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and the Rest of the Story All Rights Reserved AN INTRODUCTION TO WIND TURBINES For those with an interest in the basics of wind turbines, the article linked below explains how wind turbines work and provides other information about them. It also shows a generic view of the general parts inside of a wind turbine. A PHOTO GALLERY There is an old saying which declares: "A picture is worth a thousand words." With that thought in mind, the button below accesses a Photo Gallery of Wind Turbines. Everything from construction photos to accident photos are included in this gallery. Photos of wind-turbine power substations are also included. WINDFARMS WORLDWIDE There are multiple thousands of wind turbines in operation around the world, generating electricity to one degree or another. This may appear as a good thing, but the efficiency of electrical generation and the accidents which are happening at these installations make a number of people wonder if wind turbines, especially large industrial wind turbines, are truly the way to go. From information found on the Internet, it appears that quite a number of individuals consider wind turbines as simply an inefficient, problem-causing technology, which is an accident, possibly a deadly accident, waiting to happen. INEFFICIENT TECHNOLOGY It appears that the truth about wind farms has been largely misrepresented. Wind farms are actually rather inefficient at developing sustainable electrical energy and very expensive, both to build and to maintain properly. In a wind farm setting, the leading turbines receive the best air. But those downstream "can lose up to 30 percent of their power," says the fourth article linked below. The truth is, in the real world, wind farms may be around 20 percent efficient, or even less. The slow-loading PDF file linked below declares, regarding wind turbines: "they produce little energy relative to demand and what little they do produce is incompatible with the standards of reliability and cost characteristic of our electricity system. Moreover, wind plants are unable either to mitigate the need for additional conventional power generation in the face of increased demand or to reliably augment power during times of peak demand." The webpage linked below declares: "Recent events confirm that "big money" interests in the US and Europe have discovered the enormously generous tax breaks and subsidies that are now available in the US for producing electricity with wind turbines. These organizations are moving aggressively to build "wind farms" and to seek more subsidies." The text continues: "Meanwhile, as more wind turbines are proposed in the US and other countries, ordinary citizens have learned that "wind farms" are not environmentally benign. Instead, wind energy has high economic, environmental, ecological, scenic and property value costs. Wind turbines produce only small amounts of electricity and that electricity is unreliable and low in value." THE ENERGY FAD Let us begin this discussion by considering things which have been written in recent times about the wind power industry. First on the list is the article linked below. It is entitled "More information needed before we fall for the latest energy fad." This article shows that, since World War Two, the government has promoted and been directly involved in several new energy technologies. But, even more importantly, the article declares: "All have failed." Yes, these technologies have failed to one degree or another. But, to make matters worse, there are those in government who still pursue and support these flawed technologies, using your money. FOREIGN CONTROLLED The article linked below reveals a little embarassing bit of information for United States citizens. The article declares: "The modern wind turbine was invented in the United States, but after several decades of neglect starting in the 1980s, the domestic industry is in shambles." The article delares that foreign companies "dominate the business of developing and operating wind farms." What the above statement means is that, with all the wind farms going up in the United States, the majority of the revenue resulting from these farms is going out of the United States to foreign countries. No wonder our economy is hurting. Where are the tariffs which the U.S. Constitution shows are to be used to protect the economy of the United States and its industries? THE FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION (FERC) The article linked below, called 'wind energy is not reliable according to FERC', declares that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) "is charged with regulating power system reliability." FERC is supposed to maintain or increase the efficiency and reliability of our power system, yet "the FERC chairman is seeking a federal renewable energy mandate." It appears that the Obama administration desires to force renewable energy, even inefficient wind energy, on the general public, subsidized by the government, or more clearly: financed with taxpayers' money. The article linked below, called 'wind energy is not reliable according to FERC', declares: "Failing wind turbines in the news. Your dollars at work." Later in this discussion, we will see the truth about failing wind turbines. WIND POWER AND FLEXIBILITY Now to consider a serious problem with wind power. Wind power does not provide the flexibility required by the power grid, as conditions and electrical usage constantly changes throughout the system. More conventional types of power generation, such as coal-fired and natural gas-fired power plants and nuclear plants, do provide this necessary flexibility. The lack of flexibility with wind power presents us with a major problem, especially when it is realized that the government is working hard to close power plants which use carbon-based fuels. In Britain, power blackouts are predicted for the future, because of the elimination of carbon-fueled and nuclear power generation. The following is noted in the article called 'wind energy is not reliable according to FERC', linked below: "Wind energy provides no capacity value because it does not respond to demand unless the wind is blowing." Then there is the problem of failures on wind turbines. The article declares: "Wind turbine structural failure is the rule, not the exception." Another problem with wind power is performance. The article shows that wind power installations are "performing below levels forecast by installers, with an average power output 40 percent less than expected." This is actually a very serious problem, especially considering that the government desires to convert to a large portion of wind energy. 'FERC' AND OFFSHORE FACILITIES Once again, the purpose of FERC is to regulate and increase the reliability of our overall power system, yet they admit that there are "reliability issues associated with wind facilities." Nevertheless, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has vowed "to spur offshore wind projects in the Atlantic Ocean by expediting permits and identifying promising areas for wind power." PROBLEMS AT SEA Land-based wind turbine facilities have proven to have their share of problems, but offshore facilities may complicate these problems considerably. As a minor example from the article linked below, called 'wind energy is not reliable according to FERC': "Siemens Wind Power has discovered significant problems with the corrosion protection of pitch bearings in its 3.6MW offshore turbines." The repairs for such things, especially when at sea, can be rather costly. But there is more to the story. There have also been foundation problems at hundreds of offshore wind turbines. These include foundations which have been moved by heavy seas and foundations which are sinking. It is a big enough problem to fix the foundation of a land-based wind turbine, but fixing the foundation of an offshore wind turbine becomes a very expensive operation. To add to the problem at offshore facilities is the weather. Severe weather or violent seas can delay or totally stop critical maintenance and repair at offshore facilities. As a case in point, consider the following from the article linked below: A gearbox fault had stopped Vestas turbines at an offshore facility. The problem was being investigated, but, according to Anders Soe-Jensen, head of offshore operations for Vestas: "Unfortunately, the weather situation has not allowed us to access the turbines to restart them, and repair the remaining gearboxes." It appears that weather can often cause more problems at offshore facilities than it does at land-based facilities. THROWING CAUTION TO THE WIND Some manufacturers of wind turbines have stopped producing units for offshore wind farms, because they consider offshore installations as being too risky. They consider land-based wind farms as being the more secure business. Nevertheless, government agencies and individuals like Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, do not necessarily heed the prudent warnings of others, but often appear to rush in bullheadedly in the footsteps of fools. As a case in point, consider the following. The article linked below declares: "Wind turbine structural failures and grid issues plague the wind industry. Yet, Secretary 'Salazar vows to speed wind energy projects' according to the Associated Press." Let us consider a simple fact. Keeping up with the proper maintenance of wind turbines on land has become almost an impossible challenge. Nevertheless, once again, Ken Salazar has vowed "to spur offshore wind projects in the Atlantic Ocean by expediting permits and identifying promising areas for wind power." The article below speaks of 61 reports of wind turbine structural failures, plus other serious problems. It also notes numerous failed windfarm projects. The whole article is worth reading. WIND TURBINE STRUCTURAL FAILURES Let us consider further the issue of wind turbine structural failures. The webpage linked below consists of 10 pages of article links and summaries for wind turbine structural failures. There is a lot to learn from and consider in the 200 articles presented. FOREIGN-GOVERNMENT CONCERN Wind turbine failures have become a concern to certain government officials. The article linked below shows the concern raised by the Climate Minister in Denmark because of the violent collapse of two Vestas wind turbines in Denmark, plus breakdowns of wind turbines around the world. It appears that the leading factor in wind turbine failures is faulty maintenance. A VIOLENTLY EXPLODING TURBINE The webpage accessed via the button below is about a violently exploding wind turbine in Denmark. The article proclaims: "This video clip of a wind mill (or, more properly, a wind turbine) seemingly disintegrating with explosive force during a bout of high winds looks so much like a Hollywood-style special effect that many viewers have doubted its authenticity. However, according to the Copenhagen Post, Denmark experienced two such incidents of Vestas wind turbines collapsing during high winds in February 2008, at least one of which was captured on video." The video linked below shows the same Danish Nordtank wind turbine which experienced the catastrophic collapse. Yes, this unit was manufactured by the ever-popular Vestas. This turbine suffered a brake failure, which eventually led to the destruction of the wind turbine. In the video below, the explosion process is shown in true speed, then in slow motion, then in reverse slow motion with all the pieces coming back together, then again in full speed destruction. It is an interesting and informative video. What happened here can happen elsewhere. Would you want to be anywhere near a wind turbine which is exploding like this? Truly, just how safe are industrial wind turbines? MORE TURBINE INFORMATION The article linked below also concerns the wind turbine in Denmark (noted above) which had an equipment failure that led to the violent destruction or explosion of the unit. Fragments from the shattered turbine crashed to the ground as far as 700 meters away (that's more that one-quarter mile away). The article declares: "Two service personnel were fortunate to escape from the turbine with their lives." It appears what initiated the turbine explosion and collapse was a gearbox which broke. It appears that the braking mechanism was mounted on the generator side of the gearbox, therefore, with the gearbox broken, there could be no braking of the turbine blades. The turbine blades could not be slowed down or stopped in the strong wind. The turbine blades were out of control and quickly accelerated to a very fast speed. Ultimately, the turbine exploded and the tower experienced a catastrophic collapse, as noted in the article below. MORE TIDBITS ON THE TURBINE The article linked below may be a translation which is somewhat hard to understand. Nevertheless, it gives a little additional information regarding the catastrophic failure of the Danish wind turbine. The webpage linked below speaks a little about the failed wind turbine in Denmark, plus presents a couple of videos. It is of interest to note, in the article linked below, that there had been "a rash of reported breakdowns in the last two months of turbines manufactured by Vestas." The video below, again, shows the destruction and collapse of the Danish wind turbine. The action is shown in slow motion. PROBLEMS IN THE WIND POWER INDUSTRY The report linked below, called 'Wind Turbine Safety: Complacency and Cover Up', indicates that the wind industry is marked by a reluctance to admit to accidents. It appears that many accidents in the wind industry are not reported openly. Things may be kept somewhat quiet because most deaths and accidents occur to people working directly within the industry, rather than to the general public. It also appears that there is a tendency in the wind industry to cover up or hide the failings of their technology. It appears that only one death has occurred in the general public (those outside of the wind industry) as a result of an operating wind turbine. In contrast, there have been a number of serious injuries and quite a number of close calls. TURBINES AND LIGHTNING STRIKES Looking at wind turbines themselves, it should be noted that they are situated on top of a very tall conductive tower and are usually the highest object above the ground in their locale. For this reason, they attract lightning strikes. It appears that lightning strikes to rotor blades, which cause damage to the turbine or even serious fires to the whole unit, are fairly common. In one case, noted in the article below, a large wind turbine blade disintegrated and fell 200 feet to the ground after receiving a direct hit by lightning. Luckily, no one was in the path of the debris when this accident occurred. The blade was made of fiberglass and a police Sargent declared that, "If anyone had been underneath it, they could have been sliced into pieces." That is not a very reassuring thought about the safety of wind turbines. OIL AND HYDROCARBON FIRES From the article linked below and from other articles, it appears that turbine fires are almost as common as blade accidents. Highly stressed and improperly lubricated bearings can rapidly become overheated and fail, eventually creating a fire hazard. In wind turbines, a large quantity of lubricating and hydraulic oil is stored in the equipment housing at the top of the wind tower. This large quantity of oil creates some very serious problems in the event of a fire. LET IT BURN AND POLLUTE When a wind turbine fire occurs, firefighting units normally wait and let the turbine burn itself out. The reason: the turbine is normally too far above the ground for firefighters to reach. All they can do is fight residual fires which are caused on the ground from the burning debris which is falling from the turbine. When a wind turbine burns up, large quantities of lubricating oil, plastics and noxious materials are included in the fire. These burning products can produce a considerable amount of thick black smoke. This thick black smoke is a health and environmental hazard. In the process of burning up, the turbine may often be a total, very expensive loss. Information relating to statements made above are found in the article linked below. The article presents quite a number of real life experiences and accidents with wind turbines, including one in which a broken blade impacted an electrical power transformer. FROM THE ARTICLE LINKED ABOVE The article linked above indicates that wind turbines are not as reliable or as durable as manufacturers claimed. This is a very serious and expensive problem. Thousands of failures and accidents have been reported in recent years. It appears that problems with wind turbines are escalating. Gearboxes within wind turbines appear to be rather short lived and must be replaced in large numbers much earlier than expected. There have been failures of rotors because of defects and poor maintenance. There have also been failures of tower foundations because of stress and low frequency vibrations. Electrical and mechanical problems have created many fires. All of these expensive failures in wind turbines are resulting in complaints by the insurance industry. It appears that the wind industry is considered to be a very risky investment. To compound problems with wind turbines is the scarcity of replacement parts. The need for a new rotor mount can shut down a wind turbine for 18 months. A gearbox replacement can cost up to 10 percent of the original cost of the wind power installation. To make matters worse, wind turbines are often not putting out anywhere near the power which the manufacturers claimed for them. These factors cut drastically into power company profits. MORE ABOUT THE ARTICLE It appears that engineers were not able to visualize real life situations when they designed wind turbines. As stated in the article linked above: "The force that comes to bear on the rotors is much greater than originally expected.” “There are gusts and direction changes all the time.” It appears that wind speed is simply not as consistent as that envisioned in the mind of the designers. Manufacturers have chosen to created larger and larger wind turbines. The article above declares: “Large machines may have great capacity, but the strains they are subject to are even harder to control.” Besides causing problems with turbine reliability, it should again be noted that concrete foundations are failing because of the strains and low frequency vibrations associated with wind turbines. This has caused a number of turbines to fall down. To compound an already serious situation, it appears that there is a serious shortage of qualified wind turbine technicians. The technicians available are barely able to keep up with necessary repairs to turbines, therefore preventative maintenance like oil changes and gearbox lubrication are often not being performed in a timely manner. This often leads to early and very costly gearbox failures and loss of power production. Another serious problem with wind turbines is catastrophic blade failure. This generally occurs during high wind conditions. A blade failure at high speed can throw dangerous debris for quite some distance. It appears that a certain portion of these blade failures are usually a result of a poor design, material fatigue, defective construction, a lightning strike, or improper maintenance and general neglect. BLADE AND TURBINE ISSUES Catastrophic blade failure can pose a major and deadly threat to humans and animals, plus cause major damage to nearby property. If a person were walking anywhere near one of these turbines when a blade broke off and came crashing down, they could instantly be badly injured or killed. At times, blades may impact the main tower and the whole upper section, turbine included, comes crashing down. The article linked further above declares that in Scotland, planning guidelines suggest a 2 kilometer separation distance between industrial wind turbines and things like houses and transportation routes, for safety reasons. Turbine operating manuals caution people to stay at least 400 meters (1300 feet) away from operating wind turbines. Some of the blades weigh nearly 18 tons. Blades that have come loose, or pieces thereof, have been thrown hundreds of meters from the turbine in past failures. In Denmark, a turbine disintegrated in high winds and threw pieces of its blades more than 500 meters. In another case, a broken blade from a wind turbine was found near a home which was located about 2,500 feet from one of two turbines which appear to have been damaged by high winds. In California, a storm damaged 75 wind turbine blades at a windfarm located 60 miles east of San Diego. Some of these blade failures were catastropic. Again, high winds can cause serious problems for wind turbine installations. When placed offshore in the ocean, the problems are only compounded. In regards to these problems, world leader Vestas had to remove all the turbines in an offshore wind farm in Denmark because the turbines could not withstand the ocean and weather conditions. There have been similar problems off the British coast. ICE-THROW AND FIRE ISSUES As noted in the article linked further above, another potentially deadly and destructive problem with large wind turbines in cold weather is ice throw. Some of the slabs of ice can be up to two feet long and can be thrown for quite some distance. The shower of ice can cause serious problems for nearby people and property. When wind turbines catch fire and burn, the falling debris can start brush and forest fires. The spinning blades can also spread burning debris over a large area. In dry weather with strong winds, this could create quite a serious problem for the surrounding country. BRUSH AND FOREST FIRES The button below links to an article about a failed wind turbine which caused a forest fire in a mountainous region. The article declares: "When the flames started, the machine was functioning and the movement of its blades helped scatter sparks about the area, which brought the focus of the fire to an area replanted with pine trees." In regards to brush and forest fires, the webpage linked below is one person's arguments against the placement of wind turbines in regions prone to brushfires. WIND TURBINE FIRES The button below accesses a picture of a wind turbine which is burning at night. The fire was a result of a technical problem in the equipment at the top of the tower. Fires like this, which occur at night, could be especially dangerous in fire prone regions or in dry weather. The video linked below shows a wind turbine burning up in New Brunswick, Canada. Note all the stringy, fibrous material hanging from the turbine framework. Note also the debris falling to the ground. The article linked below also regards the fire at the Kent Hills Wind Farm. Lightning had been ruled out as a factor in this fire. Damage from this fire was set at about $5 million. MORE TURBINE FIRES The article linked below is about a wind turbine fire in North Wales. Debris from the burning turbine forced the closure of a road for about two hours. As a result of this fire, 25 wind turbines at the facility were shut down for safety reasons. After viewing the turbine fire, a county councillor voiced his concerns about the plans to "turn much of the Clocaenog forest into a giant windfarm." Think of the forest fire potential in such a setting. The article linked below regards a wind turbine fire at the Lake Bonney wind farm near Tantanoola, South Australia. The article declares: "While the flames were initially contained at the top of the structure, falling debris caused the fire to spread to the grass below." The article linked below is about a wind turbine fire at the Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm at Port Lincoln, South Australia. This fire burned a $6 million wind turbine. EVEN MORE FIRES The article linked below begins with a fire on a 10-kilowatt residential wind generator which was spinning out of control. Flames were erupting from the turbine. During this fire, the wind turbine was producing electricity and making things hard for firefighters. The fire eventually burned itself out. The article linked below concerns a wind turbine in Clear Lake, Iowa, which burned. A photo of the burned out equipment compartment is shown. Another photo shows a wind turbine which is not operating, which has blackening on the bottom of the equipment compartment. Possibly this blackening is from leaking oil. The article linked below concerns two wind turbines in France. The braking system on the turbine failed, which allowed the blades to over-speed. The turbines caught on fire, with one of them exploding, "sending burning debris into the vegetation and starting fires." The video linked below shows a wind turbine in Spain which burned up. Once again, note all the stringy, fibrous material hanging from the turbine framework. THE NISSAN TURBINE FIRE The videos linked below show the Nissan Wind Turbine Fire at their car plant in Sunderland, England. Note the fiery debris dropping to the ground and all the stringy, fibrous material hanging from the turbine. That black smoke pouring off the burning turbine does not look very environmental-friendly. Eventually, all three blades of the turbine burnt off and crashed to the ground. The article linked below is also about the Nissan Wind Turbine Fire in Sunderland, England. The wind turbine was a used unit and had been in operation only about five months at the Nissan site before it burned up. The fire was very fierce and burned off the three blades, which dangerously crashed to the ground. The thick black smoke could be seen for miles. Engineers from Vestas had been working to fix an oil leak on the turbine. When it was restarted, the fire occurred. It appears that the oil caught on fire first and then the fire worked into the blades, eventually burning them off. THE FIRES KEEP COMING The video linked below shows the spiraling smoke trail coming from two burning turbine blades, as they merrily spin in the wind. The webpage accessed via the button below shows a picture of a wind turbine pod and a blade burning fiercely. This burning turbine is putting out an awful lot of thick black smoke which does not look very environmental-friendly. One thing for sure: wind turbines sure can burn. A Florida Power and Light Energy wind turbine was badly damaged by fire at their Hancock County Wind Farm southwest of Garner, Florida. The fire started at the rear of the equipment compartment, at the top of the tower. This would be in the area where the generator is located. Eventually the fire spread to the turbine blades, burning off two of them about 45 minutes after the fire started. Both of the blades crashed to the ground below. When the blades fell, debris flew all over the place. The Hancock County Wind Farm became operational in 2002. The turbine featured in the article burned up in 2007. The turbines were in operation for only 5 years before the failure occurred which destroyed an expensive turbine. This is not a very good track record for wind turbine reliability. THICK BLACK SMOKE The video linked below shows a wind turbine in Portugal which ends up burning fiercely. Eventually, the burning turbine was emitting an incredible amount of thick black smoke. All of this smoke is certainly not very environmental-friendly. This fire was ultimately very costly, for it ruined an expensive wind turbine and caused a lot of environmental pollution in the process. GROWING ALARM From the article linked below, called 'MEP warns over wind turbine fires', it appears that a certain segment of the environmentalist movement is becoming alarmed by the number of incidents and photos of "self combusting" wind turbines. The article declares: "These burning wind factory photos certainly bring home the dangerous and unpredictable nature of these huge turbines." Unfortunately, another segment of the environmentalist movement appears to be all for these monstrosities which are prone to becoming flaming infernos and serious polluters of the environment. But, it appears that among certain intelligent groups, questions are being raised about the suitability of wind turbines as a reliable and safe source of energy. PROBLEMATIC EQUIPMENT It appears that more than 150 turbine fires have been caused by gearbox failures. The article, linked below, declares: "To date no gear oil has been invented to withstand the pressures produced within these units." If this is true, then why are we going to all the government-subsidized expense, paid for by taxpayers money, to put up these units which are prone to catastrophic or very expensive failure? The way the government is working in regards to the wind industry, a person may wonder if we have bullheaded fools running the show in our countries. These problems could also make a person wonder who is paying who off, to keep putting up these poorly designed and somewhat dangerous contraptions. The article, linked below, ends with a discussion of the "spectacular" fire at the Nissan Wearside plant in Sunderland, England. The thick black smoke produced by this fire could be seen for miles. Police had to close two highways for one and one-quarter hours for fear of debris falling from the tower onto cars on the busy highways. This does not tend to implant a true vision of "green energy" into the minds of those who witnessed this fiasco. PLEASE, NO MORE FIRES The webpage linked below presents some impressive photos of industrial wind turbine fires. But, before we proceed any further, a comment about that webpage is truly in order. The webmaster for that webpage should possibly proofread and correct their page. Nevertheless, the article does bring up the important concern about wind turbines starting forest fires. The article mentions how hard these forest fires may be to fight. It also brings up what appears to be blatant and reckless disregard for public safety, in regards to industrial wind turbines. These are legitimate points which should be taken seriously. The videos linked below show a fire ravaged industrial wind turbine near the community of Birds Landing, in Solano County, California. In the video, the fire is continuing to slowly burn on its blade. Firefighters simply had to, yes, once again, let the large turbine structure burn itself out. In the meantime, detrimental carbon pollution and other noxious materials were being added to our atmosphere. So much for "green", environmentally-friendly energy. FIRES AND DECLARED IGNORANCE The two articles linked below concern a wind turbine explosion and fire near Bloomfield, Nebraska. The Elkhorn Ridge wind farm was under construction at the time of this turbine fire. The fire caused the hospitalization of, once again, a Vestas Wind Energy worker. This man received serious burns while working on top of the wind turbine. It appears that two other workers were treated for smoke inhalation. It is of great interest to note that the spokeswoman for the Edison Mission Group, of Irvine, California, which owns the windfarm, declared that she had "never heard of a fire at a turbine.” No wonder we are having these turbine fires. It appears a portion of the people working in the wind power industry are either very ignorant or playing very dumb. Possibly it is time for them to quit conning the general public as to the safety of these large industrial wind turbines. GRACEFULLY POLLUTING THE ENVIRONMENT The picture linked below shows another wind turbine gracefully smoking away, polluting the environment with thick, black smoke. As the turbine burns, flaming debris is showered to the landscape below. Can you imagine a scene like this in the midst of a forest area? Yes, some windfarms are located in forest regions. Or, can you imagine this scene in a dry region during the hot summer months when the wind is blowing strongly, to rapidly spread the fire far and wide? Again, it appears that wind turbines may be a disaster waiting to happen. The video linked below shows yet another industrial wind turbine which was destroyed by fire. Note that there was nothing which the firefighters could do for the wind turbine, but let it burn itself out. Yes, another very expensive waste. For those who failed to notice, this video appears to have been edited, for it fails to show the actual fire with the thick black smoke pouring into the atmosphere and polluting the environment. "GREEN ENERGY" AT WORK The webpage linked below includes pictures of environmental-friendly wind turbines, as they are flaming out of control and spewing thick, acrid and toxic smoke into the surrounding environment. Wind turbines are so nice, aren't they? Doesn't it make you feel good to know that the government is subsidizing all these "green" and environmental-friendly devices, with your money? Just think of the legacy we have to hand down to future generations, of our apparent general stupidity: that is, if anything survives past our generation. MORE "BANG" FOR YOUR BUCK Yes, the article linked below presents some more good pictures of flaming and failed wind turbines. The article also mentions the fact that wind power is "extremely expensive, has low energy density, takes up a massive amount of space, has a poor capacity factor ratio, is not a reliable source of baseload electricity and generally is just plain not going to ever make any dent worth a hill of beans in terms of power generation or greenhouse gas reduction." The article mentions the hazard created by a massive turbine blade which is tumbling down to the earth. It also mentions burning wind turbines and the "hellish scene of whirling, flaming, tumbling blades OF DEATH." Then there is the combustible nature of the materials used in the turbine blades and the equipment compartment. The blades readily burn and produce "highly toxic, thick acrid smoke which could be very hazardous to anyone in the immediate area. The fires can result in hot burning resin dripping off the turbine and debris falling, possibly igniting ground blazes." The spinning blades also create a safety hazard for firefighters. The article ends by mentioning the fact that "wind turbines are all but useless in actually producing a useful amount of electricity at any kind of reasonable price or scalability." That is why the wind industry is subsidized by the government and paid for by you, the enslaved taxpayer. FIRES, POLLUTION, AND OFFSHORE TURBINES At this point in the discussion, let us consider offshore wind turbines. In case of a fire, the unit must again be left to burn out. During this process, lubricating oil and other hydrocarbons may be spilling into the surrounding waters, especially if there is ultimately a catastrophic collapse. This does not sound very environmentally-friendly. But, on the positive side, the general public may not realize how many wind turbines are failing or burning up, when they are out-of-sight, offshore. The general public also will not necessarily realize how much pollution is being created by oil leaking from the wind turbines, when they are far offshore. Yes, out of sight, out of mind: it can make a person feel better. WIND TURBINE OIL LEAKS Oil leaks in wind turbines appears to be an ongoing problem. The videos linked below show large industrial wind turbines in Wisconsin which are leaking oil. Yes, these "green energy" devices are polluting the surrounding environment with oil. The articles and pictures, accessed via the buttons below, show even more wind turbines which are merrily leaking oil. It appears that the "green energy" wind power people are sure friendly to the environment. It appears that they diligently work to keep up on the maintenance of these monstrosities. Such a nice bunch of people, aren't they? Just think of how nice it will be when we have large offshore wind farms. Then we will not have to see all this oil and pollutants which are leaking into the environment. Once again, since it will not be so obvious to the general public, the wind farm operators can let the turbines gush away. Just think of how much money this should help save on maintenance costs. A FAST BURN The article linked below concerns a wind turbine which went up in flames at the Kent Hills Wind Farm in Elgin, New Brunswick. The wind turbine was in operation for only about seven and a half months, far below the 20 year lifespan stated for wind turbines, when it burned up. Replacement cost for the turbine was estimated to be between $4 million and $5 million. FIRST RESPONDERS When there is a fire, who do you call? Yes, generally, the local fire department; so the firefighters can come and put out the fire. But in the case of an industrial wind turbine, what are they going to do? Most often, as the article linked below states, there is little or nothing firefighters can do. In most cases, they will just stand there and watch the baby burn, from a safe distance. The burning, and often spinning, wind turbine may be much too dangerous for them to approach. Read about a real life scenario in the article linked below. In this fiery situation, $3 million in damage was done to a turbine. This article also exposes another danger in fighting fires at wind turbines. Wind turbines contain a large electrical network and are often electrified, therefore it may be unsafe to use somewhat conductive water to fight the fire (yes, there is a shock hazard with these babies). Furthermore, water should not be used to fight a lubricating oil fire. The water will only intensify the fire. Let us give the true picture for the firefighter responding to a fire at a wind turbine. The equipment compartment and the turbine blades are far above them and way out of reach. The spinning blades may be fragmenting and throwing deadly, flaming debris for quite some distance: possibly up to one-half mile away, all the while putting out thick, black, "environmental-friendly" smoke. Now you may realize the helplessness of a firefighter in this situation. Pretty sad, isn't it: this government backed "green-energy" fiasco which has been foisted and forced upon a passive general public? It appears that passivity can come with a high price tag. THE ENVIRONMENTAL FIASCO There are people who believe that wind energy is actually not very environmental-friendly. The article linked below, called 'Wind Energy is NO FRIEND to the environment', declares: "Commercial wind projects cause considerable collateral damage. A single turbine requires clear cutting 3-5 acres to provide room for construction and to reduce wind turbulence during operation. Loss of interior forest habitat is even greater, 15-20 acres per turbine. Interior forest, defined as forest habitat that is more than 100 meters from a clearing, is essential for maintaining viable populations of many birds and wildlife. It is often necessary to blast bedrock which has the potential to disrupt water flow to existing wells downhill." As the first and second pictures in the article are viewed, thoughts of commercial mining come to mind. Yes, the unsightly scars on the land, in woodlands and forest. This is also prime country in which to experience a major wind turbine fire on a windy day. The spinning and burning turbine would have much good fuel to ignite (yes, trees and brush), until the turbine fully burned out. Possibly there could be 2 hours or more of burning debris showering down on the forest and brush, to ignite beautiful, "environmental-friendly" fires. On a windy day, such a fire could rapidly become an out of control wildfire, burning large areas of forest land, plus residences in the area. Pictures lower down in the article show unsightly coastline and offshore wind farms. Oh yes, and then there are pictures of the mangled remains of a failed technology. Yes, wind turbines, possibly government subsidized, at their very best. It does appear that the highly-paid engineers did their job very well. Of these collapsed wind turbines, the article states: "Wind Towers are subject to metal fatigue and the effects of ice and wind, parts and whole blades have torn off because of malfunction, flying as far as 8 kilometers and through the window of a home in one case. Whole towers have collapsed in Germany (as recently as 2002) and the U.S. (e.g. Oklahoma, May 2005)." AN UPDATE The article linked below was obviously written a while back, for an industrial wind turbine collapsed in Oregon, USA, in 2007, killing one man and injuring another. Also in 2007, a massive Vestas wind turbine collapsed in high winds in Scotland. Denmark experienced the collapse of at least two industrial wind turbines in 2008. Also in 2008, an industrial wind turbine collapsed at the Searsburg wind energy facility in Vermont, USA. A large industrial wind turbine collapsed on March 6, 2009, at Altona, New York. An industrial wind turbine experienced a catastrophic collapse at the Fenner wind farm in New York, in December of 2009. On November 25, 2010, a large industrial wind turbine collapsed at the Foote Creek Rim wind energy facility in Wyoming. And the list could go on and on. BACK TO THE ARTICLE Wind farms cause problems with birds and other wildlife. The article, linked below, declares: "The U.S Fish and Wildlife Services estimate that European wind power kills 37 birds per turbine per year. Extrapolating that figure to 50 turbines equals the potential for a small wind plant to kill almost 20,000 birds over a 10 year period." The low-frequency, infrasonic sound wave produced by large industrial wind turbines may also tend to spook animals like deer and elk, virtually chasing them from their habitat in the local area. More on this subject later. Captions to pictures further down in the linked article declare: "Turbine related fires are not uncommon. A single turbine may contain up to 200 gallons of oil; the transformer at the base of each turbine may contain another 500 gallons of oil. In rural areas even a spark can easily develop into a large fire before discovery is made and fire-fighting can begin." It is a simple fact: winds and wildfires are not a good combination, as any firefighter will attest. The article also proclaims: "To the Wind Industry and Wind Developers, rural America is no different than a third world country. They enrich a few landowners, pay for a school or fire truck, persuade some of the locals with their good intentions, pit the rest of the people against each other, then they take what they want." It is beginning to appear that a despotic government has sold out the citizens of the United States to foreign interests in the wind power industry. Is this what you would call "oppression at work?" Now for the article linked below. It may be well worth reading. EFFECTS OF INFRASONICS AND LOW FREQUENCY SOUND Regarding wildlife and wind turbines, consider the following from a report about a U.S. Congressman. "It’s quite amazing. ...There’s no wildlife anywhere within distance, and I’m talking three to four miles, of any of these wind turbines because these wind turbines emit low frequency vibrations that drive the deer away." "Anybody who can tell you about animals in the wild will tell you they hear frequencies that humans cannot. And the low frequency vibrations from these industrial wind turbines drive the deer away." It is interesting to note in the webpage, linked above, that the wildlife appear to have left the area surrounding the wind turbines. The reason: "low frequency vibrations that drive the deer away." These low frequency vibrations, which are generally below the audible hearing range for most humans, are commonly called infrasound. They are also called infrasonic waves or infrasonics. EFFECTS OF NOISE ON HUMANS AND ANIMALS The slow-loading PDF report, linked below, concerns the effect of noise from wind turbines on wildlife. The report declares: "Noise does not have to be loud to have negative effects. Very low frequency sounds including infrasound are also being investigated for their possible effects on both humans and wildlife. Wind turbine noise results in a high infrasound component." The report states further: "Infrasound is inaudible to the human ear but this unheard sound can cause human annoyance, sensitivity, disturbance, and disorientation." There are interesting things to consider in the report linked below. THE AUTHOR'S RESEARCH The author first began studying the effects of low frequency and infrasonic sound waves in the 1970s. From the information which the author examined, low frequency and infrasonic sound wave definitely can have a detrimental effect on humans and animals. For a very basic introduction to the subject of low frequency sound and infrasonics, simply click on the buttons below. The preceding information on the effects of infrasonics and low frequency sound waves is simply a rudimentary introduction to the subject. More may be added to this section in the future, or a separate report written about the negative effects of infrasound. DECEPTION IN THE WIND POWER INDUSTRY It appears that there is a lot of deception by proponents of the wind power industry saying otherwise, but wind turbines do put out low frequency and infrasonic sound waves. These sound waves can readily cause problems in humans and animals. WHERE EAGLES DIE At this point, let us turn to other matters regarding problems with wind turbines. The article linked below, called 'Wind Power: Green and Deadly', presents some very interesting points. It is all worth reading. The article begins with the following small excerpt, then progresses into other matters about safety problems with wind turbines: "An average US citizen or corporate entity who kills an endangered animal can be in big trouble with the law. Birds, eagles in particular, are zealously protected by nature lovers in America and around the world. Yet a July 2008 study of the wind farm at Altamont Pass, California, estimated that an average of 80 golden eagles were killed there by wind turbines each year. The study, funded by the Alameda County Community Development Agency, estimated that about 10,000 other protected birds were being killed along with the eagles every year at Altamont." BUREAUCRATIC OPPRESSION Indeed, what gives the wind power industry the right to thumb their noses at the law, while slaughtering protected species? In contrast, the power company PacifiCorp paid $1.4 million in fines because eagles in Wyoming were getting electrocuted on its power lines. All the while, the government is turning a blind eye to the large number of protected birds which are being killed by wind turbines each year. Go figure! Is some bureaucrat(s) getting paid off or what? It appears that the "environmental" and "protected species" laws are being used selectively against the citizens and industries of the United States. Because these laws are used selectively and despotically, it appears that the oppressors have taken over the bureaucracies of the United States. The oppression which is occurring against the citizens and industries of the United States appears to be criminal "drug dealer" and "mafia" mentality at work. Has government, indeed, been highjacked by the criminal element? Is a highjacked govenment becoming the biggest oppressor and criminal on this earth? Now for the article linked below, which includes some history on collapsing Vestas wind turbines, plus problems, accidents and deaths within the wind industry. CONSIDERING NUCLEAR ENERGY The author of the above-linked article strongly supports the use of nuclear energy. But, the author of this present webpage believes that caution should be displayed toward the nuclear industry. The use of nuclear energy is addressed on this website in the article called 'Reconsidering the use of Nuclear Energy,' which is accessed via the button below. GLOBAL WARMING It appears that the large scale use of wind turbines can have a affect on global warming. MIT researchers found that regions with a large population of wind turbines can actually experience an increase in temperature. In these cases: so much for the environmental-friendly aspect of wind turbines. MIT research also found that large areas of offshore wind turbines can actually lower temperatures in that area. But, large-scale offshore wind installations do present us with some serious problems. The MIT research information in found in the article linked below. ERRATIC AND UNPREDICTABLE WIND POWER The wind is not very consistent, therefore, the power output of wind turbines is guaranteed to be rather erratic. To make matters worse, the wind can be reduced from year to year, causing wind turbines to put out less usable power. The Dutch recently found this out the hard way when their "production of electricity by wind turbines fell by 13 percent last year" because "there was very little wind in 2010." This is noted in the article linked below. "BACKED-UP" BY CARBON-BASED FUELS Electricity produced from wind energy facilities is more expensive than that produced from conventional power plants. Wind energy in also unpredictable, therefore, it is very unreliable. As a result, wind energy must be "backed up" by conventional power plants. The back-up power plants are normally fueled with carbon-based fuels. Idling or rapidly running up these conventional power plants to meet the electrical needs when wind power has failed, simply creates even a greater problem with detrimental greenhouse gas emissions than are now experienced when using conventional power plants alone. Information regarding problems created by the use of wind power, plus the need for back-up conventional power plants, is noted in the articles linked below. BACK TO THE BIRDS Let us consider again what wind turbines are doing to protected birds, such as eagles. Once again, yes, wind farms cause the death of numerous eagles. Wind farms can also effectively chase eagles and other birds from their nesting grounds. Click on the button below for further reading on this matter. The above linked article, plus the one further above called 'Wind Power: Green and Deadly', are simply an introduction to the "lawful" destruction of protected species of birds by the "privileged" wind power industry, toward which a questionable government and legal system system turn a blind eye and do nothing to stop this wholesale slaughter. A person may begin to ask: "Does the government and legal system have another agenda and motive in this country: one which will ultimately bring this nation to ruin?" THE OBAMA PUSH Obama and other government officials are pushing hard for wind energy. It is billed as good, clean, cheap, safe and efficient energy. But the truth is, it can be far different than claimed. Simply view the photos in the webpage linked to the button below and see what can happen with wind turbines. Unfortunately, this is happening far too often. This erases a considerable amount of their "green" image. A NATION PRONE TO FAILURE Regarding wind energy, one of the the articles linked below declares: "Bankrupt Europe has a lesson for Congress about wind power." It appears that the citizens of the United States are being hoodwinked by a deceptive bureaucracy and devisive politicians. For important information about what is going on with the government-subsidized wind and alternative energy industries, simply click on the buttons below. CANADIAN WISDOM The article linked below, called 'Wind turbine complaints dogging Liberals ahead of fall election campaign', is of special note. It appears that the citizens of Ontario, Canada, may have their act a little more together than do citizens of other advanced countries whose governments have given in to government-subsidized wind power aspirations. Canadian citizens are complaining about problems created by wind turbines. They are making their voices heard and becoming a thorn in the governing Liberal's side. Possibly the citizens of the United States should take a few lessons from these wise Canadian citizens. A VEHICLE FOR FOREIGN INTERESTS Regarding wind turbine companies: in Canada, it was found that a number of them were not following the rules. Yet, the government "issued no fines or orders forcing them to abide by" the rules. Well, this does sound familiar. The United States government is not fining the wind power companies for the deaths of numerous protected eagles and other birds, nor is it forcing them to abide by the established protected species laws. It is beginning to appear that the government of the United States may simply be a vehicle for use by often-foreign-owned wind power companies. In the United States, it appears that wind power companies are often left to police their own wind turbines. It appears that the Canadians see this situation as it is, and are not afraid to become a vocal thorn over the issue. As said by the Canadians: "Allowing companies to police their own wind turbines is like having a fox look after the henhouse." "By just leaving it up to the companies, you're basically sending the message that we're not really serious about having any regulation and — wink wink, nudge nudge — just go ahead and do whatever you want." OBAMA'S ECONOMIC PLAN One point is made in the article, linked below, which does need comment. The article declares: "Green energy projects were a key part of the Liberal plan to dig Ontario out of the economic downturn and create jobs. But the government has also acknowledged that it will hike electricity costs even further." What has happened in Canada is beginning to sound virtually identical to the agenda of Obama and his cronies. The bottom line is: wind farms are inefficient and they have not really helped the economy. Vast numbers of people are still out of work. Yes, Obama, where are all those jobs you promised? Where is that better economy? The article linked below is worth reading. There may be lessons which can be learned from it. There are parallels to what is happening in the United States. It appears there is a form of "shell game" being played by the government in regards to what is really happening between it and the largely foreign owned wind industry. WORKER SAFETY It is now time to hear from the United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration. In the webpage linked below, OSHA mentions the combustible nature of the materials used in wind turbines. It notes the danger to turbine workers from fire hazards, including the hazards of toxic gases and asphyxiation from oxygen depletion inside the equipment compartments at the top of the towers. Working on wind turbines does not sound like a very safe job. Can you imagine being in the top of a turbine when a serious fire breaks out? Can you then imagine having the lubricating oil catch on fire and the burning oil spill down inside the tower, down the only escape route for the worker? Yes, anyone trying to escape would receive major burns and possibly be killed. It appears that wind turbines could be a form of death trap. DANGEROUS TURBINES The article accessed via the button below declares that working on wind turbines can be the most dangerous during the construction phase and while performing mechanical, electrical or instrumentation maintenance during the operational phase. In other words, it appears that wind turbines are dangerous to work on, period. The article goes into more detail about the various dangerous conditions which exist while working on and around wind turbines. It ends with the following words: "Chadd Mitchell’s death during maintenance on a wind tower near Wasco in 2007 highlights the importance of safety training, knowledge of safety practices and equipment, and the life threatening potential of wind tower maintenance. The photos above [in the linked article] show the consequence of failure in that event." INJURIES AND DEATHS Let us now consider other safety issues in the wind industry, plus injuries and deaths to workers. The man in the two articles linked below may be considered lucky, for he was still alive after his accident. The people highlighted in the articles linked below was not so lucky, nor were others mentioned at the end of the first article. EXAMINING A DEADLY ACCIDENT Let us take a more detailed look at another accident. This regards a collapsed wind turbine which occurred at the Klondike III wind project near Wasco, Oregon, USA. In this accident a Siemens Power Generation employee died and and another was injured. The winds at the time of the accident were about 25 mph. Click on the buttons below to examine details relating to this deadly accident. The article linked below addresses just a few of the injuries and deaths on wind turbines, including the ones which we are examining in this section. The article linked below declares: "The collapse of a wind turbine tower at the Klondike III Wind Farm near Wasco, Oregon, killed one worker and injured another. As a result of the incident, the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA), Salem, Oregon, has fined the manufacturer a total of $10,500 for safety violations." It appears that the manufacturer got a simple slap on the hand, while a man lost his life and his family lost his presence. TRAIN OF EVENTS The article, linked above, explains what happened and what led up to the accident and the death of a man, plus the injury of another. Three technicians were performing maintenance on a wind turbine. A service brake was applied to stop the spinning rotor blades. A worker entered the hub of the turbine and positioned all three blades to the maximum wind resistance position, then closed all three energy isolation devices on the blades. The article declares, regarding the energy isolation devices, that: "The devices are designed to control the mechanism that direct the blade pitch so workers don't get injured while they are working in the hub." The article further states: "Prior to leaving the confined space, the worker did not return the energy isolation devices to the operational position. Therefore, when he released the service brake, wind energy on the out-of-position blades caused an “overspeed” condition, causing one of the blades to strike the tower and the tower to collapse." Yes, the technician at the top of the tower died in the collapse. A worker scrambling down the ladder on the inside of the tower was injured in the collapse. The third worker, who was on the ground, was lucky. He escaped injury. OFFICIAL DECLARATION The article, linked below, shows the cause of the deadly accident. "Workers were not properly instructed and supervised in the safe operation of machinery, tools, equipment, process, or practice they were authorized to use or apply. The technicians working on the turbine each had less than two months of experience, and no supervisor was present on site. The workers were unaware of the potential for catastrophic failure of the turbine that could occur as a result of not restoring energy isolation devices to the operational position." IMPROPER TRAINING The above statement is somewhat scary. Workers in this dangerous occupation were not properly instructed in the safe procedures to use to properly accomplish the work they were sent to do. The technicians had less than two months experience working on these dangerous industrial machines and no supervisor was present on the job site to see that things were being done properly. This was indeed utter negligence and an accident waiting to happen. And it did. The utter negligence of their employer's training program clearly appears when workers in such a dangerous occupation are completely "unaware of the potential for catastrophic failure of the turbine that could occur as a result of not restoring energy isolation devices to the operational position." Are wind turbine companies so short on technicians that they are just grabbing people and throwing them out into the field as quickly as possible in an effort to get work done, while disregarding safety and the ultimate consequences in a very dangerous occupation? OSHA VIOLATIONS The article, linked below, continues: "The company's procedures for controlling potentially hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities did not fully comply with Oregon OSHA regulations." At the time of the accident, it appears that lockout/tagout procedures were not followed by the company. Several of the energy isolation devices in the tower unit were not even designed to hold a safety lockout device. This appears to be more than simple negligence. The hub of the turbine is classed as a permit-required confined space. It appears that employees had not been properly trained in emergency procedures relating to the hub. This indeed was an accident waiting to happen. Again, how many other improperly trained workers are there in the wind industry, who are thrown onto jobs for which they are not fully qualified, just so energy companies can have a hot body to get their dirty work done, while the company makes their large, government-subsidized profits? THE SECRET MEETING The article states that there was eventually a meeting between the manufacturer of the deadly wind turbine and Oregon regulators so that the manufacturer could defend its safety procedures. It is interesting to note that this meeting was closed to the media and the public. Were there things which the manufacturer did not want the public to know? It could make a person wonder what kind of "special" deals were cut at this meeting? AN UNDERSTANDABLE REACTION When parents find that their beloved son was killed because of negligence by a company, they can become very upset. That is an understandable reaction. In the case of the worker killed in the wind turbine accident examined above, the parents ultimately filed a lawsuit against the wind energy companies involved. There are possibly many people who hope that the parents will ultimately win this justifiable lawsuit. MORE ON TURBINE ACCIDENTS Let us look more at costly wind turbine accidents and collapses. The articles linked below present the story of the 75 damaged blades on 25 wind turbine at a windfarm 60 miles east of San Diego. The blades were part of the extensive damage at the windfarm caused by a storm with winds topping 70 mph. The turbines stopped spinning when the winds hit 50 mph. Nevertheless, there was major cracking on the blades and all had to be removed. It appears that wind turbines are relatively fragile contraptions. FINDING FACTS It may be hard to find information about quite a number of wind turbine accidents on the Internet. It appears that the Internet is not always the best source for information. As an example, a wind turbine accident at Mynydd-y-Cemmaes, Powys, Wales, is tucked away in some rather different or obscure documents on the Internet. Of this accident, a document found at http://www.scribd.com/doc/23856814/Wind-Turbine-Accidents declares the following: "Several turbines severely damaged during a storm, including a large blade part which was thrown over 400m. An independent witness estimated the blade piece to weigh 1 tonne and travel almost 500m." The above accident is noted in the lower portion of the webpage linked below. VULNERABLE TURBINES Wind turbines are tall and they attract lightning strikes. In the video attached to the article linked below, it can be seen what lightning strikes can do to turbine blades. A blade is split open along its length. The article then goes into the histories of some wind turbine fires and collapses. Note the heavy black smoke from the burning wind turbines. This heavy pollution tends to erase a considerable portion of the environmental goodness which wind turbines supposedly provide. The last video on the webpage is yet another of the runaway turbine "explosion" in Denmark. This truly is a very impressive disintegration of a wind turbine. WHACK OF DESTRUCTION The video linked below shows the aftermath of a wind turbine collapse which resulted from an equipment failure. This failure in the braking system allowed the blades to spin at twice their normal speed. When a blade impacted the tower, the structure came crashing to the ground. It does appear that wind turbines may be accidents waiting to happen. PROBLEM AFTER PROBLEM Wind turbines are having a lot of problems. The webpage linked below asks the following question about these turbines: "How could they be so badly designed or constructed?" The first turbine problem discussed on the webpage is, again, the Nissan Wind Turbine Fire in Sunderland, England. Fire crews could not reach the top of the tower to put the fire out, so the fire from the nacelle region spread to the blades. Eventually, all three blades burned off and crashed to the ground below. The second case history discussed is of the eight industrial wind turbines at the old Bethlehem Steel property in Lackawanna, NY. These expensive turbines had not been operational because of serious gearbox problems. A rather expensive crane is necessary to remove the gearboxes and wind turbine blades from all eight units. The gear boxes need to be repaired by the factory and then they and the blades, in another costly operation, will need to be replaced in order to get the turbines operational. The runaway wind turbine which exploded in Denmark is discussed at the bottom of the webpage. In that accident, the braking system for the turbine failed. Two technicians were working on equipment in the turret at the top of the tower when the failure occurred. They were lucky enough to get out of the turbine unit before the catastrophic collapse occurred. Had things been a little different, there may have been two badly injured or dead workers. Pieces of this turbine were thrown more than 500 meters from the tower. EVEN MORE PROBLEMS The article linked below is written, interestingly enough, by a claimed proponent of wind turbines. The article presents the problems experienced by wind turbines. Photos show damaged, collapsed, burning and burned-out wind turbines. The article linked below concerns a massive industrial wind turbine which collapsed in high winds. This was a unit build by Vestas. As a result of this accident, the power company shut down a total of three windfarms which use these Vestas wind turbines. A DANGEROUS BREED The first article linked below comes from Bloomberg Businessweek. It is rightly entitled 'The Dangers of Wind Power.' The article declares: "As wind turbines multiply around the globe, the number of dangerous accidents is also climbing, causing critics to question overall safety." The second article linked below is an identical article with an identical title. It comes directly from Spiegel Online. This article begins with the words: "Wind turbines continue to multiply the world over. But as they grow bigger and bigger, the number of dangerous accidents is climbing. How safe is wind energy?" First on the list in these articles is a wind turbine, from which a heavy, 32 foot (10 meter) portion of blade tip was ripped from its turbine by a gust of wind. The large blade tip flew through the air and crashed into the ground "some 200 meters away." This heavy and flailing blade tip presented a potentially serious or deadly situation. It appears that the breakup of the industrial wind turbine was due to "manufacturing defects and irregularities." It appears that many of the wind turbines were "slapped together" in the boom years of turbine building, and we are now paying the price. As noted in the articles below, "thousands of mishaps, breakdowns and accidents having been reported in recent years." PARTS PROBLEMS Gearboxes are failing in large numbers and being replaced. This is a very expensive operation. Rotors and foundations have also been experiencing costly failures. Electrical short circuits and overheated turbine bearings have resulted in destructive fires. All of these problems exist, while government subsidies are resulting in explosive growth in the wind industry. The high demand for wind turbines and the rapid growth of the wind industry has left manufacturers with little time to properly test new turbines. The industry is now like a runaway freight train: yes, an accident waiting to happen. To make matters worse, there is a parts supply issue. When a turbine blade is damaged, it may take up to 18 months to get a replacement. During that time, the wind turbine must stand idle, producing no power. RISKY BUSINESS The wind industry represents a very large insurance risk. One insurance giant was presented with about 1,000 claims for damaged turbines, just in the year 2006: and the wind industry has grown greatly since that time. This has simply compounded the problem. This makes things difficult for the insurance industry, for they know that many windfarms "have flaws." The articles linked below present further problems, yes, serious problems which are experienced by the wind industry. It is all worth reading. Once again, it truly appears that we have created an accident waiting to happen, with the government-subsidized wind industry. Consider the following: In one accident, fragments from a shattered rotor blade landed on a road shortly before rush hour traffic began. In other cases, two wind turbines caught fire and the responding firefighters could only watch them burn. Their ladders were too short to reach the turbines. Yet another wind turbine folded in half and crashed to the ground right next to a highway. Yes, wind turbines can be dangerous and hard to work with in the case of fire. From the articles linked below, it appears that industrial wind turbines were not designed for changing, real-world conditions. They may be far too fragile when the going gets tough and the conditions become strong. For this reason, in many cases, they truly are an accident waiting to happen. In regards to this matter, there is much to consider in the articles linked below. AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN What happens when an area experiences average wind speeds of 31 mph, with gusts above 110 mph, and you add an industrial wind turbine into the mix? Click on the article linked below and look at the photos for the correct answer. This collapse actually occurred on November 25, 2010, as corrected lower down in the article. Yes, it appears that wind turbines are just another accident waiting to happen. And, in this case, it did. Unfortunately, there are too many like it. The article linked below speaks of two industrial wind turbines, one in Denmark and the other in Sweden, which self-destructed in the same week, throwing their blades in the process. One of the blades crashed into an electrical power transformer. The article also speaks of more Vestas wind turbines which failed in the United Kingdom and in Denmark. It appears that there were a number of serious blade failures. MORE COLLAPSING TURBINES The video linked below is about an industrial wind turbine near Weatherford, Oklahoma, which experienced a catastrophic failure and collapsed. The video includes locals at the diner voicing their thoughts on the matter. The article linked below concerns a school district's government-funded wind turbine which experienced a problem. Yes, it fell off its tower. The turbine was one of three district units which were built by the company Proven Energy. As a precaution, during the investigation, the district shut down its other two turbines. DROPPING BLADES The article linked below concerns a turbine rotor which came crashing to the ground at the Rugby Wind Power Project near Rugby, North Dakota. This turbine was manufactured by Suzlon Wind Energy Corporation. It appears that a failed braking system allowed the blades to gain too much speed. They impacted the tower and sheared off the blade mounting plate, causing the blades to crash to the ground. The articles accessed via the buttons below concern the North Dakota wind turbine whose rotor and blades fell off and crashed to the ground. Some articles purely put the blame on failing bolts, but it appears there is more to the story. The rotor and blades fell off because they were improperly installed with a misalignment to the main power shaft. Because of the misalignment, the attachment bolts were able to fail, which allowed the rotor and blades to crash to the ground. After this accident, six other wind turbines where shut down so their bolts could be replaced. The article linked below regards a Vestas wind turbine which lost its blades. They flew through the air and landed by a hiking trail. This truly could have ruined somebody's day. It should be noted that this was an older model Vestas wind turbine. Just think what we may all have to look forward to in the years ahead. LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS How may wind turbines are spinning away, which have serious flaws or defects that could become very obvious at any moment? How many wind turbines are simply an accident waiting to happen? Furthermore, are these "hi-tech" contraptions truly as safe as they are portrayed to the unsuspecting public by the manufacturers and supporting governments? TURBINES AND CONCERNS The video linked below shows the inside of an industrial wind turbine tower, with the long ladder going to the top. Then it shows a turbine which lost its blades. A map shows the distribution of windfarms on the East Coast of England. It also presents the concerns of local residents over wind turbine safety. EVEN MORE PROBLEMS Below are a number of links to articles about wind turbine problems. Read and become informed. A FALLING OUT The articles linked below concern the catastrophic, total collapse of an almost 190-ton industrial wind turbine at the Fenner wind farm in New York. This wind turbine was less than ten years old. It appears that the turbine and tower simply came loose and fell out of their foundation, then came crashing to the ground. When the article was written, no one seemed to understand why this accident happened. As a result of the collapsed turbine, 19 other turbines in the wind farm were to be inspected. But, as a safety precaution, engineers did not climb inside the towers. Computer data showed that the collapsed turbine was operating normally before the whole unit came crashing to the ground. The collapse was not caused by high winds. The blades had not spun out of control, or had they? Some reports indicate that the turbine collapsed as a result of a wiring problem which allowed the turbine to spin faster than it was designed for. It is interesting to note that the catastrophic collapse at the Fenner wind farm appears to have followed a power outage in the local area. Earlier the same year, a wind turbine at the Noble Altona Windpark, in northern New York, split in half after a power outage. In this case, the collapse resulted in a fire and the spreading of debris up to 345 feet from the base of the turbine. What is there about power outages which can cause these wind turbines to self destruct? What would happen if technicians were inside of these turbines when the power outage occurred? WIND ACCIDENT DATA The articles linked below give accident data for wind turbines. The pages of accidents accessed via the button below are very small. Therefore, zoom in on these documents until they are easily readable. There have been quite a number of fatalities as a result of wind power. With the number of accidents which have happened, plus the circumstances surrounding these accidents, had people been in the wrong place at the wrong time, there easily could have been many more fatalities. WIND ENERGY EXPOSED The article linked below shows some of the problems and inefficiencies with wind power. It also shows the government subsidies which keep this flailing industry and somewhat faulty technology going. WIND POWER IN CALIFORNIA The article and videos linked below are well worth reading. It is a presentation of one person's observations about inefficient and poorly maintained wind farms in the environmental-conscious state of California. The following excerpt from the article in interesting, considering the environmental forces at work in California: "Throughout the Tehachapi-Mojave area look for turbines without nose cones, turbines without nacelles (blown off and not replaced), oil leaking from blade-pitch seals, oil leaking from gearboxes, road cuts in steep terrain, erosion gullies, non-operating turbines, and “bone piles” of junk parts." "While touring wind farm sites look for blowing trash and litter (plastic bags, soft-drink cups, bottles, electrical connectors, scrap bits of metal, and so on). These all reflect management’s attention to maintenance and general housekeeping." Does the above sound like an ecological disaster or true "green energy" at work? So much for "green energy" in the state of California. From the article, it also appears that there is a problem at wind installations in Hawaii, because of lack of maintenance. It appears that the rich power companies are gathering government subsidies wherever they can and then not doing the necessary maintenance. Possibly some pockets are being lined here, at the expense of U.S. taxpayers. The webpage linked below also includes a video showing the inside and top of a wind turbine. This may be of interest to some. The comments below the main article are also very interesting. EXPENSIVE, UNRELIABLE ENERGY Looking to the article linked above, and other information available on or via this present webpage, it is becoming very obvious that "wind power is not the cheapest way to produce energy." As stated so clearly in the article linked above: “Utility rate payers are paying more for this unreliable intermittent energy source.” DIRTY TRUTHS ABOUT WIND POWER The article linked below speaks about "the unsuitability of wind power to provide both affordable and secure energy." Part of the lack of security is a result of equipment failures and fires, plus the unpredictability of the wind. The article also speaks about government subsidies to wind energy companies. Concerning wind energy, it appears that the Dutch are getting smart and moving away from this unreliable and expensive source of power. LESS EFFICIENT THAN CLAIMED The title of the article linked below may appear to go a little far, but it may have some basis in truth. The title? "Wind farms are totally useless." On the other hand, they may serve an important purpose for some. Wind farms may help to "line the pockets" of politicians and their buddies. They may also help to rid the rural lands of many inhabitants, because of the detrimental health and psychological effects created by wind turbines which cause residents to move elsewhere. Then the rich foreign buddies of the politicians can buy up all the abandoned farmland for a cheap price. The article linked below declares the following: "Wind farms are much less efficient than claimed, producing below 10% of capacity for more than a third of the time, according to a new report. The analysis also suggested output was low during the times of highest demand." This does not sound very good for the wind industry. No wonder their wind turbines need to be backed up by conventional power generating facilities. PICTURES AND INFORMATION The website access via the button below contains many small pictures of wind turbines. Some of the captions attached to the photos speak of problems created for residents living near these wind turbines. Some of the problems are noise, shadow flicker and other negative health effects. It should be noted that some of these turbines appear to be situated way too close to residences. This is a very unsafe situation. A catastrophic turbine failure could prove to be deadly to humans and animals, plus very destructive to property. IMPORTANT INFORMATION The article linked below declares the Denmark has more than 6,000 wind turbine, yet is has not closed any of its conventional power plants. The conventional power plants are used to meet the actual power demands of the country and the power produced by wind turbines in mainly sold to other countries at an extremely discounted price, which equalled a revenue loss. The article below notes that in high winds, turbines must be shut down. This appears to be a great waste of energy. It appears that the wind power industry is totally using a wrong design. The article below gives a considerable amount of information about wind power and its drawbacks. It is all worth reading. INFORMATION ABOUT WIND TURBINES The article linked below, called 'Health, hazard, and quality of life near wind power installations', is very informative. A nacelle unit, with generator and gearbox, weighs up to 60 tons. This large amount of weight perches at the top of a high, somewhat fragile and spindly tower. Attached to this is a very large set of spinning blades. This presents a large hazard to people, animals, buildings and traffic in the area. The article shows the danger of failing wind turbines. It speaks of a wind turbine in Germany which experienced a catastrophic failure. Parts of the fragmenting turbine landed as far as 1650 ft (0.31 mile) from the base of the tower. The article speaks of fires on turbines started by lightning. The fire may then be fueled by up to 200 gallons of hydraulic oil in the nacelle. The article below brings up some very important points about wind turbines connected to the grid and the irregularities in power supply which they cause, as the wind speed changes. When the wind dies, there may be an electrical brown-out, until a conventional power plant is able to fire up and meet the demand. When there are gusty winds, the wind turbines create power surges in the grid. DAMAGE TO CUSTOMERS Power surges created by wind turbines have a record of damaging utility customer's appliances. Other regions have noted an increase in lightning strikes once wind turbines were installed in their area. Lightning strikes on turbines have also "fried" customer's computers which were protected by surge protectors. TV sets have also been "fried." BACK TO THE ARTICLE The article linked below presents a variety of problems created by wind turbines. Around the time of sunrise and sunset, the turning blades of wind turbines cast very long, moving shadows across the countryside and buildings. Inside of nearby houses, it is like a flickering stroke light which is hard to block out. This flicker causes some people to lose their balance or become sick. It can also bring on seizures in people with epilepsy. It appears that these problems can be experienced up to 2 miles from wind turbines. It appears that many residents up to 2 miles from wind turbines are also experiencing objectionable noise problems. The noise is like a rhythmic "low pitched thumping sound." It appears that we are dealing with infrasonic soundwaves here, which can be very bothersome. The noise from the wind turbines is claimed to prevent or interrupt sleep and can have adverse effects on health. The article linked below also notes some of the other health problems experienced by people living near wind turbines. MORE ON LIGHTNING STRIKES The article, linked below, concerns a wind turbine which burned in Iowa. The fire was started by, yes, a lightning strike on an isolated and conductive object which is sticking way up in the air. The responding firefighters had to wait around until the blade burned off and crashed to the ground. Now for a few facts from the article. Lightning strikes account for up to 80% of wind turbine insurance claims and can account for up to 85% of the down time experienced by a wind farm. A lightning strike can damage critical control systems on the wind turbine. This can cascade into more serious problems. Lightning strikes can also seriously damage the turbine blades, even setting them on fire. The article, linked below, notes that lightning dangers increase with turbine height. So what does the wind industry do? Yes, they build bigger and taller wind turbines. That does not sound very smart. The article ends by stating wind turbines are extremely vulnerable to lightning, but they believe that the danger can be mitigated by lightning protection systems. That remains yet to be seen. The matter of lightning protection, and its failures, is noted later in this discussion. In the meantime, wind turbines continue to be damaged by lightning strikes. COMMON SENSE Generally, it does not take a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon to realize that it may not be the best idea to put a relatively fragile, electrically conductive, somewhat isolated unit, with relatively sharp edges (blade edges, etc.) which are calling out to be hit by lightning, high up in the air where it can readily be hit by lightning. The average small-time farmer knows this fact. But, it appears in the wind industry, high intelligence does not necessarily prevail, for they keep putting up their contraptions where they can readily be hit by lightning. MORE ON LIGHTNING AND FIRES The article linked below notes that winter presents the wind industry with problems created by snow, ice throw, and frigid weather. But these things are not the most serious threat to wind turbines. In the summer, there is often a lot of lightning storms. It is very common to experience lightning strikes on wind turbines. The article declares that lightning strikes can "explode those blades, and they’ll throw chunks of blade several hundred feet." "As the chunks fall, the firefighters douse them with water. Otherwise, there’s really not much you can do with a turbine that’s 200 foot tall and on fire.” The linked article is worth reading. WORTHLESS LIGHTNING PROTECTION The article linked below is a case study of lightning strikes on industrial wind turbines at a wind energy facility in Texas. Lightning struck a number of blades, causing them to fail. It should be of special note that these turbine blades were equipped with lightning protection. It does not appear that lightning protection on wind turbines works as well as it is presented in all the hype by lightning protection companies. VULNERABLE WIND TURBINES Bottom line: Wind turbines are vulnerable to damaging lightning strikes, even with the contraptions, called 'lightning protection', which are added to them. Wind turbines do not appear to be a very smart idea, considering that lightning strikes account for up to 80% of wind turbine insurance claims and can account for up to 85% of the down time experienced by a wind farm. There are truly better ways to produce electrical energy for a country. PROPERTY VALUES It appears that wind power companies can be very deceptive toward the public regarding the true facts of how wind power installations can affect people's lives. Wind power companies tend to tell people that wind turbines will not negatively affect their property values. But, real life experiences have clearly proven otherwise. Once a prospective home buyer hears about a proposed wind farm in the area, they will usually walk away. The article linked below declares that reputable studies and reports show that residential property values definitely are "adversely and measurably impacted by close proximity of industrial-scale wind energy turbine projects to the residential properties, with value losses (5% - 25%) measured up to two-miles from the nearest turbine's, in some instances. Impacts are most pronounced within "footprint" of such projects, and many ground-zero homes have been completely unmarketable, thus depriving many homeowners of reasonable market-based liquidity or pre-existing home equity." The article below presents three different studies by reputable sources, plus a consideration of other hazards created by wind turbines. The article is relatively short and well worth reading. OFFSHORE WIND FACILITIES It is tough enough to maintain land-based wind turbines. When they need major repair, large cranes must be brought to the site. But what about water-based windfarms. Consider the maintenance, repair and safety headache which this presents, especially in high winds and bad weather. Then there is the issue of cost, as noted in the article linked below: "But they [the offshore facilities] are notoriously expensive, and large firms including BP and Royal Dutch Shell have pulled out of the sector." SERVICE PROBLEMS Many wind turbines in existing wind farms are out of service because they are needing repairs. What will be the situation in offshore wind farms, which will be much harder to maintain? In this case, the wind turbines will be out of sight from the average citizen, so most will never realize how bad the wind farms are failing in their reliable production of large amounts of electricity. Most people will never realize how many towers have collapsed and how many turbine blades litter the ocean floor below. Is it, out of sight, out of mind? OFFSHORE CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN The government is pushing hard to promote offshore wind facilities. The article below presents some basic, but very important information about what Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is up to. OFFSHORE WIND FARMS AND SHIPPING ACCIDENTS There are major problems to consider with offshore wind installations. Some include shipping and the potential for serious accidents, especially during storms or when a ship experiences an equipment failure, such as losing rudder control. The sudden jarring created by a ship impacting an offshore wind turbine could cause the turbine blades to fail, sending them crashing into the water or potentially crashing into the ship. This presents the possibility for causing injuries or loss of life, plus much damage to the ship or even sinking it. The shock of the collision could also cause the turbine tower to buckle and collapse. If a ship which was carrying such things as petroleum or dangerous chemicals were to have a serious collision with a wind turbine structure and rupture its hull, there could be a major environmental problem, plus a loss of life. Yes, once again, ships can go off course because of storms, an equipment failure, or even a drunken sailor. The video linked below does show a ship which ran aground just for that reason: a drunken sailor. Had the ship in the above video been in the area of a wind farm, there could have been a much more serious and expensive accident. COLLISION CONSIDERATIONS The article linked below declares: "Ship collisions with the turbines are one of the potential risks associated with offshore wind energy development. Colliding with a wind turbine foundation could damage or possibly destroy a ship. The potential danger to the environment is the spillage of oil or chemicals from the ship into the water." The article presents many issues, but in this discussion, let us not forget about the potential for a wind turbine to lose its spinning blades or experience a catastrophic collapse, as a result of a ship collision. The falling blades or equipment could present a very serious hazard to the ship and its crew. SAFESHIP STUDY The document, linked below, discusses issues regarding ship collisions with offshore wind turbines. The document declares: "SAFESHIP deals with maritime accidents with offshore windfarms. Although the probability of occurrence of ship collisions is low, the scale of the consequences could be large." The SAFESHIP project was partly funded by the European Commission. The document, linked below, also declares: "Maritime safety of offshore wind farms is becoming a major issue in the development and operation of offshore wind farms. Potential risks, despite low probability, could be high both for the wind farm operations and for the maritime environment." The document considers collisions by powered ships and by disabled ships. THE COMING CRUNCH The article linked below regards ship collisions with offshore wind turbines. It declares: "Although there has yet to be a major incident involving offshore wind turbines or wave energy device, it will happen one day, which makes a recent risk alert by Steamship Mutual rather timely." The article declares further: "Placing wind farms at sea close to busy shipping lanes are inherently risky." The article below also states: "A collision between a ship and a wind turbine could result in production loss from a single turbine or the entire wind farm if the transformer module is damaged. In serious cases, a collision may result in loss of life and oil spills." Britain's Maritime Accident Investigation Branch has also expressed concern over the potential for maritime accidents, especially considering the rapid growth in offshore wind farms, which may not have a mature safety culture. A MAJOR NATIONAL SECURITY PROBLEM It is becoming obvious that wind turbines tend to disrupt radar signals and can work to prevent detection of enemy or criminal airplanes and watercraft as they approach the shores of the United States or even its southern border. Low flying drug smugglers, human trafficers or terrorists may readily evade radar detection, again, because of the protection offered them by wind turbines. We have a serious national security problem right now, especially in this changing and unstable world. But, what will it be like when drug trafficers and terrorists are able to readily get their wares and devices of destruction into the United States, virtually undetected, because they are able to exploit to the maximum the radar dead zones which are created by wind turbines? WHAT IS THEIR TRUE MOTIVE ? Considering all the information available regarding wind turbine problems, national security problems and radar dead zones, is it any accident that questionable government officials, with possible hidden agendas, are pushing strongly for numerous wind farms, plus offshore wind power facilities? We do live in a world where corrupt, treacherous, traitorous and bought-off government officials can be a common occurrence. RADAR AND WIND TURBINES Let us now turn to readily available information regarding wind turbines and radar interference. The article linked below declares: "Utility-scale wind turbines, many of which stand more than 100 meters tall, can interfere with the radar used to safely guide aircraft." The article also declares: "In the U.S., new wind farms are threatening to interfere with surveillance radars used by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the U.S. Northern Command and the Department of Homeland Security." It appears that certain groups are working to produce a radar system which will not be negatively affected by wind turbines. Others are working to produce wind turbines which are "invisible" to radar. But the truth is, it does not appear that any system has yet proven itself to work reliably in the real world. As a result, it appears that many major companies could be on the government (taxpayer) dole for research and experimentation during this brewing fiasco. Now for the linked article. COLUMBIA RIVER RADAR INTERFERENCE It appears that wind turbines in or near the Columbia River Gorge are creating dangerous problems for FAA and Air Force radar installations. The article indicates that airplanes in the region may suddenly "become lost" from radar because of interference caused by the wind turbines. Click on the button below to access the article. Then click on the "Read Full Article" button at the lower-right corner to view the complete contents of the article. In the article linked above, please note the arrogance and mentality of people which we are dealing with in the wind power industry. Of this radar dead zone problem and the concern about it, one wind related organization declared as a solution for the concern: "Letting it go...because who cares? We're not talking about border security or anything; it is merely a stretch of remote land in northeastern Oregon where losing a plane for seconds to a few minutes wouldn't be a big deal." The above statement shows the ignorance of that segment of the wind industry. Losing a plane for up to a few minutes can be a big deal. An airplane could totally change direction during those few minutes and crash in some remote ravine, possibly resulting in life-threatening injuries or death to the passengers. A drug or human trafficer's plane could change direction during those few minutes and drop their load or pick up a load at some undisclosed location. MORE SPECIFICS ON INTERFERENCE The article, linked below, begins with the following: "The Department of Homeland Security commissioned a technical report 'Wind Farms and Radar' JSR-08-125 DHS Project # 13089022 on behalf of interests of several agencies, including the FAA, DOD and others. The report, published in 2008, presented a range of serious aviation safety problems and began with the sentence: 'Wind farms interfere with radar.'" The article below also declares: "Wind farms interfere with the radar tracking of airplanes and weather. The velocity of the blade tips can reach 170 mph, causing significant Doppler clutter. This creates problems and issues for several stakeholders, including DHS, DOD, FAA and NOAA." Click on the button below to read the full article. CONCLUSIONS Industrial wind power installations create many serious problems for our country. They are fire and safety hazards. They cause a number of national security issues. Furthermore, they are relatively inefficient and are unreliable for producing stable flows of electricity into the power grid. The use of wind power requires that hydrocarbon-fueled or coal-fueled convention power plants still remain in operation to prevent brown-outs and blackouts on the power grid. Our country has some serious problems, including a problematic economy. Wind power installations are not helping the economy of this country, because they are not self supporting. Wind power installations rely heavily on government subsidies, just to keep operating. These installations are truly proving to be a detriment to our country: foisted onto the people of the United States by individuals, both foreign and domestic, whose motives do not appear to include the best interests of the country or its economy. A BETTER WAY Wind, solar and nuclear power have proven to have their seriously negative sides. But, there are more ways to produce electrical power than by these methods. This website is about increasing energy efficiency. This site presents methods which could drastically reduce the costs of electrical power generation, drastically reduce our dependence on foreign oil, while drastically reducing negative environmental emissions. If you are looking for a better and more efficient way to do things in the energy and automotive arenas, then you have come to the right website. Welcome to Sakrisson Energy Solutions: Home of --- "A Better Way" to provide for all your energy needs. |
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