Glad others see the same way I do. Its free power (well after it pays for its self in 2-5 years, but still cheaper than a coal, nat gas or nuke power plant) Your right about the people in the multi million dollar homes... Put them 13 miles out. The curvature of the earth is about every 9 miles, there is no way they could see that because the earth would block it! The lake is like 70 miles across right?

 

We will not run out of oil anytime soon. Not in your lifetime for sure. Gas companies want you to keep buying gas, not alternative energies. But in a idealistic world I would hope solar/hydro powered cars will eventually take over making gas cheaper and then we can keep our LR's running more affordable than we can now.

 

Yes at some spots it is over 50 miles wide, one legitimate concern is about the ice, the ice can be 4ft thick or more and when it moves it crush's anything and everything, even the biggest baddest ice breaker is no match.
From what I have heard the idea has been scrapped because of the ice and fears it would level the wind turbines.
Honestly I think they could figure out a barrier to protect them.
They use these barriers on in lake lighthouses, they look like a gear with sharp teeth and solid concrete to break up the ice when it comes in contact with the barrier.
There is actually a law here in MI that 10% of all energy much come from re-newables by 2015.
Of course there is a certain political group that is fighting to change that law saying it cant be done by 2015.

 

Here in the flat land, we harvest trees (that be the ones planted in staright rows, not by squirrels, but by land owners), and a semi-load of trees is lifted in one ****** from the log truck by a serious "claw" and sent down into the de-barker. The bark that comes off makes a huge pile and is loaded onto semis. They roll up the road to Augusta and fuel another paper plant there that makes their own power. So it is re-newable, and it has been going on for years, and the bean counterz say it saves the company millions in fuel costs, letting that fuel stay in the ground where greedy politicians and terrorists can't get their hands on the resulting profits. Everybody wins.

As for wind turbines, plenty in Hawaii, a large group owned and operated by the Mormon Church as one of many investments that religous groups make to sustain themselves. Here off the coast of Savannah we already have large towers, put up by the Navy, as part of a network of protection for anything near KingsBay (home of the Trident subs on this coast, and the plant where the missles for same are built (shipped to Pacific side for the base over there). Can't see the towers from the beach. Power company did a study and figures on having four hundred foot blades for a wind farm off the coast. One problem along coasts is the flyway for migratory birds. On the coast of the Persian Gulf, very pricey high rise condos have been built that have "pancake" wind turbines between each floor. The whole building is also a power plant. Looks like a high rise.

You can solve the coastal land owner whine by making federal flood insurance (we all pay so they can live by the beach) require that people grant immunity to any government approved project that changes their "view".

They are building two new reactors about 50 miles from me. So they will have four at that site, making it largest in US. No worries. But the old Savannah River Plant, where really powerful and expensive stuff was made for decades, is another thing. It is not unheard of for a leak to cause the Savannah River to be closed to fishing or fresh water intake. And it is rumored that City of Sav sends a sample truck every day 70 miles up stream for a water test, just in case. I have met sample guys from the plant, they take sediment samples at docks along the river, and have it analyzed. Each sample is about the size of a pint of ice cream. So once you have a nuke site, it is there forever. Can we make good decisions today that may impact people 10,000 years from now (when a Land Rover will get 1935.8 mpg, and cost only $30 billion dollars, if you get the model with the flux capacitor)?

Maybe we should drill really deep holes by the nuke plants, and convert to geo thermal steam.

There are so many possibilities, all it will take is good engineering, and money to get running. This should be a national focus, similar to the space race. It won't be cheap, it won't be easy, and it will make a difference.

see NDBC - Station TYBG1

 

But we are American's Buzz, we want cheap, we want easy and we want it NOW!!

 

The Russians sent the wake up call in 1957, a little beeping ball called Sputnik. On May 25, 1961 JFK said we were going to the moon. And on July 20 of 1969 we got there.

If we can do that in 8 years, exotic car propulsion should not be too difficult.

 

I live in Michigan and am also an Environmental Science major. It sickens me that the knowledge, technology, and funds are available to make a drastic shift to renewable resources, but little progress is being made as far as implementation. I personally think it comes down to politics—something upon which I'm sure we all agree. I'm hopeful there will be an inexpensive way to run our Rovers in the years to come. As far as the wind turbines and the ignorant millionaires complaining..f them, build. Is it too optimistic to hold out hope that one day choices will be made based upon what is right versus what makes money?

 

AMEN SISTER!!!

As long as there is money in politics things like this will move forward at a very very slow pace.
I assume you are in West MI?

 

The near future will include 200 mpg small diesels - see Eight Companies Determined to Change Diesel Engines Forever - Diesel Power Magazine

Diesels can run on several kinds of oil based products, from sunflower oil to waste vegetable oil, to plain old Exxon, or a mix.

High MPG vehicles will be fought by some politicians, who want to keep people herded into large cities. But it will be a boon to the housing contractors, who will be building away from the cities as more people elect to raise families in the ever expanding suburbia.

And somewhere a clever machinist will buy old trannys from the junk yard, and make adapter plates for the new engines to fit old popular vehicles.