Skip to main content

The Wind Power Alternative

Could wind power be a viable alternative to conventional methods of power generation?

The UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair has recently said - "We are not going to be able to make up through wind farms all the deficit on nuclear power,"

Yet, if looked at from a slightly different perspective, wind power may already be a viable alternative - the link below is a web page where you can buy your own domestic wind turbine.

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9414908&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB&fh_search=wind+power&fh_eds=%c3%9f&fh_refview=search&ts=1180379362679&isSearch=true

It produces around 1Kw at moderate wind speeds and costs around 1500GBP.

Okay, so it’s not cost effective, but it is a step along the road. The manufacturer and retailer must believe they have a market. If they have, the unit cost will fall as sales rise. Once competition gets hold, the performance of equipment from alternative suppliers will improve.

This and commercial wind farms still won’t meet the rising thirst for cheap energy. The real issue is – How do we get people to use less?

Let’s not forget that there are still coal reserves in the ground sufficient for between two and three centuries. The UK in recent decades has stopped mining coal on a national basis, yet the few mines that continued in private ownership are profitable and expanding. We now have the technology to produce much cleaner power from coal. Much the same could be said of other fossil fuels.

On a global scale nuclear power generation produced 366 Gw in 2005, wind power produced 74 Gw in 2006. Comparing one to other indicates that wind power has lots of ground to make up, but this is where the comparison falls down and fails to demonstrate the potential.

With conventional power production, coal, oil, gas and nuclear, the only interaction an individual may have is to say yes or no to the power production plans of a government. With wind power generation, the individual can produce private power and reduce his own demands on the grid.

There are over twenty-one million households in the UK. Imagine, if every residence produced 1Kw of power whenever the wind blew, the scale would be phenomenal. Around 21 Gw peak power.

May the power be with you…

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Electronic Document Storage and Management (EDMS)

EDMS is not just a means of storing computer files. A full EDMS system allows for the process of importing both paper and computer generated documents into a computer system and indexing the files for easy and swift retrieval. In effect you can dispose of your traditional paper filing system. No more gathering letters, invoices and orders into filing groups and no more slotting them into the correct folders. Of course, you only use a paper filing system because you know you may need that document again in the future. Equally, when you do want that document it's invariably missing, either misfiled, or on someone else's desk. With EDMS documents are where you placed them and they are available for you to use where ever you are. All you need is a computer, tablet or smart phone and an Internet connection.As most modern businesses already use the Internet for everyday interaction with banks, Inland Revenue, Companies House, insurance companies, suppliers and customers it no longer ...

Leadership: So you want to be Powerful?

Throughout my life, in both business and personal spheres I have found that individuals seeking answers invariably look for 'silver bullet' solutions.     In a recent post on LinkedIn a n Influencer wrote that she had been asked the question ' Who is the most powerful person you ever met? '     The question was posed by a 17 year old and the author guessed that the answer being sought was the name of some sort of X-Factor figure, This strikes a cord with me. Throughout my life, in both business and personal spheres I have found that individuals seeking answers invariably look for 'silver bullet' solutions. This applies to all generations, 'Boomer, X-Gen and Millennial, it applies to individuals of all levels of intelligence, and to individuals at all levels of authority.     The desire for someo ne to appear, like a genie from a lamp, wit h either ' the answer' to a problem , or ' the power' to solve the problem, or...

Law and Order: The Anonymous Text Tip-Off

The following article came out of an interview conducted with Max Doleh - Law enforcement organisations and Crime Stopper programs are turning to technology which enables text tip-off from the public to facilitate a police response. In September 2007 Master Sergeant Charles Phillips of the Oklahoma City Police Department published an item on the Oklahoma City Crime Stoppers web site (http://www.okccrimetips.com/ ) calling for increased resources to bring this technology to OKC. In November 2007 it was announced that Crime Stoppers of Oklahoma City have engaged technology company ProductiveT to develop an SMS system that is radically different to others in use in the country. Max Doleh, ProductiveT president and CEO answers questions – 1 . What makes the Oklahoma City system so different? The ProductiveT technology differs greatly from other offerings. The police department have their own dedicated number for receiving the messages and unlike most systems there is no need for the sender...