That's no wind turbine!
| I'm skeptical of KCP&L's "wind-powered" clock tower in the Power and Light District. The clock tower was billed as the "centerpiece of the district's piazza" and would light up when the wind turned the corkscrew wind turbine. In a highly scientific experiment a couple of weeks ago, a fellow blogger and I pulled up chairs inside the windows of Willie's Sports Bar and observed this so-called wind tower for a couple of hours. The process involved enjoying a few Boulevard IPA's and simultaneously watching sports on the flatscreens but such are the sacrifices one must make for science. Our conclusion? The thing never stopped spinning. In fact, it seemed to be turning at a constant rate. Either we have a constant wind source in downtown Kansas City and can solve the region's energy needs or somebody's pulling our leg. |
posted by Mark at 10:36 AM
Comments on "That's no wind turbine!"
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Capt. Geoffrey Spaulding said ... (10:24 AM) :
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Mark said ... (10:28 AM) :
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Capt. Geoffrey Spaulding said ... (9:34 AM) :
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Anonymous said ... (8:23 AM) :
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Anonymous said ... (10:56 PM) :
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Joe Medley said ... (10:49 AM) :
post a commentYeah- but does it light up at all?
-Groucho
Yeah it lights up. But I think they're providing power "to" it instead of getting power "from" it. The whole thing appears to be a big fraud as far as "green" energy goes.
I have a theory Mark.
It's all the HOT AIR emanating from another downtown building that keeps the turbine spinning.
It wasn't rocket or turbine science but meteorology. g
-Groucho
Actually, it has a motor that keeps it spinning for visual effect when the wind does not spin it. This it only supplies power at certain times but spins always. After all it is mostly an educational piece for KCP&L but it does in fact provide some power, at times.
Isn't "green" energy ALL a fraud? Maybe this is the perfect torch bearer for the entire movement!
Just kidding, of course. We need nuke plants and we need them now. Unless we can convince Ted Kennedy to let us build that wind farm off Martha's Vineyard. Maybe we can just move it to some farmer's property that has no political clout and so little income he/she has no choice but to accept the deal to put food on his/her family's table. And believe me there are not many he/she farmers out there.
Sure, we'll build new nuclear plants--until another Three Mile Island or Chernobyl reminds again why it's a monumentally bad idea.