Obama announces plan to lease federal waters for clean energy

[Turborama]

Source: CNN

NEWTON, Iowa (CNN) -- President Obama marked Earth Day Wednesday by announcing a new initiative to lease federal waters for the purpose of generating electricity from wind and ocean currents.

The president announced the initiative, to be administered by the Interior Department, while reiterating his pledge to push for a comprehensive energy plan that encourages the development of alternative fuel sources, cuts dependence on foreign oil, addresses climate change, and creates new jobs.

Wind power can generate 20 percent of the country's electricity by 2030 and support 250,000 jobs, Obama said during a visit to a wind turbine tower manufacturing plant.

It is part of "beginning a new era of energy exploration," he said.

Contrary to the assertion of some critics, the country does not have to choose between protecting the environment and expanding the economy, Obama said. The real choice is between "prosperity and decline."

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/22/obama.energy/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

[imdjh]

1. Won't the earth slow down?

If you take all that energy out of the wind and the currents, it has to have an effect doesn't it?

[Ian David]

3. Limbaugh actually thinks wind farms CREATE wind. I shit you not. n/t

[Muttocracy]

6. ?!?!

[truthisfreedom]

4. No. Building giant skyscrapers blocked the wind, and that hasn't slowed down anything.

With climate change, everything is getting crazier and crazier. We've got so much more energy being absorbed from the sun that's trapped here, everything is going nuts. That's why weather is getting more severe and the temperature is rising. The polar ice cap reflected most heat and light back into space, but it's mostly melted now, and water being so much darker, it absorbs and keeps the heat present here. That increases the force of the wind by trapping more energy here.

Nature is reacting to the Earth overheating. Anything we do to suck up that excess energy will help, not hurt.

[imdjh]

5. On the bright side, we get to look under the arctic ice, and you can swim in P-town?

[Demeter]

9. Skyscrapers Channel and Accelerate the Wind

There is a whole technology developing around using these urban wind tunnels to generate power.

[Demeter]

8. It Might Slow the Weather Down

Which would make the prairies a little more bearable. Be hell on polluted urban areas, though.

[Massacure]

15. Yes, the earth will slow down.

The Earth has about 2 x 10 ^29 Joules of rotational energy. Total human consumption of energy was 5 x 10 ^20 Joules in 2005. If we were to take 5 x 10 ^ 20 Joules of energy from the Earth every year, it would take 4 x 10 ^ 8 years to consume all the energy. That is 400,000,000 years.

[imdjh]

16. Geek humor is not my forté nt

[Ian David]

2. Wind Here, Solar Now, Pay Less! Generate, baby Generate! n/t

[Wizard777]

7. Great idea! We need mega wind turbines in the gulf.

Big Concrete structures in the gulf supporting mega wind turbines to capitalize on the Hurricanes. If you do it right you should be able to pull some major megawatts out of a single hurricane. No need for hurricanes to be a total loss. If we can find a way to harness that energy. We should do it. That's basically all a hurricane is. Massive amounts of concentrated energy. We just have to harness it and convert it to electricity.

[Demeter]

10. The Machinery Can't Take that Kind of Stress

Windmills are designed to spill the wind or turn out of it if wind speed gets too high for the mechanism. On the other hand, the wind speed has to reach a minimum before anything happens.

Wind turbines are designed for a specific range of wind speeds for safety, efficiency and yield. That's why wind data must be collected at the location and height for as long as possible, so that the machine is sized properly to run correctly.

One puts up a turbine with the best intentions, and hopes that Mother Nature doesn't throw a curveball.

[bloomington-lib]

11. Saw this in an article about a new propeller

A new propeller designed by TMA can only handle 70mph.

"The optimal speed for harvesting wind energy, between 28 and 33 mph, is the same in both the traditional propeller design and the TMA design. However, TMA's vertical axis design can generate electricity from winds as high as 70 mph, while the propeller designs typically can only generate energy into the low 50's. This means that the TMA design can go into areas of stronger winds beyond the tolerances of the propeller designs."

[Demeter]

13. Hurricanes START at 74 MPH!

Not a good or regular enough source. Wind turbines want steady constant winds. they don't like variations in speed or direction.

[Wizard777]

18. I was thinking more along the lines of a horizontal prop than vertical prop.

Not like an airplane. More like the prop they use to measure wind speed. Those things can boogie. I'm also talking about a turbine more like the ones they use in Dams. Not them lil things they put in the wind fields of wind farms. It should take a hurricane to crank one of those dam things.

[sce56]

12. Uh you know when there is a strong Hurricane most power goes out

I know I helped install and operate temporary power after a few hurricanes / typhoons in disaster areas! Last season Hurricane Ike cost one Power company $782Million dollars due to lost transmission and distribution capabilities they all ready paid for the fuel as most major power companies do in hedging their bets, pre-purchased power contracts, on how much they will need not thinking about a hurricane wiping out the distribution network for a few weeks!

[Turborama]

17. Interesting stuff. These wave power systems could be the solution to that problem...

The wave power system, bioWAVE™, is based on the swaying motion of sea plants in the presence of ocean waves.

The hydrodynamic interaction of the buoyant blades with the oscillating flow field is designed for maximum energy absorption. In extreme wave conditions the bioWAVE™ automatically ceases operating and assumes a safe position lying flat against the seabed. This eliminates exposure to extreme forces, allowing for lighter designs and substantial cost savings.

Systems are being developed for 250kW, 500kW, 1000kW capacities to match conditions in various locations.



Here's a video of them in action: http://www.biopowersystems.com/biowave-animation.php

[sutz12]

21. That's really cool...but can it tsurvive a tsunami?

:)

[Turborama]

22. Interesting question

I'm not an expert but I'd imagine if they weren't to close to the earthquake itself, they possibly could. Judging by the video, they can lie flat when the sea gets too 'energetic'...

[enola fay]

14. Awesome...

What a stark contrast from Bush.

Hey, can you PM me? I have a funny video I want to show you.

[SpartanDem]

19. This what you get when

you don't have shills for the oil industry running the show.

[bleever]

20. "The real choice is..."

I love the fact that he has claimed ownership of framing rights.

"Prosperity vs. decline."

Which side are you on, man, which side are you on?

:thumbsup: