Last Thursday morning I hopped into a car with 4 other travelers, strapped my bikes to the back and got ready for yet another 12 hour ride to one of my favorite cities in the world, Portland OR. Because of the increased daylight and due to the fact that we left earlier than I usually do, it was still light when we began driving along the Columbia River. I was impressed particularly by the hordes of massive white turbines slowly spinning in the wind that covered the horizon. These monolithic structures have always given me a feeling that approaches mystical. I wonder if the windmills of Europe invoked the same feeling in newcomers upon first site. As we past by, I couldn't help but wonder how large these white giants actually are. Today i decided to find out.
There are many different models of wind turbines, but the large industrial ones most often seen clustered on hills are usually on a tower 212 ft or taller with blades that sweep a vertical area of about an acre. With blades, the towers measure over 320 feet tall. Some reach up to 400 feet tall!
Wind power is something i'm rather interested in but know very little about. I'll post more as I read more!
till next time,
Spencer
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