The Earth Has Enough Wind Energy Potential To Power All Of Civilization

[applegrove]

The Earth Has Enough Wind Energy Potential To Power All Of Civilization

AP at business insider

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-earth-has-enough-wind-energy-potential-to-power-all-of-civilization-2012-9#ixzz268Bj68dA

"SNIP..............................................

WASHINGTON (AP) — Earth has more than enough wind to power the entire world, at least technically, two new studies find.

But the research looks only at physics, not finances. Other experts note it would be too costly to put up all the necessary wind turbines and build a system that could transmit energy to all consumers.

The studies are by two different U.S. science teams and were published in separate journals on Sunday and Monday. They calculate that existing wind turbine technology could produce hundreds of trillions of watts of power. That's more than 10 times what the world now consumes.

Wind power doesn't emit heat-trapping gases like burning coal, oil and natural gas. But there have been questions, raised in earlier studies, about whether physical limits would prevent the world from being powered by wind.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-earth-has-enough-wind-energy-potential-to-power-all-of-civilization-2012-9#ixzz268C5SHZZ
.............................................SNIP"

[TeamPooka]

1. "too costly" to power all of civilization? nt

[Confusious]

3. Yea, power cables in the middle of the atlantic

or the pacific. Gotta run the power lines out there.

Wind towers on top of everest. Gotta run the power lines up there.

Study also doesn't take into account materials which have been in short supply lately.

Or when/where you can put them.

Wind towers in Yellowstone or other national parks?

[Speck Tater]

2. I can see the Tea Party response now...

"But all those fans will blow the earth out of orbit and we'll crash into the sun."

But seriously, all we have to do is tap all those new hurricanes that global warming will be bringing us.

[AverageJoe90]

6. Yeah. Buncha morons, these Teabaggers are. Good post. nt

[mindwalker_i]

4. Hell, congress (specifically the house) has aenough wind potential

to power the world. We should mandate that all Republicans have windmills attached to their faces.

[BlueStreak]

5. This could cause a serious impact to the rotation of the earth

http://www.theonion.com/video/in-the-know-coal-lobby-warns-wind-farms-may-blow-e,20876/

[AverageJoe90]

7. LOL, good one.

TBH, though, I wouldn't doubt it if some people actually believed that, even if it did come from the Onion.

[On the Road]

8. Certainly it Does

There is more than vacuum energy as well. How much of it can be harnessed at what cost is another matter.

[longship]

9. And that's just the blow-viating in Congress.

Now if we could harness that, we'd really have something going.

[David__77]

10. There's lots of energy, but the question is what can be economically harnessed.

It boils down to long- and short-term costs and benefits for alternative supply sources.

[DeSwiss]

11. Now multiply that energy potential by 4.5:

[font size=4]

Cleveland State University wind turbines at Progressive Field are overachievers[/font]



The wind turbines attached to that distinctive plastic corkscrew atop Progressive Field are overachievers. The four mounted turbines are generating more than 4.5 times as much energy than if the turbines were standing alone, according to data collected by Cleveland State University.

More

K&R

[applegrove]

12. Freaky cool.