Abandoned windmills in Hawaii, click to enlarge. But its haunted not by Hawaiis legendary night marchers. Kawailoa (USA) - Wind farms - Online access - The Wind Power ; Online store . In this push for more wind turbine farms, Kern County picked out an area of 225,000 acres slightly north of Los Angeles due to its wind resources. President Obamas offshore wind farms will be far more expensive than those sited in Californias ideal wind locations. When it is time One can be sure that if the societal needs had to do with oil rigs, the same people remaining silent on the death of birds would be up in arms against the oil companies. Figure 3. Hence the term I used above Hybrid where your solar produces on sunny days and your wind produces on cloudy, usually windy days, and if you can situate your site near a stream you could add small scale hydroelectric to your options. No hard facts, no inventory counts, nothing but worst-case speculation, perhaps this, and perhaps that. Hawaii; Details. By 2004 Kamaoa accounts began to show up on a Hawaii State Department of Finance list of unclaimed properties. WInd turbines dont whiz around like the fan you have in your office. Instead of being concerned about this number, the state is looking to triple their wind turbine capacity in order to generate 33% of its electricity from green energy by 2020. Californias green energy is growing quickly with wind turbine growing the fastest. In 2006, transmission was finally cut off by Hawaii Electric Company.Californias wind farms then comprising about 80% of the worlds wind generation capacity ceased to generate much more quickly than Kamaoa. Isnt it amazing, these climate change sceptics are quick to trash professional scientific analysis perceived errors, yet they can go and make arbitrary claims of this nature with no basis of proof! We knew no one technology would stand on its own, and like smart people we did not favor putting all our eggs in one big energy farm basket. The problem with wind farms when they are abandoned is getting the turbines removed, as usual there are non Green environmentalists to be seen: The City of Palm Springs was forced to enact an ordinance requiring their removal from San Gorgonio. I began my study and participation in the alternative energy Game in 1973 fresh out of High School. So, what is an accurate number or methodology for determining the current number of permanently inactive wind turbines? But its haunted not by Hawaiis legendary night marchers. Cannibalizing parts from the original 37 turbines, Apollo personnel kept the declining facility going with outdated equipment. The Audubon Society makes up numbers like the EPA, but theres a reason why they call them bird Cuisinarts. Built in 1986, the Kamaoa wind farm at South Point on the southern tip of the island of Hawaii stopped producing energy for the Big Islands grid in the last ten years. When it is time to clean up after a failed idea, no green environmentalists are to be found. Spinning, post-industrial junk which generates nothing but bird kills. They have THOUSANDS of wind turbines in New Zealand, where their native fauna is predominantly birdlife, and they are totally unconcerned about wind farms killing birds. You would think that the lack of any supporting evidence would prevent people from quoting and then exaggerating even his already wildly exaggerated claim. 14,000 wind turbines permanently inactive would represent about 6% of the total installed base being inactive today. I think its okay as a small part of an overall energy strategy, but not as a sole source. WebAbandoned Wind Farms | American Elephants About About Us Elephant Talk dscott8186 on dscott8186 on dscott8186 on Questioning the Unknown dscott8186 on dscott8186 on WebAbandoned wind farm on Big Island Hawaii Royalty-Free Stock Photo Abandoned wind farm on Big Island Hawaii. Its a bubble which bursts as soon as the government subsidies end.. One more instance of companies paying up for harming protected species was in 2005 when a fish hatchery owner had to pay $65,000 and spend six months in a federally-run halfway house after shooting an eagle for feeding out of his businesss hatchery. I was wondering what had happened to the ones in Kahuku and elsewhere. You may want to do more reading on the subject. Is there a more immoral form of power generation than wind? In 2015, wind turbines produced 6.4% of Hawaii's electricity. Hawaii began research into wind power in the mid-1980s with a 340kW turbine on Maui, and the 2.3MW Lalamilo Wells wind farm on Oahu and the 9MW Kamaoa wind farm on the Big Island of Hawaii . Wind turbines dont kill many creatures. That there are 14,000 permanently inactive wind turbines out there somewhere. In the best wind spots on earth, over 14,000 turbines were simply abandoned. To rely on wind alone would have rolling blackout issues. The correlation between hunting grounds and wind farms seems to be the updrafts that are produced in the areas. He doesnt make any effort to show how he arrived at this magical number. Salt water is far more damaging than sun and rain, and offshore turbines dont last as long. It was a movement of radical, idealists, like myself who wanted everyone to be able to produce their own power needs, which when coupled with conservative measures would be much less than you might believe possible. The same areas that are good for siting wind farms are also good for birds of prey and migrating birds to pass through, shame for the birds that none of the Green mental midgets who care so much about everything in nature, thought that one through when pushing their anti fossil fuel agenda. P:]:%N]WC]kT2dA9yi?7wM^|~il].'\kn_:/.oO{z3F\x@{X As this happens, wildlife experts are warning that this renewable energy source will have a negative impact on the bird species in the area including the numerous protected eagles, owls, and hawks. ]. WebAbandoned Wind Farm on the Road to South Point (Naalehu, Hawaii; 14 sec.) The wind does not blow all the time, or even most of the time. The mysterious sounds are Na leo o Kamaoa the disembodied voices of 37 skeletal wind turbines abandoned to rust on the hundred-acre site of the former Kamaoa Wind Farm The Kahuku wind farm has been the subject of past protests, including one that led to more than 200 arrests in 2019. In addition to concerns about bats, wind farm opponents and Kahuku residents have said the 568 foot turbines are too big and too close to their homes. However, the quality of evidence doesnt matter in the global warming denialist and anti-renewables crowd, what matters is the quotable claim. [ Multitudes of abandoned wind turbines at South Point, Hawaii, USA. Theres an anti-wind energy myth floating around that refuses to die. Genious? What is a good way to calculate the worst-case ratio of inactive wind turbines? They are highly unsightly, and they are huge, and thats a lot of material to get rid of. This means that birds of prey will most likely be put to the side in favor of wind farms. There are five other abandoned wind farms in Hawaii. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. He doesnt list sources. But nice tax scams for his crony-capitalist backers will work well as long as he can blame it all on saving the planet. Although, I am known to debunk common myths that people often believe are true. The alternative is to simply abandon the outmoded turbines as several operators in Hawaii and California have already done, lay the costs on the so-far unsuspecting public, or find some way to use the unrecyclable materials in the blades for other purposes. But even in a place where wind-shaped trees grow sideways, maintenance issues were overwhelming. This ratio is 2 per cent, and is at one of the oldest operational wind farms in the United States, where massive tax breaks combined with immature technology have created one of the highest ratios of inactive to active wind turbines in any location. 14,000 Abandoned wind turbines. This type of shoddy and sensationalistic tactic is unfortunately typical. In a previous post regarding the disrespectful placement of wind turbines on the D Day beaches of Normandy it was concluded that leftist propagandists would be up in arms if this are were home to a threatened species of bat: Now if the area around the Normandy beaches were home to a threatened species of aquatic fruit bat then every NGO from Greenpeace to the WWF would be up in arms. Its now apparent that this assumption is wrong and that the wind turbine comes second to none for climate change activists. The sensible methodology to arrive at a very conservative aka unreasonably large but defensible number of permanently inactive wind turbine has a few steps. Web[ Multitudes of abandoned wind turbines at South Point, Hawaii, USA. http://bit.ly/1UDsnzt This hypocrisy has always been a cornerstone of Al Gores climate change rhetoric. 14,000 is a number that has been conjured from thin air by an anti-wind advocate for rhetorical purposes. The average wind turbine size in 1990, about 20 years ago or the lifespan of a wind turbine, was 200 KW. [citation needed] The 132 commercial wind turbines in the state have a total capacity of 236 MW. They lobbied the government to get the bulk of the grant money for research given to them, and to squash the idea of individual power with huge wasteful energy farms, paid for largely with tax money, but after construction, the monthly bill profits goes to the corporations. In the meantime, Hawaii, where Walden saw an inactive wind farm and created his fantasy figure, is putting up more wind farms because they continue to make economic and environmental sense. As a day job, Mike has had the good fortune to work on Smart Grid projects for IBMs clients, in addition to many other interesting initiatives that IBM is uniquely positioned to undertake. [12] In addition, Hawaii has the potential to generate 2,800,000 GWh/year from offshore wind power. Following a lengthy discussion with Margaret Atwood and others related to siting of wind turbines in a major birding area on her blog, he became a blogger on energy concerns, focusing on debunking myths about wind energy. Sadly, this same area is a hunting ground for birds of prey as well as a migratory path for birds that travel from Canada to Mexico with the change of seasons. Residents also expressed concern about the threat to endangered wildlife, particularly the opeapea bat. The reality is that it results in significantly increased power prices that hurt those least able to afford it the most. Tory Aardvark, the climate-change denying bastion of disinformation likes the US-only version, although their blog entry quotes the origination of the myth which talks about the world-wide number, so Aardvark manages to get it wrong twice in one post. Apparently this whole wind power thing is falling apart. The most recent citing was in the official policy of an Australian political party, the Democratic Labour Party of Australia. Of course, the inactive wind turbines are being replaced with new generation capacity as part of the Tehachapi Pass Renewable Transmission Project, so the number of dead turbines is going to drop substantially. When similar environmental tragedies happened, like the 2009 Exxon oil spill that killed around 85 birds across five states, they were fined $600,000. 14,000 ABANDONED WIND TURBINES LITTER THE UNITED STATES. Lack of maintenance will inevitably lead to failures. He doesnt show calculations. WebFigure 2. Wind power, the renewable energy that will save the world from global warming, is actually an environmental disaster that is directly affecting the bird population in certain places and causing a nuisance to the people who live close to these monsters. Corporations however survive on making their basket the only basket in town. lnEU`@[`avX; 6h.fnJ*zj@[ay@cR#XGb0A@fC%!WzYXw http://bit.ly/1UDshb7 Mike Barnard has been a deeply interested observer of energy systems for three decades. It was a nice dream, a very expensive dream, but it didnt work. Self sufficiency is empowering to the individual. "Hawaii - State Energy Profile Overview - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)", "California company plans to build $13M wind farm on Hawaii's Big Island", "Hawaii NIMBY fight reveals Biden offshore wind challenge", "Offshore Wind Energy Bill Sails Through Hawaii Senate", "The Struggle Over Towering Wind Farms Is At The Center Of A Honolulu City Council Debate", "Wind Powering America: Installed U.S. Wind Capacity and Wind Project Locations", "WINDExchange: U.S. Change). Smallwood and cohorts are quite shocked that the US Fish and Wildlife Service havent taken action against the wind turbines in order to enforce the US Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Despite these cases of companies and individuals being held responsible for harming wildlife, the USFWS has yet to punish any wind turbine company for their role in the deaths of protected bird species. And the number of permanently inactive wind turbines is diminishing as they are replaced with working modern turbines. xncendangered_species_in_hawaii_threatened_by_planned_wind_farm.html E/PC`HB10 $= AZe-wc^^)F> d4g>g`!%(' ]v7c0A.rx6`ATr`cQ\#=FR+K| Giant corporate wind farms are the antithesis of self sufficiency. Minnesotans for Global Warming report that in the last 30 years, the United States has had 14,000 wind turbines abandoned. Its a pretty flexible number and a pretty flexible and well-traveled myth. Web14,000 abandoned wind turbines litter the united states The towering symbols of a fading religion, over 14,000 wind turbines, abandoned, rusting, slowly decaying. Read my posts to find out more about me. Californias wind farms, almost 80% of the worlds wind generation capacity ceased to generate even more quickly than Kamaoa Wind Farm in Hawaii. Theres a big, big hypocrisy here, Sue Hammer of Tehachapi Wildlife Rehab in Kern County said. There are five other abandoned wind It is not inconceivable to me that we could reduce golden eagle populations by a great deal, if not wipe them out.. Our leaders want this power source so theyre giving, for a time being, a pass to the wind industry. A July, 2008 study by the Alameda County Community Development Agency points to 10,000 annual bird deaths from Altamont Pass wind turbines. The reality we figured out way back in the 60s and 70s was for most sites a person would have to combine two or more alternative energy technologies to make enough power. The US has had wind farms since 1981: Some say that Ka Le is hauntedand it is. Palm Springs has enacted an ordinance requiring their removal from San Gorgonio Pass, but unless something else changes abandoned turbines will remain a rotting eyesores, or the taxpayers who have already paid through the nose for overpriced energy and crony-capitalist tax scams will have to foot the bill for their removal. The cumulative impacts are huge, said Shawn Smallwood, an expert studying the effects of wind farms on local bird populations. That last word, somewhere, is used advisedly. Had the DIYers gotten the bulk of the research money, individual power provided on a per home basis would have been realized by now. 9a. [6] They are under review by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Apparently, the left only cares about the needs of society over the environment when it comes to climate change. The owner of a dilapidated Oklahoma Panhandle wind farm has presented plans to clean up the most dangerous of the wind turbine towers. Hawaii News Now reports: An endangered native bat is at the center of a fight over a controversial wind farm proposal on Oahu's North Shore. Wind power in Hawaii has the potential to provide all of the electricity generation in the electricity sector in Hawaii. In the best wind spots on earth, over 14,000 turbines were simply abandoned. Nice. It has been a point of contention for residents 14,000 abandoned wind turbines As Jimi Hendrix may have put it: And the wind cries bankrupt Minnesotans for Global Warming report that in the last 30 years, the United States has had 14,000 wind turbines abandoned. [ Hit "play" button below, or click click here to view or download as a 1-MB FLV file or In the best wind spots on earth, over 14,000 turbines were simply abandoned. In 2006, transmission was finally cut off by Hawaii Electric Company.Californias wind farms then comprising about 80% of the worlds wind generation capacity ceased to generate much more quickly than Kamaoa. Imagine the outraged Green chorus if those turbines were abandoned oil drilling rigs. California and The mysterious sounds are Na leo o Kamaoa the disembodied voices of 37 skeletal wind turbines abandoned to rust on the hundred-acre site of the former Kamaoa Wind FarmThe ghosts of Kamaoa are not alone in warning us. Not so with subsidized turbines. V y=rUn`2pWW7Kh4tkI AeS{Qjnp0ujJ|0t;$'+: u18~ Z(32ZRvOKd34ka!=@KW?@abVLjP$Zl:]B Z=v\Xg4bU):rzBP*U\HQvNvN4qBw9,|_:vgAPfEG{ Av@1c hq[Lm5n `%O [+npB:D}=fs~zsvWn~ these useless, inefficient, space-hogging eyesores kill every year? source:https://americanelephant.wordpress.cunited-states/. About 75% of the capital cost of wind farms is for turbines, turbine parts and components, towers and blades so a large share of the wind farm cost is for imports. The hype is great use natural wind resources. These deaths have likely increased as wind power capacity increases across the country., In 2012, breaking the European omerta on wind farm mortality, the Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO/Birdlife) reviewed actual carcass counts from 136 monitoring studies. They experienced problems from the noise and shadows that come and go with the turning of the blades, claiming that this produced sleep disruption, depression, seizures and other neurological effects. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. When wind gusts above 30 mph occur they must be shutdown. The Democratic Labour Party of Australia is hardly a force in the Australian Government. You apparently know little about the carnage they cause worldwide to our flying friends.