LaBrecque: Can't Find a Windmill w/ Payback Less than 200 Years
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James C. LaBrecque
University of Maine
Department of Mechanical Engineering
james_LaBrecque@umit.maine.edu
Sept. 29, 2010
UM Student Shows LePage Fallacies of Small Wind Turbines
University of Maine Students Open Candidate's Eyes to Fallacies' of Small Wind Turbines
Seven Mechanical engineering students and Capstone advisor Jim LaBrecque present gubernatorial candidate Paul LePage with engineering and statistical facts that money spent on engineering returns a superior economic advantage over small windmills. "The visit was meant to educate the candidates to energy and engineering issues," said LaBrecque.
Alexander Polk, Orono Senior engineering student, gave startling facts to Mr. LePage. For example, a typical $16,500.00 windmill like the one at Mt. Abraham High School produce between 200kWh-500kWh per year - a cost savings of only $30.00-$80.00 per year.
We can't find a windmill with a payback less than two hundred years said Instructor and Capstone adviser Jim LaBrecque. Farmington's sewage treatment plant has a payback of 625 years said Mr. LaBrecque.
Senior student Polk showed that one Mt Abraham student promising to drive only 3/4 of a mile less per day would produce the same energy savings as the sixteen thousand dollar windmill. When Polk explained the 500kWh produced by a typical windmill was 376kWh's short of the 876kWh a 100-watt light bulb takes to run continuously for one year, LePage stated "one of these windmills can't even produce enough electricity to keep one light bulb going for a year."
Earlier this year gubernatorial candidate Libby Mitchell visited the Tranten's market. LaBrecque said the energy savings from the Tranten's market hi-tech refrigeration system is equal to 1,350 $16,500.00 windmills. Plus, the windmills would cost more than 22 million dollars.
The students feel LePage understood their message: we cannot continue to throw money down the drain for nonsense when real energy solutions can be harvested by real engineers.
LaBrecque said energy efficiency and conservation are complex engineering issues. We can no longer depend on lawyers, lobbyist, legislators and special interest groups in Augusta who lead us down this windmill path.
-end-
Maybe Angus Jr. and Angus III would like to chime in.
I would like to know the cost to consumers of a kilowatt from the Mars Hill type windmill generators and what the cost is to produce a kilowatt cost without government monies involved, a true private business cost. My employer is working with First Wind to put up to 25 windmills in our area like the Mars Hill Project and I would like to give him some real data if possible. I also heard that a kilowatt produced from Deep Water Inc., which is establishing wind mills off the New Jersey coast has predicted the cost of a kilowatt to be at 24 cents, which was from thier own data, but have not been able to confirm and they have not returned my info requests for the data.
Pres. Obama stated, "energy costs would necessarily have to skyrocket under his plan".
Which is about the same model Spain had, which has some of the highest electric rates in Europe, 20% unemployment and for every green job created lost 2.2 traditional jobs. And each green job cost $600,000. These stats would only hurt Maine families, the businesses we have currently, and would negatively impact our chance here in Maine to lure new businesses and jobs to Maine. Maine need to reduce it's electric rates, which are twice the national average, to bring industry and jobs back to Maine while also electing a government that can be trusted and is predictable, and if these projects are only going to raise the rates on Maine families and businesses Maine people should know these facts.
None of this is any surprise. There are millions of people who believe that wind generation will replace our dependance upon foreign oil, and our own national coal resources.
Simple engineering calculations show otherwise. My old UMO ME Prof, Dick Hill, has been debunking this myth for years. I can't find any link at the moment but he has written columns in the past showing clearly that if all the possible wind generation sites in the US were developed it would only generate about 1 or 2 % of the total.
I have been interested in solar and wind power most of my life and have accumulated some materials on same. There are quite a few people who live off the grid and the only way it can work is this: You have to drastically change (read lower) your family energy useage, which is entirely, and easily, possible.
The mega windpower developments taking place, before our eyes, with our money, appeal highly to those folks who want to continue to live like Al Gore, and to those who oppose every other way of generating electricity there is. These wind plants are being built with huge subsidies from government, both for construction and for operation. I read someplace that wind was subsidized at more than $23/kwh, way higher than anything else, by far.
This is a redistribution of wealth scheme on a scale never seen before in our nation, and it is candy to the radical enviros who love em, as long as they aren't built on their cherished mountain tops, or near their homes.
The whole thing is one colossal fraud IMHO!
State laws require a certain percentage of green energy. A lot of that is being generated with wood burning in Maine. That was abandoned 25 yrs ago as it could not compete with Point Lapreau and Quebec Hydro. Why does it all of a sudden make sense now? Could it be the huge subsidies (nowhere near wind!)?
I cannot understand why, when we have had hydro-electric dams in Maine for over a hundred years that generate absolutely clean energy, and could forever with regular maintenance, we are tearing them all out admidst huge celebrations everytime another bites the dust.
Sometimes I think "we the people" belong in the nut house for believing in this stuff.
WC
"I cannot understand why, when we have had hydro-electric dams in Maine for over a hundred years that generate absolutely clean energy, and could forever with regular maintenance, we are tearing them all out admidst huge celebrations everytime another bites the dust. "
You are not alone WC. Add in the extra money that can be made by creating high dollar lakefront property, tourism dollars and you've got a win, win, win. I've got to think that if the permitting process were changed there must be someone who would be willing to invest in a new dam, and that there are places that would welcome its installation.
http://mainecampus.com
University of Maine adviser: Small wind turbines not economically viable solution
By Michael Shepherd
Posted on Wednesday, October 6th, 2010, 10:47 pm
A University of Maine capstone adviser and a group of mechanical engineering students have been going to great lengths to convince gubernatorial candidates of the perceived problems of small windmills as a power source in Maine.
Jim LaBrecque, owner of Flexware Control Technologies in Bangor, manufactures temperature control devices for residential and commercial environments.
“When it comes to education, I am extremely nonpartisan,” LaBrecque said. “We’re out of frigging money.”
http://mainecampus.com/2010/10/06/university-of-maine-adviser-small-wind...
The Edwards Dam site near Augusta is a proven good site for hydro power. That would be a good place to start.
There is currently a proposal to construct three wind turbines in Jonesport. Meanwhile, a nearby biomass plant was recently shut down. According to an article in yesterday's Boston Globe, the cost per kilowatt hour with construction costs amortized over approximately fifteen years for a biomass plant was approximately $.12, versus $.15 for a wind power plant. Which begs the question, how can the latter be economically viable when a less expensive technology with the production and delivery infrastructure already in place can't stay in business?
In order for the people like Al Gore, King and Baldacci to make money on wind power they first have to remove dams, nuke plants and biomass generators. Then all that is left is wind.
Mitchell said Wednesday that she supports onshore and offshore wind power strongly, but did not remember the specific visit to Kingfield.
What is wrong with Libby? She has strong opinions about costly green energy but cannot remember meeting with one of Maine's most knowledgeable sources on energy and efficiency? This woman is dangerous! A convenient pattern of forgetfulness is disturbing for a gubernatorial candidate.
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Hope this story goes national. There needs to be accountability over the "show over substance" that the extremist environmentalists promote. I hope they do a study next on the snake oil of "carbon credits."