WhyNot?

Wnd Turbine on Trns line tower

Category: Energy
Responses: 2 (2 in support, 0 neutral, 0 in opposition)
Number of views: 645
Tracking: Track this idea
Community Rating:Average AverageYour Rating:

Why Not put wind turbines on all of the transmission line towers all over the place? Seems like you could just add a feeder cable into the power line that's already there and there's no cost to erect a giant tower. These things are everywhere, let's add to their use!

Albert Kaufman, Aug 16 2006

What do you think of this idea or comment?
(You can change your vote at any time)

agree I agree no opinion No opinion disagree I disagree

Users who liked this idea also liked:

Other ideas in category (Energy):

heat to electricity (2 votes) Average
stand alone living(100 %) (1 votes) Average
gym energy recapture (15 votes) Very strong
Convert Electromagnetic to Ele (1 votes) Average
stand-by power waste and Sun (1 votes) Average
human power (3 votes) Average
renewable energy (1 votes) Average
light poles to produce energy (3 votes) Average
Light my fire (1 votes) Average
Piezo-Electric Generator (6 votes) Average
solar powered steam generator (0 votes) Very weak
Regenerating Energy (11 votes) Average
Waterway produced Energy (1 votes) Average
Capture wind from Cars (3 votes) Weak
Solar Panels in HT ROW (1 votes) Average
Self recharging battery (1 votes) Average
Energy Usage Meter in Kitchen (2 votes) Average
Electricity from lightning? (18 votes) Very strong
Solar Panels on Wind Turbins (3 votes) Weak
Efficient Escalators (16 votes) Very strong
Losing weight to save Earth (2 votes) Average
Energy generating using siphon (1 votes) Average
Low drag trailer (1 votes) Average
Free Solar Panels (4 votes) Average
Solar Panels on Schools (4 votes) Average
Elec Car Powers House (2 votes) Average
Nix Office Energy Waste (1 votes) Average
Photovoltaic Tree (2 votes) Average
Kyoto Alternative (6 votes) Average
Solar panels in desert (5 votes) Average
atom_perputal motion? (1 votes) Average
Energy revisited (5 votes) Strong
wind turbines and bats (3 votes) Average
Anti gas-guzzler incentives (11 votes) Average
Toilet Generator (5 votes) Weak
Natural Gas as Fuel for Cars (8 votes) Strong
Wnd Turbine on Trns line tower (2 votes) Average
Hydrgogen Peroxide Car (4 votes) Average
Lightning as an energy source (0 votes) Very weak
Solar Power Generator (6 votes) Average
Reduce your electricity bill (11 votes) Strong
Energy through Exercise (6 votes) Average
Use Roadways to Produce Energy (8 votes) Weak
Ultimate energy- Antimatter (4 votes) Weak
More and Thicker Power Lines (4 votes) Average
Generate electricity at spas (16 votes) Very strong
Electric eels (7 votes) Very weak
Small scale solar (15 votes) Very strong
the adams mote =free energy?? (3 votes) Weak
magnets=free energy?? (3 votes) Weak
Teach stick-shift driving (4 votes) Average
Lift weight using less energy. (3 votes) Average
free energy (4 votes) Weak
improving refrigeration (10 votes) Strong
Terain Aware Cruise Control (3 votes) Average
A Breath of Fresh Air (4 votes) Average
fiberoptic lighting (3 votes) Average
Solar Energy Plantation (19 votes) Very strong
Crazy renewable energy idea (7 votes) Strong
Wind Buildings (8 votes) Strong
water faucet energy (4 votes) Average
watt-a-bong (2 votes) Average
Pumped storage thermal energy (1 votes) Average
Stack-able Farming (3 votes) Average
Energy Project Investment Fund (3 votes) Average
Electricity from lightning (3 votes) Average
Fuel Cells (11 votes) Average
Fuel Cell (4 votes) Average
Cable Station with Battery (2 votes) Average
Galt's powerplant (2 votes) Average
using wasted heat to cook (4 votes) Average
Comments from other members:

Add your comment

Aside from the fact that the towers are probably not stressed for that type of use I doubt the voltage output of the wind generators matches the high voltages of the transmission lines. Perhaps supplemental transformers might remedy this and also adapt the irregularity of wind output to the required steady tension of the regular electricity normally transmitted.

sand, Aug 16 2006

Those lines require large substations to house the step-up transformers and other equipment necessary to provide the ultra-high voltage (110,000 volts to 1,200,000 volts) that drives the transmission lines. So, they could not be used to fuel the grid, just local demand. But, that adds complication as they have to account for all these little rotors on all these little towers and install stations and more equippment to get it to homes.

They use helicopters to service those lines, because it's cheaper than the equipment necessary to do it from the ground. You move a cherry picker up to one of those lines, and you'll have quite the show of sparks as the transmission line shorts to ground. You can't use a helicopter to service something if you've have a whirling rotor on the line. So, they'd have to add more complexity again, with remote stops and other control equipment.

Additionally, everything on that tower is electrically shielded. There's nothing but power lines on it for a reason - anything else up there makes it expodentially more dangerous. They don't even put cellular antennas or repeater stations on those things.

All of these problems could be engineered around and overcome. But at a high cost, with great difficulty and added complexity.

toastydeath, Aug 19 2006

The towers are not designed to withstand the weight of a wind turbine. Im sure that they can be modified to do so but only at a high cost.Other than that, there are environmental issues as well. Wind turbines disrupt local low level winds, this can have a very negative effect on the local bird population, in some cases they can even cause the death of a large portion of said bird population.

silentfate, May 24 2007

If a turbine lost a blade it could cause a catastrophe. Also the maintenance people for the turbines would be working around very high voltage.

Belmont, Oct 24 2007