Wind Turbines At New Stadium

[cdizzle86]

Saw this and thought it was very interesting. Has anybody heard that turbines might be places at the stadium?

http://lowimpactbetty.com/2010/08/27/a-gust-of-renewable-energy-hope-in-denton-tx/

[shaft]

Denton isn't really in the wind corridor, like west Texas so the big turbines wouldn't make sense.

There are small scale turbines like the ones on billboards in Times square that could be added to the stadium, but they generate big amounts of energy.

[SUMG]

Last I heard, the BOR was thinking more about putting them out at Research Park......seeing how they do out there......before deciding if to put them at the stadium.

[emmitt01]

Saw this and thought it was very interesting. Has anybody heard that turbines might be places at the stadium?

http://lowimpactbetty.com/2010/08/27/a-gust-of-renewable-energy-hope-in-denton-tx/

I'm shocked, just shocked, that Denia residents would find fault with this potential plan.

[Baby Arm!]

I don't want those things if they is a chance they might create weird wind patterns that would mess up field goal attempts. Unless we can turn them on and off when we want to.

Screw all this saving the planet crap!, This is football we are talking about...THIS IS SERIOUS

[forevereagle]

I don't want those things if they is a chance they might create weird wind patterns that would mess up field goal attempts. Unless we can turn them on and off when we want to.

Screw all this saving the planet crap!, This is football we are talking about...THIS IS SERIOUS

These don't create wind, they use wind to create energy. Shouldn't be a problem.

[EagleMBA]

I really like and support this as a concept. I do NOT support them being near the stadium, purely for aesthetic reasons. They would make the stadium look so dipshit and there MAY be some unintended consequences (noise, wind currents, shredded birds, etc.). I like the idea of getting the best of both worlds and putting the turbines in a nearby place like Research Park or a vacant lot in Denia.

[eulessismore]

I don't want those things if they is a chance they might create weird wind patterns that would mess up field goal attempts. Unless we can turn them on and off when we want to.

Screw all this saving the planet crap!, This is football we are talking about...THIS IS SERIOUS

If you watch those flags hanging off the uprights at Fouts, you'll see the results of some weird wind patterns. And yes, wind turbines can be turned on and off. Any questions, your UNT geography majors are there to help...and to save your little old world.

[UNTflyer]

This was a big part of selling the stadium to the students. For some reason, 18-20 year olds have these pie-in-the-sky dreams of running one of the world's biggest economies on sunshine and unicorn farts. And UNT administrators are buying into it as well.

The students voted for a $5 environmental impact fee charged to all students and to appoint a student committee to decide how to spend the money. They proposed building organic farms to provide food products to the cafeteria, as if the food couldn't get worse. They also campaigned on the idea of putting wind turbines on top of some of the buildings on campus.

Ahh, to be young and idealistic.

Edited September 2, 2010 by UNTflyer

[NT80]

Last I heard, the BOR was thinking more about putting them out at Research Park......seeing how they do out there......before deciding if to put them at the stadium.

I like the Research Park location better (for looks and noise), plus our engineering majors can tinker around with them out there. I heard they could generate 80% of the power needed to run the stadium year round. Also, it could elevate our stadium to Platinum LEED status (the highest).

Edited September 2, 2010 by NT80

[HoustonEagle]

This was a big part of selling the stadium to the students. For some reason, 18-20 year olds have these pie-in-the-sky dreams of running one of the world's biggest economies on sunshine and unicorn farts. And UNT administrators are buying into it as well.

The students voted for a $5 environmental impact fee charged to all students and to appoint a student committee to decide how to spend the money. They proposed building organic farms to provide food products to the cafeteria, as if the food couldn't get worse. They also campaigned on the idea of putting wind turbines on top of some of the buildings on campus.

Ahh, to be young and idealistic.

Good for them. It is young idealist that founded this country, fought in it's wars and created the innovations that grew our economy. Give us more of them and the future will be as bright as our past.

As for the windmills I think they would look great next to the stadium but then I have always thought they look pretty cool. I can almost assure you that they would not operate during games. While accidents are very rare there are examples of these mammoth rotors decoupling. The results are not something you would want around 30k fans.

[eulessismore]

I like the Research Park location better (for looks and noise), plus our engineering majors can tinker around with them out there. I heard they could generate 80% of the power needed to run the stadium year round. Also, it could elevate our stadium to Platinum LEED status (the highest).

Overall, I'd agree about the Research Park location, since I think the biggest benefit for the students and the community is in research. Most of the production is going on in West Texas, for obvious reasons of land and wind being in plentiful supply there. Make no mistake, wind is big now, with Texas producing about 3 times as much electric from wind as the next state, Iowa, and about 3 times as much as Comanche Peak Nuclear Plant. Just to see what was going on, I strolled into the big wind convention at the Dallas Convention Center a few months ago; one of the few events I've seen recently where I've seen people coming from all over the world and talking about expecting to make money. Anyone in my field, Geographic Information Systems, who is experiencing difficulty finding or keeping a job recently may want to look into some of the needs that the wind energy industry has for your talents (yes, including such topics as bird strike mitigation).

Wikipedia: Wind power in Texas

[DeepGreen]

I really like and support this as a concept. I do NOT support them being near the stadium, purely for aesthetic reasons. They would make the stadium look so dipshit and there MAY be some unintended consequences (noise, wind currents, shredded birds, etc.). I like the idea of getting the best of both worlds and putting the turbines in a nearby place like Research Park or a vacant lot in Denia.

Thank you. My feelings exactly. Say no to wind turbines at the new stadium. Onward to research park.

[VideoEagle]

Ahh, to be young and idealistic.

I'd be happy with just the young part.

[UNT_playmaker]

Ahh, to be young and idealistic.

[eulessismore]

From the ever quotable Unt_Playmaker:

And idiotic, geez....

And, I couldn't reply directly to his post. Maybe it was hit by a hurricane; that can happen in Denton County in his world.

Edited September 2, 2010 by eulessismore

[MeanGreenSig]

Bird Kills

•Altamont Pass - 50-square mile site between San Francisco and the Central Valley in Diablo Mountains: 4,000 windmills–July 2008 study: annual bird count: 10,000 birds–1,300 raptors: Golden eagles (80 annually), red-tailed hawks, burrowing owls & others

•Windmills in Blackbone Mountains in VA:–2004 research – killed 4,000 bats Talk amongst yourselves.....

Edited September 2, 2010 by MeanGreenSig

[MeanGreenTexan]

Any chance that if we installed one of these by the Union/Matthews/Wooten/BSM area that it would decapitate the albino squirrel? If so, I'm all for this.

[forevereagle]

Bird Kills

•Altamont Pass - 50-square mile site between San Francisco and the Central Valley in Diablo Mountains: 4,000 windmills–July 2008 study: annual bird count: 10,000 birds–1,300 raptors: Golden eagles (80 annually), red-tailed hawks, burrowing owls & others

•Windmills in Blackbone Mountains in VA:–2004 research – killed 4,000 bats Talk amongst yourselves.....

You have to spend some environment to save some environment.

[EagleGreen]

It's my understanding that the study is a formality because they know the wind turbines are feasible. I don't think they look bad and I like the idea of generating much of the stadium's energy needs with wind. Good stuff.

[Green Mean]

Aesthetically it will look different but it won't look bad if they plan nicely on where to put it and what it will look like. If it benefits the stadium then I am all for it. Regardless we will have a beautiful stadium and beautiful athletic village when its all done.

[PlummMeanGreen]

It's my understanding that the study is a formality because they know the wind turbines are feasible. I don't think they look bad and I like the idea of generating much of the stadium's energy needs with wind. Good stuff.

And I heard somewhere that our region is even more windy than the Windy City--Chicago. So now we should be knocking on T. Boone Picken's door to invite him to Denton as to give him a guided tour of our wind turbines and..........The New Stadium @ The Mean Green Village?

[UNTflyer]

It's my understanding that the study is a formality because they know the wind turbines are feasible. I don't think they look bad and I like the idea of generating much of the stadium's energy needs with wind. Good stuff.

It's not like the turbines would be connected to the stadium. That would be a huge waste of money to power a building 6 days out of the year. More likely they would be connected to the grid, so whether they are at the stadium or at research park it doesn't matter. So given that choice, put them up at the research park and don't make our stadium look retarded.

[MeanGreenSig]

And I heard somewhere that our region is even more windy than the Windy City--Chicago. So now we should be knocking on T. Boone Picken's door to invite him to Denton as to give him a guided tour of our wind turbines and..........The New Stadium @ The Mean Green Village?

Ummm only if we are using natty gas to blow the turbines LOL

[Censored by Laurie]

Depressing thread.