Posted by
ElSnapitan on Friday, December 07, 2007 3:07:07 AM
What is the carbon offset for a wind generating plant? Is it worth it? Before you think that I am an idiot, please refrain from that decision at least until you have heard me out first........then you can slam me hehe.
Now I am NOT an expert but I am a thinker and I was thinking about what goes into making on of these things. If I have missed anything please let me know....
In order to make one wind turbine you would need:
Raw Materials:
Steel for the poles
Lightweight metal or plastic or carbon fibre for the blades
Copper cables to transfer electricity from the turbine to the batteries
The manpower to assemble the turbine
Transportation to deliver and install the turbine
What resources are used to build the steel poles for the base of the turbine?
A steel manufacturing plant has to melt the raw materials and then form the steel to the correct specs.
I guess the same could be said for any of the lightweight metals used to build this also.
Plastics are made out of oil so that adds to the carbon footprint of these turbines.
The resources for the copper and plastic coatings for the cables.
The gas it takes to deliver these turbines and poles to their destinations.
How much carbon will be reduced by this turbine once it is built and operational?
How long will it take for this turbine to be carbon neutral?
How long can the turbine operate before needing new parts or be completely replaced?
Although I like the idea of clean energy, how can these be an effective tool to reduce any carbon footprint?
I say they can't.
How many of these would need to be built to make a city like Chicago carbon neutral?
What kind of land mass would that take up?
How long would it take for the wildlife kooks to start screaming about these turbines killing migrating birds and bring the matter up in court to stop building them?
I think the resources used just to ship the turbine across the country would be enough to make it an in-efficient way to reduce our need for oil.
What do you think?
And please don't say things like anything is better than nothing or something along those lines.
Give me something to think about.
Prove to me that there is something out there that I didn't see or take into consideration.