David Hansen wrote:
On Sat, 1 Mar 2008 21:44:09 -0000 someone who may be "BRG"
wrote this:-

Still a rather expensive waste of time though installing these
things (along with windmills stuck on the roof or huge windfarms in
the countryside)

Ah,proof by assertion.

When the wind stops, the electricity stops *and* they even have to be
'turned off' in 'high winds' - so an expensive waste of time wouldn't you
say?

you still have to rely on nuclear/coal/gas/oil fired power stations
to maintain a reliable and constant supply of electricity.

The idea that any source of electricity generation is reliable is
mildly amusing. For example a little over a year ago one of the
largest coal fired plants in Europe had to be shut down suddenly
after a conveyor belt fell down.

True, problems will occur that will shut down a single power station - they
even close for maintenance and some are even 'mothballed' in the summer
months - but the electricity can still be generated from other stations.
Remember, when the wind stops, the whole windfarm stops generating *AND*
that loss *CANNOT' be replaced by other windfarms from different parts of
the country - or even another country.

But there are more o

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2007/01/22/newsstory9203741t0.asp

One of the reasons for connecting local electricity systems together
from say the 1930s was to allow excess standby plant to be shut down
while increasing overall reliability. Any connected source of
electricity feeds into this common system.

Agreed, but to get to this reliabilty from windfarms, then you would
physically have to have huge windfarms on every exposed place in this
country *AND* offshore - and that would still not be enough to power the
whole country reliably.

Ignoring this simple fact
leads one to make foolish statements and come up with ridiculous
costs, as the Royal Academy of Engineering have demonstrated.


Lies, damn lies and statistics that can even make 2 + 2 appear to add up to
5 - and that's what many resort to just to to make an impossible scenario
appear possible!

Not a foolish statement as the technology stands today - wind is factually
incapable of supplying sufficient electrical energy to run both industry and
domestic needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 52 weeks a year without
the help of power stations that are coal/gas/oil or nuclear powered - even
taking into consideration hydro-electric power generation.

If that were possible, it is unlikely that this government would noe even be
considering building new nuclear stations - let alone drawing up the
constructions plans and putting systems (changing the planning laws) into
place to legally prevent the tree huggers from being able to voice their
objections!

Never mind, the real fact is that 'global warming/cooling" had been taking
place for millions of years before life and the 'human' race ever evolved on
this planet (and even as humans were evolving) and will continue to do so
even if man resorts to living in caves again and eating and clothing himself
from whatever he can hunt and kill on that particular hot or cold day.

To stop weather pattern changes is just like the legendary king Canute
standing on the seashore and telling the tide to get back - impossible -
whatever we insignificant, ignorant. capitalistic and blood-thirsty humans
try to do.

Old mother nature wants her revenge on the human race, and she will get her
way - either through weather changes or plain and simple hunger (biofuel
production will start that off), disease and pestilence!

And *SHE* *WILL* ultimately get her way - as she did with the dinosaurs - no
matter what man does! Dig out the old animal skins for clothes, sharpen the
wooden spears and learn how to hunt and live without electricity, computers,
the corner shop, cars and to keep the old cave warm using animal skins for a
door and bits of wood for a fire to cook on - or shiver and eat raw meat!
:-)

Am I really making light of the subject - or will it happen? I
wonder........
BRG