"More of Third World Fit for Wind Power: UN Study"

[GreenPartyVoter]

Windmills have far bigger than expected potential for generating electricity in the Third World, according to new U.N. wind maps of countries from China to Nicaragua.

"Our studies show about 13 percent of the land area has potential for development," Tom Hamlin of the U.N. Environment Program told Reuters on the fringes of a U.N. climate conference.

Previously, he said, maybe just 1 percent of developing nations was judged sufficiently windy, discouraging governments and investors from considering the nonpolluting source as an alternative to burning oil, coal or natural gas.

The new maps, part of a $9.3 million study, use data from satellites, balloons and other sources to model winds in 19 developing nations.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1205-07.htm

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. The equipment for wind power

is available from most marine goods suppliers. People who live aboard and cruise a lot have been using small windmills for decades.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. You can make a windmill from junk. I saw one made of old car parts

at the Full Circle fair this summer. I think the only new piece on it was the blades. But all the other parts were reclaimed salvage.

[MadHound]

3. Hell, a good portion of the first world is fit for wind power

There is a 1991 DOE study that compiled all our domestic energy resources. It was found that there was enough harvestable wind energy in three states, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas, to power our entire national electric grid, including allowances for growth, through the year 2030. Yet sadly there is no government or corporate program to harvest this energy, thus keeping the US hooked on petroleum products, coal, and other non-renewable and dirty energy sources.

Sad to say it is going to be up to us as individuals to start the ball rolling. My local city passed an ordinance in Nov. 04 to start using renewable resources to produce ten percent of its electrical energy. I myself will be installing wind turbine here in a few years. You can get a nice 3KW system, complete with inverter and deep cycle batteries for aprox. $11,0000. It will pay for itself in fifteen years, probably sooner given how prices are rising.

The only thing that corporations pay attention to is the almighty dollar. If they see that a signigicant portion of that dollar is going to wind, they will break both legs jumping on that bandwagon. But they won't initiate a damn thing, because right now they're making a killing in oil.

Interesting little fact in these days of Peak Oil and a looming energy crisis. Both Bush and Cheney have installed state of the art wind and solar power systems at their own spreads. That should tell you something right there.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. We all know that the oil companies are dictating American energy policy

There will be no wind farms until it is profitable for them allow us to have them. :mad:

[MadHound]

5. That's why we're going to have to do it on our own

Start creating a demand, and corporate America will follow those dollars. Do like Columbia Mo did, and force through an ordinance requiring the local power company to get X amount of power from renewable resources. Buy your own wind or solar arrays if you can. Get the companies you work for to see the wisdom in using renewables. If we force the demand for renewables up, and start showing that there is money to be made, corporate America will come flocking in droves.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. I'd also like to see municipalities offer incentives to go solar and wind,

such as signing up people in their town willing to do it and then buying the equipment in bulk to help save on costs.