Interesting article on the wind energy industry

[kwc57]

As opposed to the beauty of the oil fields.

View attachment 11523

How many new oil fields have been constructed in the US in the last 2 decades?

Reports & Statistics » Economic Reports & Industry Statistics

Drilling activity from 1975 to 2008

I'm not sure what you're looking for. "New oil fields" or "drilling activity in existing fields". Based on the chart you provided, "drilling" has steadily been increasing over the last decade. But I'm from Oklahoma, seeing a drilling rig is an everyday occurence. Seeing wind mills is too now.

 

[Skull Pilot]

As opposed to the beauty of the oil fields.

View attachment 11523

How many new oil fields have been constructed in the US in the last 2 decades?

Fields? I have no idea. There are two active rigs working smack dab in Oklahoma City that I see each day on my way to and from work.

Wow 2 whole oil rigs!!!!!
So you'd rather have 10 acres of windmills to look at?

 

[kwc57]

How many new oil fields have been constructed in the US in the last 2 decades?

Fields? I have no idea. There are two active rigs working smack dab in Oklahoma City that I see each day on my way to and from work.

Wow 2 whole oil rigs!!!!!
So you'd rather have 10 acres of windmills to look at?

Two operating on a city street of a major metropolitan area smart ass. Imagine what it is like out in the rural areas.

The windmills are in the rural areas and the one pictured is near a Boy Scout camp I go to a lot. Very near the Wichita Wildlife Refuge. Doesn't bother me at all. They are actually kind of cool to look at.

 

[Old Rocks]

Nearly 10 gw of wind installed in 2009, a 39% increase over wind capacity of 2008. Don't you wish you had an investment that compounded at that rate? In 2008, wind represented 42% of all new generation.

I would have to say that wind is doing just fine, and now the the solar panel prices are below $1 a watt for really big projects, that will be doing very well, also. And, according to an MIT study, geo-thermal could be cheaper than either wind or solar, plus being a base load, 24/7.

Time to start shutting down the coal fired plants.

Don't ya' just love the use of 'could be' in all the greeniac posts?

The only way for wind power to be efficacious, Calc, is for you to stand in front of the wind propellers.

Work them lungs, boy!

Kind of stupid comments there, old gal. 1999 wind energy, in megawatts, for Oregon, 25, in 2009, 1758 mw. For Texas, 1999, 184 mw, for 2009, 9403 mw. For Iowa, 1999, 242 mw, 2009, 3604 mw.

Don't you wish the rest of the US economy was growing at that rate?

http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_installed_capacity.asp

 

[Mr. H.]

Nearly 10 gw of wind installed in 2009, a 39% increase over wind capacity of 2008. Don't you wish you had an investment that compounded at that rate? In 2008, wind represented 42% of all new generation.

I would have to say that wind is doing just fine, and now the the solar panel prices are below $1 a watt for really big projects, that will be doing very well, also. And, according to an MIT study, geo-thermal could be cheaper than either wind or solar, plus being a base load, 24/7.

Time to start shutting down the coal fired plants.

Don't ya' just love the use of 'could be' in all the greeniac posts?

The only way for wind power to be efficacious, Calc, is for you to stand in front of the wind propellers.

Work them lungs, boy!

Kind of stupid comments there, old gal. 1999 wind energy, in megawatts, for Oregon, 25, in 2009, 1758 mw. For Texas, 1999, 184 mw, for 2009, 9403 mw. For Iowa, 1999, 242 mw, 2009, 3604 mw.

Don't you wish the rest of the US economy was growing at that rate?

Wind Powering America: U.S. Installed Wind Capacity and Wind Project Locations

I don't understand the correlation with economic growth. Yes wind generated power has increased over the years but what has it added to the GDP?

 

[westwall]

Wind is a waste.

To realize the rated nominal out put of one windmill, 3 must be built because in reality windmills only operate at one third rated capacity.

Wind is only cost effective with small individual units serving one or several houses. The idea of thousands of acres of windmills on "farms" is unrealistic, overly expensive and let's not forget ugly.

As opposed to the beauty of the oil fields.

View attachment 11523

They look pretty similar to me actually. And the oil is cheaper and more efficient.

 

[westwall]

Fields? I have no idea. There are two active rigs working smack dab in Oklahoma City that I see each day on my way to and from work.

Wow 2 whole oil rigs!!!!!
So you'd rather have 10 acres of windmills to look at?

Two operating on a city street of a major metropolitan area smart ass. Imagine what it is like out in the rural areas.

The windmills are in the rural areas and the one pictured is near a Boy Scout camp I go to a lot. Very near the Wichita Wildlife Refuge. Doesn't bother me at all. They are actually kind of cool to look at.

Big deal. Los Angeles has oil fields all over the place and almost no one knows they're there. Hillcrest Country Club, right smack dab in the middle of the Wilshire corridor, (and a damn nice golf course!) has at least 19 active wells on the property. Signal Hill near Long Beach has been producing since 1920, and the Baldwin Hills area began producing in 1916. The Inglewood oil field is around 1,000 acres and has been producing since 1924 if my memory serves. It is one of the largest urban oil fields in the US.
At its height it had over 1,600 wells.

 

[kwc57]

Wow 2 whole oil rigs!!!!!
So you'd rather have 10 acres of windmills to look at?

Two operating on a city street of a major metropolitan area smart ass. Imagine what it is like out in the rural areas.

The windmills are in the rural areas and the one pictured is near a Boy Scout camp I go to a lot. Very near the Wichita Wildlife Refuge. Doesn't bother me at all. They are actually kind of cool to look at.

Big deal. Los Angeles has oil fields all over the place and almost no one knows they're there. Hillcrest Country Club, right smack dab in the middle of the Wilshire corridor, (and a damn nice golf course!) has at least 19 active wells on the property. Signal Hill near Long Beach has been producing since 1920, and the Baldwin Hills area began producing in 1916. The Inglewood oil field is around 1,000 acres and has been producing since 1924 if my memory serves. It is one of the largest urban oil fields in the US.
At its height it had over 1,600 wells.

Oklahoma is an oil producing state. Like you, we have active wells all over the countryside and the cities too. I'm not talking about pumpjacks hidden behind a screen of trees ( there is one about 4 blocks from my house), that most people don't realize are there. I'm talking about drilling rigs that are currently drilling a hole for everyone to see. No one here finds that ugly. It looks like money to us. Same with wind farms.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Don't ya' just love the use of 'could be' in all the greeniac posts?

The only way for wind power to be efficacious, Calc, is for you to stand in front of the wind propellers.

Work them lungs, boy!

Kind of stupid comments there, old gal. 1999 wind energy, in megawatts, for Oregon, 25, in 2009, 1758 mw. For Texas, 1999, 184 mw, for 2009, 9403 mw. For Iowa, 1999, 242 mw, 2009, 3604 mw.

Don't you wish the rest of the US economy was growing at that rate?

Wind Powering America: U.S. Installed Wind Capacity and Wind Project Locations

I don't understand the correlation with economic growth. Yes wind generated power has increased over the years but what has it added to the GDP?

And what has it cost us in tax subsidies?

 

[westwall]

Two operating on a city street of a major metropolitan area smart ass. Imagine what it is like out in the rural areas.

The windmills are in the rural areas and the one pictured is near a Boy Scout camp I go to a lot. Very near the Wichita Wildlife Refuge. Doesn't bother me at all. They are actually kind of cool to look at.

Big deal. Los Angeles has oil fields all over the place and almost no one knows they're there. Hillcrest Country Club, right smack dab in the middle of the Wilshire corridor, (and a damn nice golf course!) has at least 19 active wells on the property. Signal Hill near Long Beach has been producing since 1920, and the Baldwin Hills area began producing in 1916. The Inglewood oil field is around 1,000 acres and has been producing since 1924 if my memory serves. It is one of the largest urban oil fields in the US.
At its height it had over 1,600 wells.

Oklahoma is an oil producing state. Like you, we have active wells all over the countryside and the cities too. I'm not talking about pumpjacks hidden behind a screen of trees ( there is one about 4 blocks from my house), that most people don't realize are there. I'm talking about drilling rigs that are currently drilling a hole for everyone to see. No one here finds that ugly. It looks like money to us. Same with wind farms.

You mean like these? There are drilling rigs all over as well I just can't find my pictures of them.

 

[Mr. H.]

:d

 

[Old Rocks]

Kind of stupid comments there, old gal. 1999 wind energy, in megawatts, for Oregon, 25, in 2009, 1758 mw. For Texas, 1999, 184 mw, for 2009, 9403 mw. For Iowa, 1999, 242 mw, 2009, 3604 mw.

Don't you wish the rest of the US economy was growing at that rate?

Wind Powering America: U.S. Installed Wind Capacity and Wind Project Locations

I don't understand the correlation with economic growth. Yes wind generated power has increased over the years but what has it added to the GDP?

And what has it cost us in tax subsidies?

Less than the oil industry has cost us.

 

[Skull Pilot]

I don't understand the correlation with economic growth. Yes wind generated power has increased over the years but what has it added to the GDP?

And what has it cost us in tax subsidies?

Less than the oil industry has cost us.

So you say.

But the wind "industry" is in its infancy now isn't it?

 

[kwc57]

Big deal. Los Angeles has oil fields all over the place and almost no one knows they're there. Hillcrest Country Club, right smack dab in the middle of the Wilshire corridor, (and a damn nice golf course!) has at least 19 active wells on the property. Signal Hill near Long Beach has been producing since 1920, and the Baldwin Hills area began producing in 1916. The Inglewood oil field is around 1,000 acres and has been producing since 1924 if my memory serves. It is one of the largest urban oil fields in the US.
At its height it had over 1,600 wells.

Oklahoma is an oil producing state. Like you, we have active wells all over the countryside and the cities too. I'm not talking about pumpjacks hidden behind a screen of trees ( there is one about 4 blocks from my house), that most people don't realize are there. I'm talking about drilling rigs that are currently drilling a hole for everyone to see. No one here finds that ugly. It looks like money to us. Same with wind farms.

You mean like these? There are drilling rigs all over as well I just can't find my pictures of them.

Yep. We even have them on our state capitol grounds.

View attachment 11532

 

[Mr. H.]

I don't understand the correlation with economic growth. Yes wind generated power has increased over the years but what has it added to the GDP?

And what has it cost us in tax subsidies?

Less than the oil industry has cost us.

Oil industry "subsidies"? Oh yeah- your mis-flagged tankers and offshore accounts.

Your idea of subsidies for oil is giving back money that the government took by fiat.

Oil companies aren't paid to NOT produce oil - unlike agriculture and crops.
There's no such thing as "set aside" production.
There is no insurance for lost production due to bad weather.

The feds don't cut checks to the oil industry so they can go out and produce their commodity. Or NOT produce it as the case may be.

 

[Old Rocks]

And the poor bastards only make billions of dollars per quarter. Crocodile tears, anyone?

 

[Mr. H.]

And the poor bastards only make billions of dollars per quarter. Crocodile tears, anyone?

So, to you it's all about money? Profits?

Success will never come to the alternative/renewable sector unless and until the same billions in profits are attainable- which they aren't and never will be. Certainly not without massive government intervention.

The petroleum industry was built and developed, and incredible strides in technology have been made, because of the profit motive. The world and humanity as a whole is richer for it. Despite it's ugly side, hydrocarbons have single-handedly propelled mankind into an era of prosperity and longevity that would otherwise not have been achieved.

I do admire your idealistic attitude- to a point. And you have linked up some fascinating advances in solar technologies that I had no idea existed. The time may come when such science reaches a scale where it is embraced by man and markets- but it's a ways off.

And do you think that in its 175 year history, oil and gas has been one big gravy train? The failures and costs have been catastrophic- but that's what it took. Average out revenues and profits over the past 50 years and they are not better than other industrial/service sectors.

This is the third time I've pointed this out- that, in the U.S., small independent companies drill for and produce 80% of the oil and natural gas in this country- not BIG OIL. Not the international companies making the billions to which you refer.

As I've told you before, I was promoting solar power as far back as the early 80's. And I still belived in it- and other alternative/renewables- as being a necessary component in this country's energy mix. But I'm also a realist. It's going to take time- it's going to take tech advances- and it's going to take motive. The market motive.

So don't be shit talking what works while pushing something (in such an idealistic manner)that has wonderful potential.

 

[Old Rocks]

I am 'shit talking' the big boys in the oil industry for their suppression of technology that could be used to get us off of oil.

From the recent suppression of the RAV4 Toyota electric suv, to the earlier bankrupting of a small company in Maine that intended to manufacture solar shingles with frivolous lawsuits concerning patents.

Yes, petroleum and coal has had a good run, and helped build this nation, as well as the rest of the industrial world. But we can now clearly see the damage that the GHG emissions are doing, and the damage to our national security by being dependent on petroleum for our transportation. It is time to move on, even as we moved on from horses and steam engines.

We will continue to use oil for an industrial feedstock. And the small operators will survive nicely, particularly those whose operations are in our nation. Petroleum is far to valueable of a resource to continue to wantonly burn it. And they are not the people spreading disinformation concerning the rapidly changing climate. Exxon and other major producers are the people doing that.