Biden Admin Energy Official Won’t Say Offshore Wind Turbines Can Survive Major Hurricane

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Comment by Willem Post on May 1, 2023 at 11:20am

During a meeting about whales and hurricanes, etc, in New Jersey

Liz Klein, a Biden-posse-appointed, political leader of BOEM, should have had the following answers to some really simple questions from the anxious, upset audience.

In case of a Category 2 or 3 hurricane, with winds over 50 mph, all wind turbines, on land and offshore, would be shut down to prevent damage!!

That means, a large fleet of traditional, quick-reacting power plants would have to be staffed, fueled, and kept in good working order, to be immediately ready to provide electric power during high-wind conditions

They would also provide power during minimal-wind conditions and all other wind conditions, 24/7/365.

As even the most obtuse RE folks would agree, now we would have TWO power systems, which, of course, cost a whole lot more than having just one power system. 

All those extra costs have been, are now, and will be charged to already-struggling ratepayers, taxpayers and added to already-bloated government debt, while people are trying to survive high interest rates and high inflation, and low, real GDP growth, despite huge deficit spending every month.

BTW, US 2023, 1st-qtr GDP growth was 0.1% versus 2022, 1st-qtr GDP, while US deficit spending is running at $100 billion/MONTH and US trade deficit is running at $100 billion/MONTH, with official inflation at 5%, and unofficial inflation at 8 to 10%, with wages growing at less than these percentages.

Welcome to the Biden-in-the-basement, economy-destroying idiocies. 

It is extremely doubtful, the US could survive another 4 years of his demented shenanigans, including his US society-destroying open borders, and inane arms supply for corrupt Ukraine for “as long as it takes”

Europe

BTW, ALL OF THE ABOVE HAS ALREADY BEEN A FACT IN EUROPE.
LOOK AT WHAT UNREST HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN FRANCE, GERMANY AND THE UK REGARDING THE INANENESS OF “NET-ZERO/ELECTRIFY-EVERYTHING”

In the North Sea, which has some big wind storms each year, wind turbines last about 15 years, instead of the 25 years bandied about by naive, semi-lobotomized/brain-washed, media-befuddled RE folks.

They lose performance each year, because of salt water corrosion, and wear and tear, which requires more maintenance and more down time, and less production time, which leads to lower capacity factors, and more costs/kWh.

At 10 years, they usually need new rotor blades, which requires special crane ships
It used to be, the new replacement blades were aero-dynamically more efficient, but that refinement game is just about over.

The old blades need to be disposed of in so-called “land fills”
In the Midwest of the US, there is a growing number of fields covered with used rotor blades, that cannot be economically reprocessed.

Of course, the variable, grid-disturbing wind output, MW, could not be fed to the grid, unless counteracted by quick-reacting power plants, such as CCGT and hydro plants, 24/7/365, as in Quebec and Norway

Welcome to increasing environmental destruction, for the benefit of the tax shelters of the well-connected, private plane/yacht/country-club, multi-millionaire folks.

Comment by Willem Post on April 30, 2023 at 9:37pm

All power generators use some power for their own use. It is called self-use

A nuclear plant about 5% of output, a wood burning plant about 10% of output, etc.

Comment by Frank Haggerty on April 30, 2023 at 5:44pm

Wind turbines spin at between 4mph and 7mph. The generator does not engage until around 8mph. Also at wind speeds above 45mph, the brakes come on and in addition, any sudden change of wind they shut down. Another factor is the parasitic use of power used to operate the turbines AC,Heat,computers battery backup and anything any power plant needs. 

Comment by Willem Post on April 30, 2023 at 4:13pm

Withstand is one set of standards, but operating with 50-mile winds is something else.

No owner, and no bank/insurance company would allow it; too risky, not insurable

I agree windspeed are much higher at 850 ft, than at 550 ft.

Comment by Frank Haggerty on April 30, 2023 at 12:09pm

Wind turbines have a wind turbine rating. For example, using a bankrupt wind company NEG Micon NM-82 turbine which platforms many newer turbines were built. 

The specifications say the wind turbine can withstand wind speeds of 120 mph. When you read the specifications you see the turbine can withstand 120 mph for only 15 minutes and 110 for 30 minutes and on a sliding scale.

Note # a single peak 3-second gusts of 156 mph (a standard called IEC 61400-01) after 4 seconds damage starts.

The newer turbines in the ocean including the blades could reach 800 feet where wind speeds are much higher than land speeds.  

In Puerto Rico as of October  2017 every turbine was damaged by Hurricane Maria.