[Made in the USA]

Originally Posted by Bubba

Also energy storage problems. If you installed enough solar panels on the roof of your house to just run your house, it would cost you tens of thousands of dollars, at the least, and you would have to have a whole room dedicated to nothing but batteries to store the power to use it when you needed it.

The project that i saw was many acres of solar panels providing power direct to the grid. It was enough that it could eventually generate enough power to run the entire state.

Originally Posted by Bubba

How do you plan on running your lights and computer when the wind isn't blowing? With wind generators, no wind=no power. Also, too much wind(>45-50mph) also equals no power.

The wind is "always blowing" around here on the DodgeBoard!

Originally Posted by ksgrainman

Great responses so far, thanks to you all. I am not putting in my own wind power, this is a company wanting to lease some land I have to develope a huge wind farm. Wind energy in NOT cheaper than coal generated power, nor is Muslim oil cheaper than Ethanol. Have been in meetings all last week and more to come. It is BIG money, at least for what I am used to.Thank you all for the input, keep it coming.

Grainman, is this the project SE of Dodge??

Originally Posted by Flying Dutchman

It's not that new of a technology 88. What is new is the capacity of batteries to hold the power. It is my understanding the energy produced goes right into the grid and is not stored.

It is a shame that the cheapest and most cost effective energy source is not used, that being nuclear. Or, if we lived in Iceland and could tap into it, thermal energy.

Into the grid. Batteries can be used as backup, when the sun isn't shining. I don't understand the US being against the nuclear power. I think the main problem with it is the disposal of the spent material. Heck, we could ship it to the MIddle East!

Originally Posted by 88-31-10

I believe Kansas is ranked as the third windiest state although I don't think we are third in production (yet). This makes it an excellent place to put the wind generation. What limits us, at this time, it the transmission lines to move the power produced. An even more important issue is who is going to pay for the transmission lines.

I;m not sure about Kansas, but Dodge City is the "windiest city in the Nation"! Average wind speed in DC is around 16 mph.