massive, in both the offshore and onshore sectors. As turbines get taller and access stronger winds, and as rotors increase in diameter, it becomes possible to generate ever more electricity from a single turbine.



      
     The Block Island Wind Farm will now produce enough electricity to power 19,000 homes or 90 percent of the island's needs, with 30 megawatts.



     Seems like a Wind-Wind to me,
     Steph


Happy Thanksgiving! SCIENCE IS SCIENCE, thankfully.

30 comments:

  1. From Poop to Windfalls: Things are looking up (and around) and up!

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  2. I recently read an article about some backlash against wind farms in The Netherlands, but this was a case of the turbines being relatively close to people's homes, a few hundred yards, where they could hear the noise and the turbines were very prominent in the view.

    But this is a big country with lots of unoccupied space. I think the wind farms in Livermore CA are beautiful, giant moving sculptures, and the cows don't seem to mind. Much better than the oil platforms off the Santa Barbara Coast.

    From taking the train through central and west Texas, and driving through windy Nebraska, I think we have lots of land that is great for wind and far from habitation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the ones we saw 2 years ago in eastern Utah were incredibly beautiful AND quiet.

      We do have plenty of room here in the USA. A windfall of room, perhaps.

      Delete
  3. Speaking of wind energy and backyards, did I post something here pertaining to this a while back? I know I thought about it.

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    Replies
    1. That's the first I've seen of the Wind Trees, Paul. Thanks for sharing. They are positively dendritic! And just in time for Wintry (Wind Tree) weather next month.

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  4. Block Island Winds.
    Rock Island Line.
    Whistling Straits.
    Block Island "Strait" Line Winds...
    Oops, perhaps a bit to whistley!

    LegoWhistlingWhileHeWorksOutHowManyErgsConvertedIntoDynesOfForceThatItTakesForOneOfPaul'sWindTreesToProduceJoulesOrWattsOrWatteverOfPower

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oooh, Lego, I'd like to see those Scottish blackface sheep hanging out on the good course. Be a lamb on those Whistling Strait-Aways! ;-)

      Delete
    2. ^^^golf course, not good course.

      But, stay the good course!

      Delete
  5. In the same leased area, Deepwater Wind is planning a 15-turbine, 90 MW wind farm to serve the South Fork of Long Island.

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    Replies
    1. Good to know, jan.

      I was surprised to learn that Ted Kennedy was so opposed to wind turbines off the Massachusetts coast due to aesthetic reasons.

      I wonder how the wind turbines will hold up in hurricanes.

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    2. They're usually designed to feather the blades to prevent overstressing during unusually high winds.

      Delete
  6. Replies
    1. Interesting.

      Sure would make a trip to Ethiopia/Mexico easier!

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  7. Replies
    1. Yeah, but how quickly could the next Interior Secretary (Palin?) reverse that?

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    2. Yeah, but then Palin would have to travel to all those places and we know she couldn't make it to the RNC because you know that's a loooong way from Alaska...

      The cooperation of the energy company was encouraging though, right?

      Delete
  8. The NIMBY CONUNDRUM : You know how this one came about, I'd imagine.

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  9. Happy Thanksgiving! SCIENCE IS SCIENCE, thankfully. Grateful for all of your mugs, as well as the mug added above.

    "The Corundum Conundrum: Sapphires, Rubies, and Padparadscha" is a work in progress for Partial Ellipsis of the Sun. Coming soon.

    Have a wonderful day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have a happy, Steph.

      If, as Wikipedia warns us, corundum isn't to be confused with carborundum, why are they both abrasives with a Mohs hardness of 9 that are spelled nearly identically? Sounds like someone wants us to confuse them.

      I wonder if tough-on-crime President Trump will pardon turkeys? Or maybe he'll deep fry 'em anyway?

      Anyway, illegitimi non carborundum!

      Delete
    2. Ah confusion! Post-truths about corundum, carborundum, and dum-dums now, too?

      Sigh.

      Delete
  10. Replies
    1. Very seriously weird, jan. . .

      And yet, the crackdown on 'politicized science' begins. . .

      Now, that is seriously weird (or something bluer).

      Delete
  11. Replies
    1. What does Anthony Wiener use to improve his photos?

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    2. Ewwwww. Now he's ruined the Northern Lights, too?! ;-)

      Delete
  12. New post on "The Corundum Conundrum: Sapphires, Rubies, and Padparadscha" is now up.

    ReplyDelete

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