In a startling example, the city of Reno’s wind turbines — for which the city received more than $150,000 in rate-payer funded rebates — produced dramatically less electricity than the manufacturers of its turbines promised.
“These manufacturers, when they gave us the turbines, they said they were designed to be mounted on a parapet at this height, and that’s what we did,” said Jason Geddes, who runs the city of Reno’s renewable energy program. “But when we started getting actual wind flow patterns, we realized their claims were wrong.”
As first reported by the Reno Gazette-Journal, one turbine that cost the city $21,000 to install saved the city $4 on its energy bill. Overall, $416,000 worth of turbines have netted the city $2,800 in energy savings.
Looks like Reno bet it all on a pair of twos and a jack. Oh well it wasn’t their money they were betting. No big deal.
mike
It will only take 437 years to get their investment back.
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4 dollars a month saved is 4 dollars earned,
and will buy one gallon of non-Canadian gas.
Hm, isn’t it more sunny than windy in Reno? I think they should have misspent their dough on solar rather than wind!
In a related matter, we held our unFIT protest here in Toronto yesterday where wind groups came from as far away as Thunder Bay to gather and protest the fact that at present, these wind companies, such as Samsung,etc. hoover approximately $300 million a year out of Ontarians pockets. If McGuinty gets to just 75% of his goal, the subsidy going out will be north of 1.5 billion per year. All for windmills that run at approximently 27% efficiency and are screwing up the grid royally.
http://quixoteslaststand.com/2012/04/03/charles-adler-wind-power-waste/
Making swampland in Florida increasingly more attractive by comparison.
$416,000 worth of turbines have netted the city $2,800 in energy savings
Or, as sane people would say, they blew $413,200.
But they meant well and that’s what’s important.
Dalton McGuinty is from Reno?
That’s a 150 year period to recover the cost of junk that won’t last 15 years. The average municipal politician is over their head when it comes to garbage, sewage and water. Any portfolio incremental to those items usually confirms the rule that everything politicians (governments) touch, turns to shit.
“A generator can claim to put out 100 kilowatt hours, but that’s based on an assumption that there’s a certain amount of wind. If you don’t have the wind, you won’t have the output.”
File this under “no shit, Sherlock”
Just how many examples are needed before the collosal waste of taxpayer dollars ends?
If Reno gives me 416,000$, I’ll pay MORE than 2800$ on their electrical bill each year without all the bother of installing wind turbines.
Their excuse for not instituting standards and controls is that this is a “new” industry.
These stupid wind turbines have been used since the 1970’s. There is no reason that reasonable rules could not be put in place. The real reason is that trying to set standards would get the green weenies all lathered up about it. It is easier to just go along and hope for the best. After all it is not the PUC’s money.
So what if the ratepayers get shafted? It’s not like they haven’t already shafted ratepayers around the world with “renewable” power and subsidies for pet causes of our elitist betters.
Renewable power is Social Justice for Electricity.
They probably could have generated a better return by exchanging a cheque for 416000 dollars 416000 dollar bills and burning them to generate the electricity.
I’m sure this is just a fluke.
Putting Reno wind power, Solyndra, Social Security, the US Postal Service, medicare, Fanny Mae, Freddy Mac, HUD, foodstamps, welfare, etc. aside for a moment, I’m sure this Obamacare thing is going to function just fine…
What could possibly go wrong? I mean, besides everything?
So its true that Dalton McGuinty graduated from the Reno Nevada School of Economics and Enviromental Studies.How fortunate we in Ontario are to have a Premier with such vision and insight.
Maybe the city planners could have talked to some sailers before listening to the optimistic generating figures for wind turbines. Funny how all sailboats now come with backup IC engines. No wind turbine yet produced can approach its rated output, a fact most people would be aware of.
Investing with Bernie Madoff has a better payoff.
So they bought a bunch of windmills but no one thougt to do a wind study before purchasing them and erecting them?
Sounds like someone that graduated from the Ontario Liberal school of Mcguintynomics
Boy, wait ’til Hudak gets ahold of these figures…Ol’ Dildo McDinky’s ass is gonna be gas!
Sic ‘im, Tiger!
Are the people in Reno recycling the bird kill (slaughter)? More mosquitos, bug spray sales must be up! Is there no silver lining in Silver City bird grinder fairy tale? Is it all Grimm? Get Obama…he will get a court ruling and a brand new world order….
In five years there will be a lot of money in scrap metal.
Just another economically insane day in rainbow unicorn land. Next they’s be buying sacks of magic pixie dust that makes all the evil racists turn into lobotomized liberal douchebags
Just another economically insane day in rainbow unicorn land. Next they’s be buying sacks of magic pixie dust that makes all the evil racists turn into lobotomized liberal deuce bags
Harry Reid has his seat in Nevada. Senate minority leader and Obama’s lap dog. Anyone surprised that the State has gone green and broke.
I was thinking along the lines of Revnant Dream — like the fast ferries here in BC, there is that scrap metal value, so they have that going for them.