Our shadowy wind power opponents tried dashing their Quixotic lances into the expansion of renewable energy in South Dakota with House Bill 1226, a failed measure that would have tripled how far back wind turbines must be placed from neighbors’ property, even though they could produce no firm evidence of harm from wind turbines.
Perhaps these tower-taker-downers will turn their terror toward broadcast towers, which have nailed a couple cars this icy week:
At the 2,000 foot tower near Rowena, our Midwest Communications Radio Q957 Toyota Tundra pickup got nailed in the front window by a falling chunk of ice.
Back at the studio in downtown Sioux Falls, a car in the City parking lot just to the east of our 100-foot microwave tower got nailed in the back window [Todd Epp, “At Half Time: Ice Shards Falling Off Broadcast Towers 2, Vehicles 0,” KELO Radio, 2019.04.12].
Also zero: reports this week of wind turbines throwing ice in South Dakota and damaging vehicles, buildings, or people.
Of course, a couple punishing chunks of ice still don’t do as much damage to the Republic as the signals that come beaming out KELO’s towers every day after 11 a.m.
I clicked on your 11:00 a.m. link and see your point. KELO airs that pure garbage every day? For shame!
Ever since 2013, 107.9 has been the home to conservative news and opinion, with Fox News at the top of each hour.
I remember when 107.9 was jknown as “Kool 107.9” during my college years. It was the only radio station I listened to while all the other college kids were into the pop music that was popular then. Sure, it was satellite-fed oldies and classic hits, but with the tower less than 20 miles east of Madison, it came in clear as a bell, much clearer than 98.7 KISD. Then after Midwest Communcations purchased the group of stations that 107.9 was part of, they felt the need to move the classic hits to the weaker 95.7 signal and turn 107.9 into a simulcast of KELO’s talk format.
The only shows that I listen to on KELO news radio are the Kim Komando Show and Jeff Gould’s Prairie Christmas. Kim Komando talks about computers and tech news. Prairie Christmas is what KELO runs Christmas Eve and Day as filler. Music and Christmas stories until Dec 26th.
My rural electric magazine posted some big lies about wind chargers as well. What they said was that not only was icing a danger, they also stated that at 20 degrees below zero, these wind chargers would shut down because they became brittle. Bitter cold weather makes more kinetic energy for the chargers but they do lose some efficiency that is a trade off. Of course the lies the right wing electric co-ops they tell are read by rural consumers like myself that think that we need coal and gas…of which the trumpers are happy to agree with. Wind chargers have basic defrosters as well as coatings that prevent ice buildup. More wind chargers and less bulls#:+ from those who know better.
KOTA Rapid City is pretty much right wing propaganda radio 24/7/365. Thomm Hartman sydication is on however some workweek evenings but is always preempted by highschool football ect. The Duhamel legacy. Now they have lit up their new development on top of Skyline Drive in the middle of the Skyline Wilderness. Similar to BHE’s disrespectful 4 story monstronsity covering the same ridge looking at Black Elk Peak and Wilderness. Corporate crassness. “Pave paradise and put up a parking lot….”
Yes jerry,
If the temp is too cold, they shut down. If it is too windy, they shut down. The demand doesn’t shut down when the wind turbines shut down, and they do not start turning when you turn the lights on.
At the moment somewhere between 30-35% of our electricity comes from coal nationwide. Likely that is going to be replaced by mostly natural gas. This tends to be the baseload portion of the electricity demand, so it always needs to be there. When we shut down a baseload nuclear plant, it has always been replaced by natural gas.
Until we are ready to (a.) use energy intermittenly on an industrial basis, or (b.) go without energy when we want it, or (c.) truly invest in the energy storage revolution, or (d.) allow advanced nuclear to be built, get ready to burn coal and natural gas. This is why we will need some carbon capture, because we are not willing or ready to make (a.)-(d.) happen.
Simply building more solar and more wind will generate greater intermittency that must be filled in with more natural gas and coal.