Why don't they put wind turbines on air fields?

Question

I was watching top gear where they drove a few cars near the path of a aeroplane and thought if they put some turbines on the grass they would get a lot of power.

Answer 1

First wind turbines are not a great source of power. You need lots to have great amount of power.

Second there are restrictions on high things around the airport. Yeah there are some tall buildings etc, but still restrictions.

Third the best places for the turbines on an airfield would also be in the saftey zones around the runways. Only at some airfields would there be space where this could be done and not in the saftey zones.

Problem is that aircraft making a landing and then get a go around order need manouvering room over the airfield. If the aircraft is large and quite low (such as on final approach and has crossed the fence line) then those large wings can clip anything tall in the area.

Answer 2

Because you could generate far more electricity putting solar power in the same spots

Wind turbines work over long sustained periods of wind. A jet taking off once every 10 minutes causing maybe 1 rotation of the blade at most is not worth the cost of putting it up. It would take more electricity than it would ever generate just to put it up

And you couldnt put it high up because it would be a collision risk

And finally, my local airport blocked wind turbines being put up a good ten miles away from them, as the downstream turbulence they cause makes for too many problems. It was on a hill albeit

Imagine a windy day on this airport of yours, and they blades are all spinning, chopping up the air. Any light aircraft trying to land are going to have a lot of turbulence to worry about

Answer 3

Doesn't matter where you put them, they'll upset someone. We have offshore ones nearby. For years the greenies complained about the filthy power station up the coast, then in an attempt to bolster the power supply from greener sources, one of the leccy companies built a massive offshore windfarm. Now all the original whingers are complaining that it spoils the view. There's no pleasing some people. Offshore seems the obious place though. The sea off the UK coasts is wide, shallow, flat and plenty windy.

Answer 4

There really isn't any reason that they couldn't be put in the car parks or other areas away from the runways. Solar would be a better option with terminal roofs being huge areas that would be ripe for a solar farm to take a bit of the peak load during the day.

Answer 5

Even if they didn't constitute an obstacle,
how would you like to land in the turbulent wind
shadow of a large turbine?

Answer 6

Wind turbines require wind. Better than that, give everyone in the country a bicycle which has a dynamo connected to the national grid. Even prisoners can do it to repay their debt. All of us cycling together (when not working) can generate our electricity with no carbon emissions at all. The unemployed could do it full time.

Answer 7

The wind turbines are better placed on ridges of mountains where wind gets forced through them and creates energy.

Answer 8

???

Why on an airfield or runway. What would happen if a plane crash landed? They would be better on hills high up where the wind tends to be stronger.

And yes ive seen that episode and the force of the thrust from airplane engines. Dont forget its all staged though.

Answer 9

yes, but where does the power come from? what drives the turbine? or do you mean wind generators? (yes, theres a huge difference)

goto you tube and look for

English electric lightening jet takeoff...

that is real power... it blows the cameraman over at 300yds... and it consumes jet fuel at the rate of a gallon every 15 seconds...

Answer 10

Because the NTSB would have to add another accident category.

"Collision with power harnessing device while aiding the production of power."