The high winds we’re experiencing right now in Michigan (thank you God for our generator!) got me wondering about that ridiculously impractical alternative-energy source the greens are so very fond of – wind turbines. There are record widespread power outages in the Detroit area today, and even if we had a wind farm on every corner they’d be totally worthless – not to mention dangerous – on a day with 50-60 mph gusts.
 
 
Countries further down the alternative path, like Britain and Australia, are learning this lesson the hard way – make that the very expensive way ~

Wrecked by gales again as windfarms get £300,000 to switch off…in high winds ~
• 15ft-long turbine blades flew off three structures in 112mph winds
• Concerned villagers fear someone could have been killed

 
Not only do the turbines have to be turned off in high winds, the structures themselves are at risk from storm damage, endangering the public. This is from the Daily Mail after a series of gales blew through the UK a few years ago ~

Christine Smith, a local Conservative councillor said: ‘This shows they can be very dangerous, these blades could have fallen on someone’s car or home. They are lucky someone was not walking nearby.
 
‘Wind turbines are flawed, they don’t work when it’s too windy, and don’t work when it’s not windy enough. There are much better alternatives to use less energy such as under-floor heating and insulation.

Then of course there’s the real irony – consumers actually have to subsidize the power companies for the reduction in power; energy costs go up when there’s less of it available.

 
“Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice…” I say, if these things aren’t stopped, the world could end by wind farm implosion ~
 
• Wind Power Setting the World on Fire: Infigen Sparks Devastating NSW Bushfire

• Wind Turbine Ice Capades: German Wind Farm Neighbour Cheats Death, Dodging Flying Ice Chunks

• Wind Farm Mass Attack: Wind Turbines Collapsing & Combusting Around the World

Until mankind discovers a safe, affordable alternative, nothing beats good old fossil fuels for reliability. In the meantime, we just need to make sure we have enough at our place right now to power the generator for the next several hours. (Might be time to switch to one of these babies.)

 
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Related:
Facing Up to the Folly of Windmills
Why Renewables Are Doomed and Fossil Fuels Are the Future ~

More and more, renewables are being recognised as an environmental disaster, as a charter for troughers and rent-seekers, as a human health hazard, and as a serious threat to economic stability […]
 
All I ask is one simple question: if an industry can only exist because it’s dependent on subsidies and regulation, what do you think will happen to that industry if the public mood swings, a revolutionary spirit takes hold post Brexit and Donald Trump, and those subsidies are withdrawn and the regulation is removed?