Nothing gets my imagination going like a wind turbine (pics)

[Tobin S.]

I don't know if many of you will remember this, but back when I was a long haul trucker about four years ago I started seeing wind turbines located throughout the country. I became fascinated by them and they seemed strangely beautiful to me. Whenever I would see them, I would take pictures of them and post them here in the lounge along with a little story and their location.

My long haul days ended not long after I met my wife, so I haven't had any wind turbine pictures to post...until now. About a year ago, a wind farm project was started in Randolph County, Indiana along the local trucking route that I drive for my post-long haul gig. One hundred wind turbines are being put in up there and its just a few miles from where I currently live. My wife, her parents, and I went on a little road trip today to get a closer look.







As you can see it is a beautiful day here in our little corner of Indiana. We sometimes take short road trips on the weekend to take in the local sites of the area. You wouldn't think that there is much to see here in corn country, but if you take a closer look you'll find a lot to take in.

Today's choice of road trip was my decision and I called our journey, "The Hope for Humanity Tour." Those wind turbines represent a bright spot of forward, progressive thinking in an area seemingly devoid of it at times. My wife was blown away by them. She had never seen them up close. When you are standing at the base of one and looking up at it, it appears majestic.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. They ARE majestic, my dear Tobin!

I actually have never seen one up close, till now, in your pictures. Breathtaking!

And in Indiana. Wow.

Thanks for posting! I know you're enjoying your day, and that's such a good thing.

[Tobin S.]

2. Yes, indeed.

I haven't researched the Randolph County project and I don't know if the information is available yet, but it will be interesting to learn just how much power that wind farm will be generating, what region it will be providing power to, and what percentage of that region's power will be coming from wind.

[caraher]

11. Each turbine is going to be something like a few MW nameplate capacity

From The Star Press:

So called because Randolph County is the source or headwaters of the White River, Headwaters Wind Farm will have 200 megawatts (MW) of capacity — enough to power more than 51,000 Indiana homes with clean energy. (There are only 10,324 households in Randolph County).

Unlike the coal-fired power plants that produce most of Indiana's electricity, wind farms prevent the emission of carbon dioxide (a contributor to climate change) and other pollutants that cause smog and acid rain.

Indiana has five currently operating, utility-scale wind farms with a total capacity of 1,544 MW. That ranks Indiana 13th in the nation and provides 3.2 percent of Indiana's electricity. Wind farms currently operate in Benton, White, Madison and Tipton counties.

Realistically, that 200 MW is a peak; 20-30% of that is an average output when you factor in times when the wind is too slow or fast. So it looks like it's basically enough to power all the homes in the county.

[jakeXT]

3. better up there than stuck on the road

[Tobin S.]

4. The trucks I've seen hauling the pieces to Randolph County use a different system.

That truck is using an extendable, low boy, flatbed that looks like it has gotten stuck on the crown of the road due to low clearance (I didn't watch the entire video). The way the turbines have been hauled in my neck of the woods has been to use a two piece trailer that hooks to the front of the tower and the rear of the tower. There is no bed underneath the tower pieces and the rear portion of the trailer has a separate steering mechanism that gets operated by one of the pilot car drivers for the turns.

[jakeXT]

5. Is the rear connected or just a with a wire like in the last picture ?

[Tobin S.]

6. Yes, not quite the same, but they are similar to that in the second picture.

There is no trailer bed or any kind of bridge between the front and the rear aside from the turbine. The towers and the blades are both hauled in that manner.

[A HERETIC I AM]

9. Called a "Schnabel" Trailer.

In many cases the tower sections are moved via a Schnabel type system. That type uses the item being hauled as a stressed member of the frame, so to speak.

You may remember this thread I put up a couple years ago when I came across two blades being hauled in Wyoming;

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1087489

[logosoco]

7. They are very beautiful.

They make a nice addition to open farm land.

Traveling the route from St. Louis to Madison over the years, watching them pop up more and more has made me happy. Breaks up the monotony of the drive and good to know it's making cleaner energy.

The first time I saw them while driving I had to be careful not to be mesmerized by their movements!

The sight of them does make me think there is hope for humanity!

[annabanana]

8. They are beautiful in the way that the Concorde was beautful.. and the old TWA terminal

at JFK

Creatures of the air, all.

[Solly Mack]

10. K&R

I like'em!

[a kennedy]

12. There are 6 turbines just outside Madison......

A W E S O M E so majestic, so mesmerizing, just beautiful.