Had to explain to an engineer that Wind Power is not a viable replacement of Hydro Power... Why?

Would you say that hydro has more potential?

Actually water flows not always 24/7.

Most dams are pretty empty these days.

And dams are not really a good idea to begin with.

https://www.earthlawcenter.org/blog-entries/2017/12/dams-climate-change-bad-news

https://www.americanrivers.org/threats-solutions/restoring-damaged-rivers/how-dams-damage-rivers/

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/endangered-species-conservation/how-dams-affect-water-and-habitat-west-coast

There are people that do well in classes but don't do so well in real world discussion of a certain topic at hand, though this seems really bad from what you describe lol

Wind turbine blades are riculously expensive and not recyclable.

maintenance costs wrote:

Wind turbine blades are riculously expensive and not recyclable.

Is this true? I don’t believe you.

Why wouldn’t they be recyclable? Why would they need to be recyclable? What materials are they made of that makes them not recyclable? Is recycling them really of any importance in their LCA? Is this true at all scales?

This statement has all of the symptoms of an anecdote from a moran who heard someone say something once…

Yes, it is pretty common for an overconfident blow hard to talk down to others. Especially women.

Blades run from $150,000 to $500,000 depending on size. 3 blades per turbine.

Not cheap but hard to consider the most critical part of wind turbine as priced ridiculous. It is all perspective. Turbine total costs can be between $2m and $4 million.

I am intrigued by tidal turbines, using force of tidal waves to turn a blade.

So you and another grad student discus'd a topic about which neither of you is expert (Civ Eng covers lots of stuff, none of which is power generation), and you Splained stuff to the Little Lady because you are sure you know what is best.

elvid33 wrote:

What materials are they made of that makes them not recyclable?

plastic, perhaps? The myth of plastic recycling is a whole nuther thing to surprise the OP.

But why bother arguing about the best way to help people keep using way too much energy? All the drama about crisis and such rings hollow when the solution is always some way to keep the luxurious lifestyle going. That's not how you go about solving a crisis! People are lying to themselves and each other.

"Alternative" energy would be "additional" energy in the long run. The fossil fuels will still be used. History showed this when the fuel-efficient cars were developed during the 70s shortage. After the shortage ended, people just drove farther.

Nice try Elvis. You are just as ill informed as the other poster. They aren’t recyclable because nobody can get them down once they are so high up there. Idiots.

The best power solution is a combination of wind, solar, hydro / pump storage. Pump water uphill when there is an abundance of solar and wind, release when there is not.

Grid inertia is why solar and wind were not as reliable as hydro but that is changing quickly.

chgray wrote:

Blades run from $150,000 to $500,000 depending on size. 3 blades per turbine.

Not cheap but hard to consider the most critical part of wind turbine as priced ridiculous. It is all perspective. Turbine total costs can be between $2m and $4 million.

I am intrigued by tidal turbines, using force of tidal waves to turn a blade.

How much does a dam cost? What impact does it have on the local ecosystem & fishing industry. If you really are from the PNW the decline in Salmon is something you are aware of. Hydro is a viable option and all dams should not be removed but someone as smart as you should also realize other options should also be considered.

Anecdotalpal wrote:

Nice try Elvis. You are just as ill informed as the other poster. They aren’t recyclable because nobody can get them down once they are so high up there. Idiots.

If they can install the blades with a crane, why can't they take them down with same crane?

iamconfused wrote:

How much does a dam cost? What impact does it have on the local ecosystem & fishing industry. If you really are from the PNW the decline in Salmon is something you are aware of. Hydro is a viable option and all dams should not be removed but someone as smart as you should also realize other options should also be considered.

Tidal turbines are installed in ocean and the constant movement of water in and out turns the blade and turbine.

Does not require a dam to be constructed at all. Building a new dam today is virtually impossible.

maintenance costs wrote:

Wind turbine blades are riculously expensive and not recyclable.

You’re a fool. Wind power is cheap (but intermittent). Blades are made out of fiberglass and are not recyclable (but generate hardly any waste compared with other power generation technologies). The towers are steel and are easily recycled, and the turbines are primarily copper, and again, easily recycled. But with respect to the OPs point, hydro is much more versatile than wind.

joed|rt wrote:

maintenance costs wrote:

Wind turbine blades are riculously expensive and not recyclable.

You’re a fool. Wind power is cheap (but intermittent). Blades are made out of fiberglass and are not recyclable (but generate hardly any waste compared with other power generation technologies).

Groovy. Just throw it in the landfill. What could possibly go wrong?

The critical difference is that hydro power is storable in reservoirs, unlike solar or wind. And it would take far more than 600x wind turbines (which are aslo environmentally disruptive) to replace hydro.

Solar and wind are the "Disney Green Energy alternatives". Brought to you by tinkerbell and Goofy.

chgray wrote:

Anecdotalpal wrote:

Nice try Elvis. You are just as ill informed as the other poster. They aren’t recyclable because nobody can get them down once they are so high up there. Idiots.

If they can install the blades with a crane, why can't they take them down with same crane?

The same crane is busy getting new blades up somewhere else.

manville wrote:

The best power solution is a combination of wind, solar, hydro / pump storage. Pump water uphill when there is an abundance of solar and wind, release when there is not.

Grid inertia is why solar and wind were not as reliable as hydro but that is changing quickly.

Glad someone here actually knows what they're talking about.