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Thursday, April 10, 2008

Bob Olson is insightful on wind energy and what it can mean. And for an interesting perspective ...



If you like impressive graphics, I have not downscaled or compressed the jpg file for the item if you clickover.

The Europeans are without any oil reserves to speak of, and we have largely exhausted ours already. There is a European Wind Energy Association and related, interesting website. The picture gives an interesting perspective on wind power, and its potential scale of importance, with it being an advertisement for the EWEA "No Fuel Solution" campaign.

The original image, as a one-meg pdf document, is here.

One reality should be noted. Wind power will not get rid of refineries but may play a role in more sensible uses of petroleum, a limited resource. Rather than burning it as fuel and adding to the atmospheric carbon load, petrochemicals add to other construction materials available to build capital plant and equipment. The composite blades of a windmill or composite parts of a lightweight and energy efficient aircraft such as Boeing's newest 787, require petrochemical production, for the resin binder in the glass or carbon reinforced composites used. We can burn fuel, turn petroleum into bomb explosives to be the sole world superpower and all that thinking has most recently gotten us, or we can use it to build. I'd love to have the chance sometime to be standing in the open air on that windmill, and would want the same safety strapping that worker has.