Renewable & recycled facts
First, I commend Mr. Miller of Brasstown for his gentlemanly rebuttal to my letter. Quite refreshing and respected. Apparently, some following rebuttals lack both rigor of due diligence and temperament.
My objective was (is) to enlighten the reader to the hidden realities of renewable power. I choose wind turbines, and the true vulnerabilities and their environmental impact. I encourage reading the provided links.
So allow me to be clear, wind turbines have notable issues with reliability, environment and fossil fuel dependency that are neither known nor realized. They are:
- 24/7 wind dependent to generate power, requiring minimum/maximum wind velocities. Hardly a consistent existence.
- Gearbox and yaw assembly maintenance and failure (https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/articles/zeroing-no-1-cause-wind-turbine-gearbox-failures).
- Fan blades made of non-recyclable plastic material. Once again, a major environmental waste stream problem. Plastics require fossil fuels to manufacture.
- Dependency on fossil fuels to create, transport, install and operate. In fact, lubrication consumption is expected to increase as wind power capacity grows (https://www.windpowerengineering.com/positive-outlook-for-wind-turbine-lubricants). So let’s unpack my false statements.
- How much oil is in a wind turbine? Due to word limit restrictions, I am unable to detail the capacities of oils, and grease for various MW wind turbines. Answer: Google “wind turbine gearbox oil” (capacity. 200–800L, 400L-105 Gals). Please refer to: https://www.windpowerengineering.com/how-to-maintain-wind-turbine-gearbox-oil-health. Additionally, reference: www.Power-eng.com/renewables/wind/keeping-wind-turbines-spinning.
For avid home power magazine readers, please refer to the “Check the Oil” section on oil capacity. Full disclosure, Home Power magazine was not a professional engineering magazine but published for providing residential renewable energy solutions.
- Half of windmills froze and contributed to the Texas energy crisis. Answer: Yes, Texas gets 23 percent of its power from wind and is second only to natural gas, not 10 percent; www.westernjournal.com/frozen-wind-turbines-texas-flaw-renewable-energy. https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/02/14/historic-winter-storm-freezes-texas-wind-turbines-hampering-electric-generation/4483230001.
In closing, these are some wind industry challenges and realities.
Thomas Schildgen, Andrews
Thankful for taking care
I would like to take the opportunity to give a big shout out to Waffle House of Murphy.
My 91-year-old grandfather, Randall Twiggs, has been going to the Waffle House for many months now. He has breakfast there almost every morning. The employees make him feel welcomed and important.
It blesses my heart to hear him tell everyone about the amazing services and care he receives there at breakfast daily.
So, thank you, Waffle House employees, from the bottom of my heart. It makes the world a better place when we see people who still acknowledge the needs of others and make a difference in someone’s life.
Stacy Roberson Howard, Wolf Creek
America’s not racist
Is anyone besides me getting angry with being constantly told America is “systematically racist?” I’d like to review some facts for a change.
Less than 13 percent of the population is made up of black Americans. Is it even possible that in a nation of racists where over 60 percent of the population is Caucasian “racists,” that a black American could be elected president for two terms, currently have a black vice president or 13 percent of the House of Representatives be black Americans?
In 2019, 6.7 million (23 percent) of black America had at least a bachelor’s degree; 32 percent had some college education. Over half seized the opportunity of higher education. Does that sound racist?
In 2020, there were 2 million black-owned business. Does a racist nation support these businesses? Yet we do.
Is there a career or profession in which black Americans are prohibited? There are successful black American journalists, actors, athletes, entrepreneurs, medical professionals, educators, scientists, engineers, spiritual leaders, judges, attorneys, politicians, etc.
The same opportunities are afforded to all Americans regardless of ethnicity, but it’s up to the individual what you do with that opportunity. Agreed, it is a harder road for some, but in my opinion it all comes down to the individual (regardless of ethnicity) and how much they desire to succeed, and how hard they are willing to work toward their goal.
I am not a racist, and I don’t believe the vast majority of America is racist. As in most things, the minority believes if they shout it loud enough and long enough it makes it true.
Don’t fall for the lie of the few. America is good.
Vicky Zentko, Murphy