Wind power, downsized (community wind farms, OR)

[jpak]

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/115638814035170.xml&coll=7

When alternative-energy enthusiasts ponder the potential of wind generation, they generally envision huge, 100-turbine projects capable of producing power for tens of thousands of homes.

But there's a new, more modest player on the block. It's called community wind, and if pent-up interest is any indication, it's destined for a small but determined place on the Northwest's energy grid.

Loosely defined, community wind projects involve fewer than 10 turbines and direct ownership by the farmers, ranchers and others who might live in the breezy, rural reaches that make for prime wind-turbine territory.

Generally, such small-scale endeavors are shunned by large developers, who want lots of turbines, windier wind and high-voltage transmission connections to population centers. In that light, they will help round out the national foray into wind.

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[Atman]

1. Community Wind?

That's what they call the Keibasa and Cabbage supper down at the Polish Center!

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Also a great source of natural gas.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. I'm just going to stick a windmill on my roof and get off the grid!

and no, I'm not crazy, just fed-up!

There's a few kinks to work out, like the fact that if the wind isn't blowing, no DU... but I'm working on it. :crazy:

[depakid]

4. Localizing energy production and usage

Makes a lot of sense- It's also nice to see that creative financing is getting things done

"Farmers throughout the gorge often struggle to make ends meet, Crowley said, and wind turbines are looked upon as a venture that might, quite literally, save the farm.

The three-turbine, 4.5-megawatt-capacity project would plug into Arlington's power lines and supply most of the town's electricity when winds, as they often do, howl through the gorge, Crowley said.

For Crowley, Mar-Lu Wind represents the best attributes of community wind: a local farmer and local use of the power that's produced.

"This is what we ought to be trying to do," he said."

[IrateCitizen]

5. This is, IMHO, the biggest benefit of wind and solar...

They help decentralize energy production. One of the reasons I'm not a big fan of nuclear energy is that it maintains the same, highly-centralized structure that makes people dependent upon the gargantuan business interests that run the nuke plants. Decentralized structures help free people from these skewed living arrangements and dependencies.

[JohnWxy]

6. decentralized production also does not present attractive targets to

terrorists. And when there is enough power from decentralized wind farms this will make the nukes safer too. The terrorists will be much less likely to commit to destruction or decommissioning of a nuke if they know power will just be brought in from decentralized sources. If they can't cause a major disruption they're much less likely to go through with an attack.

Reducing the attractiveness of nukes and large conventional power plants as targets for terrorists is a important plus to expanding wind power.