These wind turbines are from the Corn Plus ethanol plant located in Winnebago, Minnesota.
windturbinesatcornpluswinnebagoMN.jpg?t=1215312506
I believe this produces 1/2 of all electrical needs for this facility. Another evolutionary step for this mostly Midwestern based industry.

 

Now all they need is to convert from corn based process to a cellulosic process, and put up a few more wind generators, 1/2 is not enough! LOL

 

They probably run the plant 24x7 and there isn't much wind after dark. Now if they had a nice tall water reservoir to pump up during periods of excess wind power ...

Bob Wilson

 

Hey this is cool, I love and agree with your comments.....

As a sidebar, energy producers in Washington state are now required to use windmills and provide (I think) 25% of power from alternate sources.

We are already big hydro users...there was an article in todays paper about how we are now producing more than we can use (due to more runoff & lots of wind) more than the transmission lines out of state can handle (for sale) and therefore they are cutting back on the speed the turbines are allowed to run for hydro & wind power all the while our power companies are asking for a rate increase.

 

This is universal... in OK our power companies have fought long and hard to build several coal fired power plants, (with coal imported to OK from Wyoming and Colorado), all the while they are fighting to prevent more wind generators from being erected. Now mind you, they advertise long and hard about how MUCH their doing to promote alternative energy sources. The worst part of all this... they don't want to build natural gas fired power plants either! Even though OK is the second largest producer of natural gas in North America. Know why the electric company doesn't want this? Because, even though their name is OG&E (guess what the G stands for) THEY DON'T PRODUCE A SINGLE CUBIC CC of natural gas! NOPE, gas production is the life blood of a DIFFERENT company, ONG; so OG&E would have to buy their gas from the company that took over 50% of their business away.

 

G is for greenback (dollars)?