This low number keeps repeating itself as wind turbines placed onshore are followed for actual production, and I get the feeling over and over of WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY AND LAND!
The University of Maine at PI paid over 2 million for their wind turbine, a small 600kw turbine. They were led to believe (by the wind industry…who else?) that it would produce (at it least) 1 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year and save them around $100,000 per year. It did not come close. It produced 40% less than expected. It saved them about $60,000. And if they save $60,000 per year in about 30 years it will be paid for!
OH, but I forgot, the life expectancy is only 15 to 25 years for a wind turbine. So if it lasts 25 years, they will not quite have it paid for! So how can they say it is saving them money each year?
I am sure that the University of Maine must be thinking of all of the things that the 2 million dollars could have been spent on! Perhaps keeping a few teachers that they are laying off, and keeping a few classes that they are now dropping?
The actual capacity factor of the wind turbine is 11%. Most turbines HOPE to have a capacity factor of 25% and this University was hoping for 19%. This like buying a car that is suppose to run on 6 cylinders and getting it home and finding out that it runs on 1 cylinder. And, just when you need all 6 cylinders the most, like driving up the mountain, the POWER WILL NOT BE THERE.
I call upon The University of Maine to do the right thing. Tell the people what a scam wind power is, and how it does not produce the electricity it is suppose to. There are no carbon offsets as back up power plants run, they can not be shut down, and if a turbine is functioning this poorly, the back up power plants are the real providers of electricity.
Thanks to the Citizen’s Task Force on Wind of Maine for the heads up on this breaking news/information.
