What Could The Objection Be To The Wind Farms?

[sixdogsmom]

Waldo, I think they use John Redmond reservoir for Wolf Creek.

[W. Gray]

We drove through Burlington about ten years ago and I wanted to go find the plant but when I mentioned nuclear, my wife did not share my enthusiasm so we went on to Kansas City.

Just pulled up my maps and see that Wolf Creek runs into and out of Wolf Creek Lake, which is as big as or larger than the close by John Redmond.

That sure explains how they furnish the cooling water. I recall when Kansas City Power and Light started building the reactor, and I think the plant was never as big as it was supposed to be because of environmental concerns or opposition from environmental groups. 

[W. Gray]

I just read that Wolf Creek produces enough energy to provide enough power for 800,000 homes. At four people per that covers 3.2 million people.

Only 2.8 million live in Kansas.

[pepelect]

The main cooling is the Lake adjacent.  They did build and have the ability to drain John Redmond Res. if needed in a drought.   The plant used to allow tours where you drove right to the front door in the plant bus.   9/11 put a stop to that.  I got to tour the plant as it was being constructed and once after it was functioning. 

It is quite different from the large coal plants at St. Mary's or even the Sunflower coal plants.  There isn't rail traffic bringing in coal 24/7. There is security from hell.  I think that was the first time I ever saw armed guards with three guns apiece walking security at a gate.  I have been to many military installations and it is much easier to get on to a base than into Wolf Creek.


By the way the fishing around the lake is awesome.

[Catwoman]

Don't the fish glow in the dark up in that region?? lol 

[Diane Amberg]

Perhaps 6 eyes and two tails?

[Dee Gee]

Wolf Creek built a 36" water line from a pump station just below John Redmond dam to fill and maintain the lake level for cooling and to have in emergency.  NO, the fish do not glow or have 6 eyes & 2 tails, but they do grow better because of the slightly warmer water that is heated during the cooling of the plant.

[Diane Amberg]

Their food sources may be better too because of the warmer water.  Tasty stuff = tasty fish

[pepelect]

One of the arguments is that the birds and bats fly into the blades and that is bad.   How many stupid birds fly in to buildings, windows, cars, existing electrical installations a year.  What is the statistics on how stupid animals act?  Yes nuclear power is more efficient than wind. Yes wind only works 1/3 of the time.  The problem is that they don't turn down the nuclear power plant when the wind farm fires up they turn off the nat gas plants and coal.  We also don't have 5 billion dollars to build a new nuclear plant.  We don't have enough water to water cattle let alone keep a core from going china syndrome.  Unless you want to use salt water that the oil industry has been trying to get rid of for fifty years.  We have oceans of that.

Caneyvalley hasn't bought in to any windfarms yet because the power from windfarm is more expensive than off the grid coal. 

Westar hasn't agreed to buy the Elk county wind but has pursued its own wind in Kansas.  It is kind of cheeky to own a wind farm and gripe that wind power is causing you to increase electric rates.  You raise the electrical rate for the southern half of Kansas when you built the nuclear plant and then screwed the northern half when the two merged.  If someone at the head of Westar had been looking out for the Westar consumer instead of which golf course to play next we would have half the infastructure problems with transmission lines, primary lines, and neglect of the bread and butter of the company.  They spent billions on security, communications, executives bonus and litigation.  Mean while the system is flawed.


What is the down side of net metering?  Why are utilities against it?

You can't build a $200million dollar nuclear plant.  I have yet to see a landowner against wind allowing wind to build on them. 

As far as ascetics, the ugly cell towers north and south of Howard are much more a distraction to me than the entire Beaumont farm.    Why do we need two competing companies building within such close proximity to each other.

We can't regulate anything in Elk county as we are not zoned.  We have no inspection or codes on the books to keep anyone from doing anything unless they want to commercially fill a hole with solid waste. 

[greatguns]

If a comapny wants to build a windfarm and the landowner wants it on his or her property, why should it be any of my business?