Wind vs sun: energy showdown!!

why not just use both?

No one is even talking about electromagnetic energy!!!

Though solar energy is less efficient on a cost basis now, I think it will eventually surpass wind power in efficiency. There are constant innovations being made in photovoltaic technology but it takes time for these to be transfered to a commercially viable product. Rather than limiting a region to one form of green energy (solar, wind, geothermal) we need to combine them to maintain a constant source of energy.

Is all about efficiency, currently there are NO photovoltaic cells that are at least 80-90% effcient. Most likely the lack of research or simply the big OIL Corps not pushing it... sorry I had to bring in the conspiracy theory.

i wanna see these two battle in a cage match on the Colbert report.

The more you find out about wind energy, the less you really want to be close to wind farms.

Wind Farms consist of many turbines sometimes as many as 70 plus sitting atop (industry standard) 400 ft. towers, many of each (according to FAA standards) sporting very bright (2000 Candelas..2000 candles at a distance of 1 ft) white or red strobe lights.

These turbines are very noisy and are detrimental to birds and bats and if they are close to residential areas they give off an effect the same as light shining through a rotating overhead fan.

Now, not too many folks are aware of it but these wind farms are becoming cash cows for electrical utilities who want to put them everywhere including pristine areas like next to one of the nations few Dark Skie Parks & Preserves...Cherry Springs State Park in Potter County Pennsylvania...

http://www.cherrysprings.org/

which, by it's very design, as a Dark Sky Preserve, any extraneous light is detrimental to the purpose of the Preserve.

The best areas for Wind Farms are flat or relatively flat land such as the states of Texas and the Dakotas.
Some mountainous regions could be used but local populations do not like their mountains being messed with.

Other areas that should be thought about are shore areas such as the Great Lakes and seacoasts offshore that is.

Al Gore, btw, favors (as I do) small residential solar and wind.

Geomagnetic energy or energy created by the action of Solar Explosions buffeting the Earth Geomagnetic Field is a possiblility and at the moment the U.S. Air Force is studying this.

When these storms hit, the strongest ones can induce electrical currents in wiring,cables and pipelines on and in the ground. On one night early in the early 20th century a storm was so strong that telegraph operators didn't need any power.. the source was heavenly! Another such event occurred on March 13 1989 when it caused a power outage in Quebec and short circuits in transformers and trouble at one of the nuclear power stations in New Jersey.

And of course, strong Geomagnetic Storms cause The Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights:)

For more information on Geomagnetic activity including Aurorae check out The Spaceweather Prediction Center:

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/

@TheRealEdwin

Again pure speculation and lack of progress, support, adoption or commercialization.

40% efficiency is pathetic... 80% is a big dream... maybe in the next 15 years.

Wind energy is stupid.


the end.

I like solar because it would help reduce nighttime light polution. Why do people hate the stars so much that we can't even see them at night?

I heard that in a study done, wind turbines killed countless native birds in the area in which they were located. But they were in woodlands, so maybe wind energy is best for some places and not others.

There are other options too (as most of you know.) Even in Tennessee we have the option of receiving green power from methane gas and geothermal energy. Anything seems better than oil or coal at this point.

Does it really matter which one people choose? They're both very efficient, and eco-friendly. Instead of argueing over which is better, people should support those other than themselves, so long as they're all working towards the same goal.

Japanese researchers have come up with a new fabric that abosrbs a ridiculous amount of light through hollow glass fibres. Much, much more than the conventional solar panels. I wish I can find the article on it. The release came out only a couple months ago. The scientists say the fabric absorbs so much light that when you look into it, it seems you are looking into a void.

they are building more coal burning plants in texas i hear. we already have wind farms. what the hell is that about?