I own no land, instead I have wheelestate. I’ve been a full time RVer since 1997. Working summers as a Park Ranger takes me to many beautiful places and playing during the winter takes me to many more. This blog is simply the story of my life's adventures.
Moved
Thank you for stopping by. Just to let you know, I'm still blogging but have moved to Geogypsytraveler. Hope you'll follow my adventures. Just click here.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Arizona wind farm
Driving south from Grand Canyon National Park on Highway 64 I thought I saw wind turbines off in the distance. I didn’t remember seeing them before. The Perrin Ranch Wind Energy Project...
Nicely summarized... agree with you that I support alternative energy options, but figuring out where to put them is tough. I'm heading over to a CA desert area today to participate in a photo contest to raise awareness about disturbing the environment (there is a proposal to install large wind turbines in the area).
I am all for alternative power but I hate the wind turbines. They are popping up all over the place and quite frankly I think they are an eye sore. I am also worried about what happens to the wild life living in the areas. I have seen some horrible photos of wind turbine disaster, not very comforting if you live nearby!. As for the power lines they are really not very pretty either, but I guess much cheaper and easier than putting them underground! I just do not know where you draw the line. Diane
Wind turbines cover the mountains east of Idaho Falls near here. At night the sky is now covered by red blinking lights and they are very disliked by the residents there. They are not cost effective as I have studied.
Gaelyn, I love alternative energy but am concerned for the birds and the general ascetics of nature. In a place like AZ, it seems that solar power would be a better way to go as there is a year-round supply of the stuff with no harm to wildlife that I know of. Still, if the bird and wildlife concerns are addressed and the surrounding properties are not de-valued I am for it. However, I do fear a day when this will go out of style and we will all have rotting metal structures dotting the landscape.
Okay, just read everyone else's comments. I did not know that they do not supply enough energy to cover their cost and I do agree that a few are okay, but wind farms everywhere would be an eyesore. However, my greatest concern is still their impact on birds and bats and things like that.
Coolest wind farms ever are in the desert just outside Palm Springs. Hundreds of windmills. Strangely beautiful there in the middle of the desert. But really, not sure I'd want them in my back yard. In the middle of the desert though, they're really cool looking.
There has also been a lot of debate about wind turbines around South Africa. The put one up outside Port Elizabeth and there was talk about more, but nothing since.
All power generation has its trade-offs. Even the solar cells Hubby and I have needed energy to produce and I understand there are pollution issues in their manufacture. The underlying issue is the number of people inhabiting the earth. Like you, I don't mind seeing the wind turbines or solar farms but I don't live next to one.
At first it seemed like a no-brainer But then I worried about the birds. Did read something the other day (thought I'd saved,but can't find it) that said they have changed the speed of the turbines or something and so they aren't killing the birds any more. I need to find out if that's true or just propaganda.
I always wondered about birds around wind turbines. As a park ranger (?, haven't been deeply in your blog yet) have you seen a lot of dead ones lying around compared to other places? That would give a clue. Still need some time to visit your past posts but I will, I will...
I am personally intrigued by them and, having grown up in a very windy place, can at least appreciate the attempt to harness an otherwise nerve-shattering weather element. I don't have a backyard but I wouldn't mind seeing them all the time, I don't think. But then, I like to imagine they are alien spaceships landing in the night.
13 comments:
Nicely summarized... agree with you that I support alternative energy options, but figuring out where to put them is tough. I'm heading over to a CA desert area today to participate in a photo contest to raise awareness about disturbing the environment (there is a proposal to install large wind turbines in the area).
I am all for alternative power but I hate the wind turbines. They are popping up all over the place and quite frankly I think they are an eye sore. I am also worried about what happens to the wild life living in the areas. I have seen some horrible photos of wind turbine disaster, not very comforting if you live nearby!.
As for the power lines they are really not very pretty either, but I guess much cheaper and easier than putting them underground!
I just do not know where you draw the line. Diane
I hate them, they are an eyesore. There are proposals to install them on the wide open praires of Osage County here in Oklahoma.
Economically they are a loser. Without the tax credits they get they could not compete.
Wind turbines cover the mountains east of Idaho Falls near here. At night the sky is now covered by red blinking lights and they are very disliked by the residents there. They are not cost effective as I have studied.
Gaelyn, I love alternative energy but am concerned for the birds and the general ascetics of nature. In a place like AZ, it seems that solar power would be a better way to go as there is a year-round supply of the stuff with no harm to wildlife that I know of. Still, if the bird and wildlife concerns are addressed and the surrounding properties are not de-valued I am for it. However, I do fear a day when this will go out of style and we will all have rotting metal structures dotting the landscape.
Okay, just read everyone else's comments. I did not know that they do not supply enough energy to cover their cost and I do agree that a few are okay, but wind farms everywhere would be an eyesore. However, my greatest concern is still their impact on birds and bats and things like that.
Coolest wind farms ever are in the desert just outside Palm Springs. Hundreds of windmills. Strangely beautiful there in the middle of the desert. But really, not sure I'd want them in my back yard. In the middle of the desert though, they're really cool looking.
There has also been a lot of debate about wind turbines around South Africa. The put one up outside Port Elizabeth and there was talk about more, but nothing since.
These are a good stop-gap while other methods are being developed...
I know I wouldn't want to fly into one!
All power generation has its trade-offs. Even the solar cells Hubby and I have needed energy to produce and I understand there are pollution issues in their manufacture.
The underlying issue is the number of people inhabiting the earth.
Like you, I don't mind seeing the wind turbines or solar farms but I don't live next to one.
At first it seemed like a no-brainer But then I worried about the birds. Did read something the other day (thought I'd saved,but can't find it) that said they have changed the speed of the turbines or something and so they aren't killing the birds any more. I need to find out if that's true or just propaganda.
I always wondered about birds around wind turbines. As a park ranger (?, haven't been deeply in your blog yet) have you seen a lot of dead ones lying around compared to other places? That would give a clue.
Still need some time to visit your past posts but I will, I will...
I am personally intrigued by them and, having grown up in a very windy place, can at least appreciate the attempt to harness an otherwise nerve-shattering weather element. I don't have a backyard but I wouldn't mind seeing them all the time, I don't think. But then, I like to imagine they are alien spaceships landing in the night.
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