687 Windmills looking for a home

[Donald Farris]

Hi,
Did you see this? http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/industries/energy/stories/DN-pickenswind_05bus.State.Edition1.19e1daf.html

T. Boone Pickens has 687 windmills on order and no place to put them. Wake up NE Ohio! Mr. Mayor, pick up the phone and call this guy. You have the chance to get this huge opportunity to be put in place for Lakewood’s benefit. And NE Ohio’s. And Ohio.

We have one of the best places for wind power production and it would be close to where the energy is needed. No transmission line problems like Mr. Pickens is facing with Texas. What an incredible opportunity to turn a Texas problem into an Ohio benefit.

You work on this and I won't be calling you Mr. Mayor. I'll be calling you Governor. Ohio needs a Governor that creating jobs not destroying Ohio businesses, see: http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2009/07/10/state-stops-payments-to-child-care-providers/

[Valerie Molinski]

I saw this story and was going to post it here.

I wish Cuyahoga Cty would get its butt in gear and buy some of these things. We're too busy getting investigated by the feds.


We need windmills on the LAKE!!!

[Donald Farris]

Hi,
You are so right. We do need windmills on the Lake and the County's hands are tied.

Lakewood can not look to the County to to give it solutions or innovation or even administrative support. If the County would be capable of any of that, it would direct such action for Cleveland's benefit. Lakewood's benefits would and always will be secondary to Cleveland's from the County's perspective. And that is perhaps how the County should work.

But Lakewood government needs to realize this and act on matters for Lakewood's benefit. To start off with the view Lakewood can't do anything without the County's blessing and involvement, kills Lakewood innovation and places Lakewood under the City of Cleveland. For too long Lakewood voters have given Lakewood City politicians this convenient out for inaction. The pols simply say, "Well, we have to wait and see what the County says". That's hogwash.

These windmills are already financed by Mr. Pickens. Local and State government does not need hard cash to place them out on Lake Erie (way out in the dead zone). What is needed is someone that can work out a deal with Mr. Pickens and get transmission lines put in place to connect to existing lines. How about Lakewood Public Power?

FYI, we are talking about the equivalent electrical power as a nuclear power plant. This is big power and Mr. Pickens seems willing to deal on hole or in parts.

[Will Brown]

The county isn't in the power generation business. Lakewood isn't in the power generation business. No city around here is in the power generation business (Cleveland is, nominally, but I think all they do is buy power from someone else and distribute it). So why agitate that the city should buy these windmills and operate them? I guess it is the liberal mantra that the government should do everything for us. Perhaps Lakewood could find the billions of dollars necessary to install and wire up these things, but what kind of service could we expect; would we have to drag a cable out to the tree lawn once a week (while we are dragging our dumpsters) and get our dollop of power? What would we do when there was a shortfall of power from tilting at windmills? Would we have to build a backup traditional power plant? Perhaps we could dam up our half of the Rocky River and go with hydroelectric generation!

Each time I see a thread like this, I look out the window to check the wind. Very often there is none; very often there is only a light and variable breeze; never do I see a steady breeze that would effectively power a windmill. Conditions on the lake are similar, although there are occasional steady breezes. Often sailboat races have to be canceled because of lack of wind; the best skippers are those who have mastered the art of spotting a small area of breeze, and getting over to where it is before the others have spotted it. If there were consistent strong winds on the lake, we would see far more waves than we do. Perhaps there are more consistent winds in the winter, but offsetting that would be the problems caused when the shifting ice displaced some windmills. So what would we do when the breezes die on the hottest day of summer? Celebrate a brownout?

I think that getting Lakewood into the business of installing and operating windmills is just an exercise in vanity; perhaps we could achieve the title of mistake on the lake II.

Saying, repeatedly, that this is an area with plenty of wind doesn't make it true. The only place around here where there is consistent breeze is immediately in front of some posters.

[Jim DeVito]

Perhaps we could dam up our half of the Rocky River and go with hydroelectric generation!

Might as well. It would be more productive than 11 new non-public-access-to-the-river-front condos and achieve the same goal!

Saying, repeatedly, that this is an area with plenty of wind doesn't make it true. The only place around here where there is consistent breeze is immediately in front of some posters.

You are right. Who cares what all those scientists think! You will note that most of the shore line is rated in the 3-5 range on a scale of 1-6. Now I am no scientists but that looks like plenty of wind too me.

[Donald Farris]

Hi,
Oh Mr. Brown! Please take a deep breath. I’m not talking about political party crap. I’m a libertarian so I don’t want government except where it has to be. This is one of those areas. I’m talking about doing something that would help Lakewood,

Did I say anywhere that the City of Lakewood should buy these windmills? No No NO NO NO! I said Mr. Pickens has bought these windmills and needs a place to put them. You bring up the City of Cleveland and CPP. What I am suggesting Lakewood do is just what the City of Cleveland does. Let Mr, Pickens handle the generation of the energy using these windmills and let the City of Lakewood handle the distribution.

I think a City government and State government has to be involved to permit this to happen. Just like they need to be involved to build the peninsula. I’m looking for a revenue source for our City so they can look at someplace other than your and my pocket. In addition, NE Ohio needs to find jobs. Green energy is an excellent opportunity for us to once again create a manufacturing base.

Studies prove Lake Erie is an excellent source of wind. One of the best. And it is way better in the winter than in the summer. Look at the chart Mr. DeVito provided (Thanks!).

So, please, Mr. Brown and others on the Deck, stop looking at the name of the poster and start reading what the poster says. We must think outside the box if we are going to excel during these difficult times.

Thank You!

[Roy Pitchford]

I'm very much in favor of whatever options can be found to bring wind power to Lakewood. Living within view of the lake myself, there are days I've almost been blown over while I was walking around.

[Donald Farris]

Hi,
While Mr. Pickens is paying for the windmills, there would be some costs for developing transmission lines and such. Here's where that money can come from http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/funding-rules-to-aid-renewables-unveiled/. It discusses new rules for getting stimulus dollars for renewable energy projects.