PowerSwitch

I thought a few people might be interested in this graph.

Could you post annual totals? Looks like a fairly significant downward trend.

13 May 2007 to 31 Mar 2008 = 8845kW

1 April 2008 to 31 Mar 2009 = 8469kW

1 April 2009 to 31 Mar 2010 = 7710kW

1 April 2010 to 31 Mar 2011 = 5283kW

So, yes there is a downward trend, especially noticeable in the last year, but other factors may also come into it.
We are still very open to S, SW, W, NW, N winds but trees have been planted on the East side of the turbine about 200 metres away and these are becoming significant.
That said we don't get that many winds from the East!

We have lived here for more than 30 years and we do think that the winds have not been as strong in recent years but again we have put in a lot of shelter since we arrived so they no longer bowl us over when we open the door!

Since installation we have generated 30300kW and of this we have used on site 8600kW and exported 21700kW.
We have also imported 10700kW thus there has been a net export of 11000kW.

Hope this is of interest to some.

Janco2 wrote:13 May 2007 to 31 Mar 2008 = 8845kW

1 April 2008 to 31 Mar 2009 = 8469kW

1 April 2009 to 31 Mar 2010 = 7710kW

1 April 2010 to 31 Mar 2011 = 5283kW

So, yes there is a downward trend, especially noticeable in the last year, but other factors may also come into it.
We are still very open to S, SW, W, NW, N winds but trees have been planted on the East side of the turbine about 200 metres away and these are becoming significant.
That said we don't get that many winds from the East!

We have lived here for more than 30 years and we do think that the winds have not been as strong in recent years but again we have put in a lot of shelter since we arrived so they no longer bowl us over when we open the door!

Since installation we have generated 30300kW and of this we have used on site 8600kW and exported 21700kW.
We have also imported 10700kW thus there has been a net export of 11000kW.

Hope this is of interest to some.

How do these figures compare to what you were told you could generate? Best year (almost) capacity factor there is 19%. Do the wind speeds correspond with NOABL well?

Climate change/Global warming = need for wind power apparently because retained scientists think that Co2 can accelerate any natural change...

OK so that is what we are being told..yes?

If you take the baby food offered by Mr Gore then the "hockey stick" graph apparently "proves" this...

I'm not going to argue that one here..

I only ask the question concerning what we are told, regardless of the IPCC non peer checked and woefully incorrect and flawed reports..we all know which they were and it does seem to stain the reputation for "proper science"

But not being a sceptic because I really don’t know the truth of the matter either way I am somewhat concerned about wind power.

I started a thread on a forum about wind power and was surprised to find that the editor of the BWEA publications started to post on it without telling anyone what he does for a living..(Neither did he state such in all the letters he had published in the local press..)..

However .. please comment on this..

Global warming or Climate change as it's now called, mainly because the predicted "global temp" rise has stalled, states we will be getting severe weather in the immediate future because of GW/CC.. yes?

Well then if we do is it not reasonable to assume that climate change means..well the climate/weather patterns will change enough to notice?

If so is not the building of a large number of wind turbines, apparently sited in locations chosen for historical and current wind patters appear to be somewhat reckless?

If the weather is going to change then how quickly? We are told in the next 5-10 years...

If no one knows where that change will move weather patterns then how can we rely upon the current understanding of such to site wind farms?

Only a question...

Glow Worm wrote:...states we will be getting severe weather in the immediate future because of GW/CC.. yes?

I wouldn't say that. It's more likely than not in my understanding that weather in our part of the world, largely influenced by North Atlantic anticyclones won't be any more severe. Also remember that in a warmer world, the poles warm more than the tropics. The hot (tropics) to cold (poles) gradient, the potential difference driving a lot of what we call weather, is reduced.

Glow Worm wrote:Well then if we do is it not reasonable to assume that climate change means..well the climate/weather patterns will change enough to notice?

...

If no one knows where that change will move weather patterns then how can we rely upon the current understanding of such to site wind farms?

Good question. I expect, in what ever way prevailing weather patterns change it'll still be windy in the same kinds of places turbines are built today and less windy in the places they aren't built. I expect the 'risk' represented by significant change in wind fields during the planned life of a wind farm is low compared to other risks that at routinely factored into any large engineering project.

Welcome to the forum, Glowworm. I suspect that you know about as much about Earth systems science as I know about brain surgery. However, the basics of how the Earth's atmosphere regulates temperatures is fairly easy to grasp and the effect of increasing CO2 concentration was worked out in the 19th century. I suggest you do a bit of reading and then come back with specific questions if there are still points that worry you. We'll then be willing to help.

That's what I'd do if I felt tempted to write on a brain surgery forum.

But to answer your question about siting of wind farms, it is safe to assume that the wind-speeds recorded in recent years in the British Isles will be typical of wind-speeds during the future lifetime of proposed windfarms. So no, global warming need not be taken into account when deciding site locations. Both global warming and fossil fuel depletion do make it imperative that we have more many windfarms if we wish to keep the lights on.