Comments on: Rule Britannia

By: MikeN

MikeN — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:41:45 +0000

Wind plants generate electricity when there is wind, which is more likely to be when the electricity isn’t needed. They need to figure outhow to store this electricity cheaply.

By: Billy Bob

Billy Bob — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:10:27 +0000

Actually the Crown Estate “is part of the heredity possessions of the Sovereign”, meaning it is a trust owned and ultimately controlled by the Queen. King George III agreed to give Parliament the excess rental profits from the lands in exchange for a stipend called the civil list. This deal can be renewed by each new monarch, which each succeeding one has chosen to.

Note that in the event of the end of the monarchy, the Crown Estate would revert to private control. Any property appreciation ultimately flows to the owners via the trust.

This arrangement is reminiscent of the Fed in the US, privately owned by the banking cartel but delivers a portion of its income to the Treasury.

I refer you to the Crown Estate’s FAQ:

http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/tce_faqs.htm

“The Crown Estate belongs to the reigning monarch”…The Government also does not own The Crown Estate.”

In summary, the monarchy retained control of the properties by putting them into a trust and giving up rental income. Someday they’ll cash in on their multi-century investment.

By: amodedoma

amodedoma — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:57:38 +0000

Europe is leading the way. Americans are content with bitching endlessly about fuel and energy costs. Even if th USA ‘stabilizes’ the middle east there’s only so much of that stinky black stuff left. Perhaps if those BILLIONS of dollars spent to bring ‘peace’ to the middle east were spent on investigation of alternative energy… Nah, just an idea, the american scientific community is bought and paid for…
BTW I’ve lived in Spain over 20 years and in the last 5 wind mills are popping up like daisies, I like their impact on the scenery.

By: OmegaMan

OmegaMan — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:45:19 +0000

33 JiggaWatts

To put things into perspective on what can be done with 1 GigaWatt for a short amount of time

To Quote “Back to The Future”:

Doc: “How could I have been so careless? 1.21 gigawatts! Tom, how am I gonna generate that kind of power? It can’t be done, can it?”

Marty: “Doc, look. All we need is a little plutonium.”

Doc: “Oh” I’m sure that in 1985 plutonium is available in every corner drugstore, but in 1955, it’s a little hard to come by. Marty, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you’re stuck here.”

By: windmills blow

windmills blow — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:19:01 +0000

Those who promote wind energy are blowing smoke. They are monstrosities that CONSUME LAND, destroy viewscapes, and are incredibly expensive, paid for by taxpayers mostly through corporate tax breaks and subsidies. When you calculate these factors into your “energy savings” you end up negative.

By: chuck

chuck — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:08:53 +0000

And here's why Ted Kennedy doesn't want a windmill in his backyard:

By: MikeN

MikeN — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:46:39 +0000

If wind gets any more successful, then the environmentalists will start to protest it. They really hate commerce.

By: MikeN

MikeN — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:45:57 +0000

They grow coal?

By: morbo

morbo — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:01:28 +0000

33gigawatt goal. Thats 4400 brittania sized windmills. I hear the scots dont want them since they feel the mills interfere with the peat farming (a big export believe it or not).

By: the answer

the answer — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:00:21 +0000

That big ass thing, and they couldn’t put an elevator inside. or even stairs?

By: Tree Hugger

Tree Hugger — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:47:42 +0000

But think of the poor birds who might run into this!

By: dusan maletic

dusan maletic — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:17:17 +0000

@#4: It can be cheaper than existing sources, unless “enviro” types force years of litigation and “studies” on it. That is what have happened with the Long Island plan: investors wanted to build efficient and profit making system off-shore that would actually decrease LI price of KWh… After several years of litigations that have ended in a need for endless expensive “studies” – investors gave up.

By: Sagrilarus

Sagrilarus — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:12:58 +0000

Actually mid-west farmers are finding that the reliable rent check that comes from a windmill on their land to be a viable use of the space. You may not find one in downtown Chicago, but there soon will be plenty in the surrounding countryside, as wind power is becoming quite cost-effective. These 7.5MW monsters that are being installed now are more cost effective than their smaller brethren.

This isn’t a terribly new technology, it’s merely the scale that is changing the mix. Oh, and the obscene price of other fuel sources.

Sag.

By: chuck

chuck — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:05:25 +0000

Now read this:

Scottish Government scuppers Lewis wind farm plan
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/21/lewis_wind_farm/

By: ghm101

ghm101 — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:32:30 +0000

#13 This is mostly offshore.
too many nimbi types for land based wind power to get big here.