Saturday, September 1, 2012

Joe Donnelly, the Windy Machine

(Click here for part 2: A fortune Blown away, DC Donnelly Wind Machine II )

Joe Donnelly recently visited Windstream along with Joe Manchin. Windstream makes wind turbines for the production of electricity. Joe is a strong supporter of wind energy as noted here:

Congressman Joe Donnelly said he thought it was a mistake not to extend the tax credits for wind energy producers.

“I support extending the wind energy tax credit because we need to harness the vast energy resources available to us right here in the U.S., creating jobs for Americans and lessening our dependence on oil imported from Middle East dictators,” Donnelly said in a statement.

Donnelly is a co-sponsor of a separate piece of legislation to extend the wind energy credit through 2019. The intent is to encourage more developments like the one currently in the works for Howard and surrounding counties.
->http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/02/26/wind-projects-dependent-on-federal-tax-credits/ 
What that means is that Joe Donnelly wants to take your money taken from you by taxation, and give it to others to promote their businesses. Of course,  he thinks he is doing good

But is he? And does the Federal government have the power by the U.S. Constitution?


The answer to the Constituional power is no. Taking taxes to promote a business is not included in the powers granted in the Constitution.

And what :good" is ole Joe doing? None whatsoever. According to this:

The usual average wind speed required for a windmill to work efficiently and properly is around 10 miles per hour or more. The windmill must be set up in places where there are no tall buildings or towers. There should be no hindrances to the flow of wind. Though a windmill can be setup in any area worldwide, it works the best in areas which have an average of 10 miles per hour wind speed.
->http://ezinearticles.com/?Minimum-Wind-Speed-Required-to-Run-Windmill-at-Home-and-Generate-Continuous-Electricity&id=2136839

And also:

Cut-in Speed - Cut-in speed is the minimum wind speed at which the wind turbine will generate usable power. This wind speed is typically between 7 and 10 mph for most turbines.
Rated Speed - The rated speed is the minimum wind speed at which the wind turbine will generate its designated rated power. For example, a "10 kilowatt" wind turbine may not generate 10 kilowatts until wind speeds reach 25 mph. Rated speed for most machines is in the range of 25 to 35 mph. At wind speeds between cut-in and rated, the power output from a wind turbine increases as the wind increases. The output of most machines levels off above the rated speed. Most manufacturers provide graphs, called "power curves," showing how their wind turbine output varies with wind speed.
Cut-out Speed - At very high wind speeds, typically between 45 and 80 mph, most wind turbines cease power generation and shut down. The wind speed at which shut down occurs is called the cut-out speed, or sometimes the furling speed. Having a cut-out speed is a safety feature which protects the wind turbine from damage.
->http://www.energybible.com/wind_energy/wind_speed.html
OK, so what does all that mean?
It means it is a waste of time and money.

It is pretty easy to get weather statistics off the internet now. So let's look at weather at KLAF or Lafayette, Indiana for the period of May 1, 2012 through September 1, 2012. As Hoosiers know, this has been one hot summer which then calls for higher demand of electricity for air conditioning, refrigeration, etc.

Two major wind farms, Fowler Ridge and Meadow Lake, are located just northwest of Lafayette (KLAF). But...

In this period the average wind speed was 5 MPH. In other words, the average wind speed during ALL four of these months was NOT enough to turn the turbines. There were very few days when energy was generated, and no days when the maximum output was realized on average.


That's Joe Donnelly, wasting money and time on something that just doesn't work. Your money. Money that according to the U.S. Constitution was not  his to spend.

Joe Donnelly, bad for energy, bad for Indiana, bad for America.



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