North Range Road wind farm and what's with the stuff at Mangamaire

[merv]

Did a cruise up to Palmy in the 4x4 today and around to Beyond the Bridge Cafe for lunch, then up North range Road to check out what's going on with the Wind Farm. The hill is just going to be plastered with wind turbines including some of the Kiwi Windflow Technologies type. Are they any good after the not doing so well under test at Gebbies Pass near Christchurch?

Here's a few pics for ya as usual. Must arrange a cruisy adventure bike ride up here sometime. Last time I did this it was quite a trip in the 4x4 not recommended for solo vehicle but then hey I'm a calculated risk taker and we got through OK - sort of. The nasty bit by the North end gate is now bypassed with the turbine work so its easy peasy now. Last time I gave it heaps to not get stuck and the mud and ruts were something else and once I got home I found my left tyres slowing leaking because the tyres had the bead seal broken and dirt stuck between the bead and the rim from being squeezed in deep muddy ruts - tubeless tyres you see, I wasn't intending my 4x4 to be totally hard out.

[merv]

Here's the Windflow ones, they are towards the South close to the Pahiatua track end. Are the two blade turbines really any good compared to the three blade turbines?

Then the sign says it all.

[merv]

Bike in a tree, back part of a vehicle, helmets on the fence posts and the beginnings of a bra fence. Only seemed to have two rather large sized bras on it.

What's the bike - a Suzuki 50 I'm thinking? No motor left in it though.

The things people do huh!

[Hitcher]

Windmills are nothing more than eco-vandalism. Unsightly, expensive sops to tree-huggers.

[merv]

Yeah the first few up there looked cool but now there are so friggin many I'm not so sure. Major works are going on to install the new big ones.

As for Mangamaire no one has commented but does anyone know who is behind the quirky display?

[Hitcher]

The helmets have been there for ages, but the other stuff looks considerably more recent.

[sunhuntin]

Windmills are nothing more than eco-vandalism. Unsightly, expensive sops to tree-huggers.

ive been watching the parts for the wind farm roll past work since about february. they get stuck on the roundabout by the motorway bridge. followed one about 20 mins after it went by work, and the tail end was on one side of the roundie, and the cab was just shy of the bridge.
it was pissing rain, and traffic was backed up 2 corners. i pulled the sunnies out a bit [fogging up] and cut down the left of the traffic. had it been sunny, i would have stayed to watch.

the blades are huge when you see them "eye to eye". my work is a good 60 meters from the big roundie, and even at that distance, the blades were impressive.

[sAsLEX]

Windmills are nothing more than eco-vandalism. Unsightly, expensive sops to tree-huggers.

100 big unsightly things for 50MW, seems an awful lot for very little.

[Fooman]

Here's the Windflow ones, they are towards the South close to the Pahiatua track end. Are the two blade turbines really any good compared to the three blade turbines?

Then the sign says it all.

They're cheaper. The 3 blade ones are more balanced than the Windflow design, but thanks to a couple of nifty gearbox and mount designs, Windflow reckon they have reduced the effect of the 2-bladed imbalance. Having less blades and a smaller gearbox, means the mast can be smaller as the load carried is less - therefore cheaper.

The number of blades has little effect on the efficiency of a wind turbine - the main thing is swept area.

Cheers,
FM

[bistard]

Jesus,those things are just plain ugly!!
I have also heard some complaints from locals,about the low frequency hum they make
They are also a bloody distraction,heading from Bunnythorpe through to Ashhurst,they just keep catching your eye,as you are tavelling

[KoroJ]

Seems to me that Palmy/Manawatu has made a big thing of them, even including them in their logo.

Personally, I'd rather have the windfarms than no power or power cuts when the lakes get a bit low. The greenys should be glad of this renewable source of energy and I guess they are generally...except when you want to put them in Makara or places where lots of 'alteranative lifestylers' live.

It's not a bad ride up to the ones out the back of Gladstone and there is a big schpiel on them which is worth the read if you have time.

[merv]

Yeah I guess I've been intrigued with windmills since the Brooklyn one went in then the Haunui and Tararua ones. What's happening now though is Tararua is just getting so swamped with windmills I think I'm with Bistard on this they are becoming just too much.

[Colapop]

Speaking from the position of one who has intimate knowledge of this area... If all of the available sites in NZ were populated with wind farms they would provide little more than 10% of NZ's energy needs. Little has been said or is known about the much more productive geothermal electricity generation plant we are designing for Kawerau... initially one of three. There are forecast to be up to 10 such plants built...

[merv]

Will you kill the geysers in Rotorua with those plants or is that all sweet?

[Colapop]

No it's not all sweat...

The proposed geothermal plant/s are not forecast to affect the local geothermal activity. However that is not to say that seismic activity will not cause any disruption....

[sAsLEX]

Personally, I'd rather have the windfarms than no power or power cuts when the lakes get a bit low. The greenys should be glad of this renewable source of energy and I guess they are generally...except when you want to put them in Makara or places where lots of 'alteranative lifestylers' live.


Lakes would be low due to a weird weather pattern, do you not think that might include no wind?

And all the little power they do create will do is mean that Hydros spill water rather than use it to produce power as the wind farms need a backup in case the wind dies....... but hey they are green!

[cooneyr]

Gee I'm slow. Just found the thread from Scotts thread (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=66159). I use to work for Connell Wagner. I heard that the 2 blade design had some fancy support mechanism that could alleviate the unequal loadings of the two blade design. The failure at Gebbies pass was supposedly due to a very rapid change from a nor easter to a 100kph southerly. Basically the turbine couldnt shut down and swing around fast enough i.e. in a couple of seconds so the generator etc got blown of the top. Was suppose to be a 1 in a million event.

As for north range road - I once got a 70 series landcruiser stuck in a hole at the north end of the interesting stuff for 6 hours. Had just moved the palmy so didnt know anybody to come help. No winch, or chains so ended up knotting lots of loops in a strop and using a highlift as a winch. Had to do LOTs of digging. Can laugh bout it now but most certainly wasnt at the time!

Cheers R

[Bass]

Will you kill the geysers in Rotorua with those plants or is that all sweet?

My understanding is that most of the damage caused by geothermal extraction in the past, was down to lowering of water levels.
I think that re-injection of the condensate is now compulsory.