(May 24, 2017 at 6:39 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote:(May 24, 2017 at 6:13 pm)CapnAwesome Wrote: wind power is a big problem for birds actually, it kills thousands of birds a year. But the problem with it is that there isn't enough of it to power much of anything. If are willing to not use electricity then wind power is great.
It was just a snarky comment pointing out that renewables are, on balance, much safer that fossil fuels.
And yes, wind turbines kill (according to some estimates) about 300 000 birds worldwide every year. Out of a total bird population of 400 billion. This is something under .0001%. Trust me - the bird population is in no danger.
As for how much wind can power, a 3 MW turbine can generate about 6 million KwH of electricity in a year (an average house uses about 4000 KwH in a year). We currently get about 5% of our electric here from wind power. Not a huge amount, true, but it is projected to triple over the next 10 years.
Boru
I'm not against wind power, but it's not a replacement for fossil fuels and never will be. I also grew up in an area with a lot of wind turbines, and it's a really really windy place. However most places aren't. There will never be enough wind to power diddly squat.