Meanwhile in Ukraine

[Tonge moor green jacket]

10 minutes ago, Sweep said:

Windmills are great, we have 9 on the edge of our village, and I really don't mind them at all. On an Island as windy as ours, we should be banging them up left, right and centre - we already have shit loads just off the coast, in fact I think we have something like the 3 or 4 largest offshore windfarms in the world, which is certainly something to be proud of. 

Oddly, when it was really windy the other week, they were all turned off near us, as it was just too windy for them to work properly, which always sounds a bit strange (although I fully understand why) 

This fella is fascinating, and this particular video offers some potential solutions. 

Certainly gets the cogs moving!

 

[Cheese]

34 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

This fella is fascinating, and this particular video offers some potential solutions. 

Certainly gets the cogs moving!

 

That is pretty basic stuff. Do you think this is brand new information that wind turbine manufacturers are unware of or something? Are you mad?

Edited February 14, 2024 by Cheese

[gonzo]

Sure I read one takes 8 years to pay for itself.

[Cheese]

5 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Sure I read one takes 8 years to pay for itself.

Long term investment. Something that seems to have disappeared from British Politics over the last decade or 2.

[kent_white]

3 hours ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Careful- Greta also criticises them for bird deaths.

What about bald eagles? 😁

[DirtySanchez]

14 hours ago, Sweep said:

Windmills are great, we have 9 on the edge of our village, and I really don't mind them at all. On an Island as windy as ours, we should be banging them up left, right and centre - we already have shit loads just off the coast, in fact I think we have something like the 3 or 4 largest offshore windfarms in the world, which is certainly something to be proud of. 

Oddly, when it was really windy the other week, they were all turned off near us, as it was just too windy for them to work properly, which always sounds a bit strange (although I fully understand why) 

They're turned off usually because the storage unit or whatever you call it is full to capacity so can't take any more electricity 

[Sweep]

1 hour ago, DirtySanchez said:

They're turned off usually because the storage unit or whatever you call it is full to capacity so can't take any more electricity 

I know, storage is still a major issue in the UK, also, if the wind is "too fast" then it can put major stress on the blades and the internal mechanism, something to do with internal friction. I remember having it explained to me by a bloke who works on the maintenance of offshore turbines.......now that's a job you wouldn't catch me anywhere near 😧

[Casino]

2 hours ago, Sweep said:

I know, storage is still a major issue in the UK, also, if the wind is "too fast" then it can put major stress on the blades and the internal mechanism, something to do with internal friction. I remember having it explained to me by a bloke who works on the maintenance of offshore turbines.......now that's a job you wouldn't catch me anywhere near 😧

i dunno exactly what he does but a bloke i see in the pub used to work in insurance

 

had one of them there cameras that could make sure a bridge aint about to fall down

 

he retired and now does 4 days a week out of very grimsby, i think doing stress analysis on them farms

not for me

[gonzo]

2 hours ago, Sweep said:

I know, storage is still a major issue in the UK, also, if the wind is "too fast" then it can put major stress on the blades and the internal mechanism, something to do with internal friction. I remember having it explained to me by a bloke who works on the maintenance of offshore turbines.......now that's a job you wouldn't catch me anywhere near 😧

Aye there was an absolute barm pot used to appear in my old gym every few months.

He used fuck off in a little boat and live at the top of one for weeks on end servicing them and shit.

He worked for Siemens I think.

He was fuckin barmy. Think living in a little pod out at sea in giant windmill might send you that way mind.

Edited February 15, 2024 by gonzo

[Sweep]

23 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Aye there was an absolute barm pot used to appear in my old gym every few months.

He used fuck off in a little boat and live at the top of one for weeks on end servicing them and shit.

He worked for Siemens I think.

He was fuckin barmy. Think living in a little pod out at sea in giant windmill might send you that way mind.

This bloke, who is the brother of a colleague, does something similar-  he works something like one month on, and then one month off. He's a bit mental as well

[Traf]

29 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Aye there was an absolute barm pot used to appear in my old gym every few months.

He used fuck off in a little boat and live at the top of one for weeks on end servicing them and shit.

He worked for Siemens I think.

He was fuckin barmy. Think living in a little pod out at sea in giant windmill might send you that way mind.

 

4 minutes ago, Sweep said:

This bloke, who is the brother of a colleague, does something similar-  he works something like one month on, and then one month off. He's a bit mental as well

Sounds ace tbh.

[Not in Crawley]

There's a few on here that like to tilt at windmills on a regular basis.

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

I see Putin's endorsed Biden

A clever move from the evil bastard

[Tonge moor green jacket]

22 hours ago, Cheese said:

That is pretty basic stuff. Do you think this is brand new information that wind turbine manufacturers are unware of or something? Are you mad?

I've no idea, how they're engineered, I thought it was fascinating. 

Not my field of knowledge, that's why I enjoy watching him.

Perhaps you'd care to explain why, given its old technology, that they still have to be switched off?

 

[Sweep]

20 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

I've no idea, how they're engineered, I thought it was fascinating. 

Not my field of knowledge, that's why I enjoy watching him.

Perhaps you'd care to explain why, given its old technology, that they still have to be switched off?

 

At a guess, and that's all it is, I'd say the cost might be prohibitive, given they're not actually switched off very often at all. As Cheese says, it's certainly not new technology, and I'd be very surprised if those who design and manufacture these turbines hadn't considered it. Maintenance would also be a huge consideration of course. More moving parts, more that can (and will) go wrong

[Tonge moor green jacket]

One of their drawbacks is gearing issues (a lot of stresses caused by variable winds) which requires a lot of maintenance and lubrication.

I've no doubt that engineers are constantly probing new ways to help reduce wear and subsequent damage, by means of their design. 

As for the video, the design which utilised its own rotation as a means of slowing it down was really fascinating, whether it's new or not wasn't relevant. 

In some ways those vids are a bit Dibnah-esque, with a cheery bloke just enjoying his work and making it interesting. 

A pity some of my uni lecturers weren't capable of similar!

 

[Cheese]

Alexei Navalny has died in prison.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68315943

Edited February 16, 2024 by Cheese

[L/H White]

2 hours ago, Cheese said:

Alexiei Navalny has died in prison.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68315943

Doesn't mess about Vlad. 

2nd one he's killed off now?

[Cheese]

6 minutes ago, L/H White said:

Doesn't mess about Vlad. 

2nd one he's killed off now?

Dozens, if not hundreds, over the last couple of decades.

Edited February 16, 2024 by Cheese

[Farrelli]

10 hours ago, Cheese said:

Alexei Navalny has died in prison.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68315943

Shocking murder. What a brave bloke Navalny was. Putin is a cold evil bastard.

[Mounts Kipper]

2 minutes ago, Farrelli said:

Shocking murder. What a brave bloke Navalny was. Putin is a cold evil bastard.

Incredible bloke. Hope it’s not true. 

[Farrelli]

3 minutes ago, Mounts Kipper said:

Incredible bloke. Hope it’s not true. 

It will be. Putin already tried to kill him with a nerve agent so it was sadly inevitable. 

[Tonge moor green jacket]

13 hours ago, Mounts Kipper said:

Incredible bloke. Hope it’s not true. 

I still can't get my head around his returning to Russia.

They moved him away from the public eye, and his "presence" was gradually lessened; Steve Rosenberg describing how he's barely spoken of in the country. 

Of course fear will play a part in that, but surely him being in exile would have given him opportunity to be a thorn in Putin's side.

Maybe the pull of his homeland was too strong, but his treatment and ultimate demise was inevitable. 

[DirtySanchez]

2 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

I still can't get my head around his returning to Russia.

They moved him away from the public eye, and his "presence" was gradually lessened; Steve Rosenberg describing how he's barely spoken of in the country. 

Of course fear will play a part in that, but surely him being in exile would have given him opportunity to be a thorn in Putin's side.

Maybe the pull of his homeland was too strong, but his treatment and ultimate demise was inevitable. 

Think he said he wasn't happy doing it from the 'sidelines' and that if he was in Russia then he could organise rallys etc despite the high risks 

Russian TV has barely mentioned his death and no doubt had he been in exile he wouldn't get a mention either 

[Traf]

On 16/02/2024 at 11:54, Cheese said:

Alexei Navalny has died in prison.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68315943

Natural causes, no doubt. Unless someone left a window open and he 'accidentally' fell out.