Why DON'T States in the U.S. use Wind Mill Generators?

Question

With all the fear of Terrorist attacking our Nuclear Power Plants, why don't more states use Wind Mill Generators like parts of California do?

Please explain your answer.

Answer 1

They generate minimal power.

Answer 2

This is a very complicated question to answer. I'll try to be brief because I don't feel like a long explanation. However, I work in the "energy" industry and have some insight.

The first is that nuclear power plants are not at risk for terrorist attacks. Less people would die from an al Qaeda idiot crashing a 747 into a nuclear power plant than die every day in car crashes. It's simply not a realistic concern.

However, to answer your question about why the U.S. doesn't use more wind power generation, the first and most commonly accepted reason is because not everywhere is good for it. Only certain areas have enough wind to make it worth it. Here in Texas they're talking about building them out in the ocean. The second, and more controversial answer is all about money. The energy companies want to spend as little money as possible. From the corporate perspective, why should I spend $30 million to set up wind generators to give me the same amount of profit I have now with my old coal-burning power plants? It's all about greed, plain and simple.

Now, if you ask about gas prices, it's even worse.

Answer 3

Power generation is a business. Someone has to build wind generating stations and connect them to the grid. It takes a substantial investment for a company to use wind generators. The government doesn't subsidize the industry like they do for petroleum or nuclear power plants. Money is the biggest factor. The logic behind using nuclear power plants is the ratio of energy output from an atom of uranium. A terrorist attack on nuclear power plants is unlikely to cause significant damage.

Answer 4

Wind mill generators do not produce enough power. While technology is advancing at a phenomenal rate, it hasn't figured out a way to increase the energy from wind.

In Germany, the wind mills are all over the place. They produce enough to off-set standard electricity, but not enough to replace it. The same thing with solar panels. They collect enough to heat your water, but not enough to run the household

Answer 5

What I don't get is why don't we store energy in the form of hydrogen? You could run wind turbines and solar panels and have them convert water into hydrogen. That way we can build up hydrogen reserves! Yesssssssssss! Probably not a viable option, but a man can dream can't he!?

Answer 6

Some states do. Many states have deregulated energy utilities, so private companies are free to use wind power if they so choose. But one major problem getting in the way of major wind power generation is elitists snobs in places like Cape Cod blocking attempts to install massive wind farms miles offshore because it might ruin their precious view.

Answer 7

Texas uses wind generated power.

Answer 8

I really wish I knew the answer to that, I guess the fact is that Oil and Gas companies oppose them and governamets are afraid to take them on for some strange reason, People here may say that they are an eyesore, and they use allot of fossle fuel to produce them, What I would say to that is that you may not like to look at them, but they are no polutiong and great for the enviroment, also once they are made they produce ZERO polutants. Understand uneducated oppose them

Answer 9

Every windmill needs a conventional power source to back it up when it's not windy, so windmills just mean more of other types power plants.

Answer 10

As soon as they can make more $ from wind than they do coal, we will start using in on a large scale. We're getting there; hopefully we're not going too slow.

Answer 11

It is very inefficient, they cost a lot of mony and don't produce near what nuclear power plants do