Wind turbines at sunset

Corehead

With nothing better to do, and so that everyone--including 'Maestro'--knows that just because I do core analysis for the oil and gas industry, doesn't mean I can't be a renewable energy enthusiast...

..I took a 50-mile drive east of Midland to Big Spring (which had that terrible refinery explosion back in February), which gets pretty well into Wind Turbine country. Right now, the standard wind turbine appears to be General Electric 1.5 megawatt units, spun by blades about 100 feet long--which probably explains why the towers are about 300 feet high. Anyway, the voltage generated is 600 volts, which then goes to a substation to be transformed to 17kv, 57kv, or whatever.

After all the shots I took, I only found ONE I wanted to do anything with.

Nikon D200 with Tamron 28-80 at 32mm...ISO 100...1/60 sec...f 4.0...and some post-processing (I keep forgetting to clean off those "dust bunnies").

Hope it was worth the effort to share this!

schmoo

I do love me some wind turbines. I think the cleanness of their lines goes well with a nice soft background sunset, like you have here. Thanks for sharing!

Corehead

You're welcome!

And let's hope that there aren't any late frosts to kill off next spring's cherry blossoms. You WILL shoot some cherry trees in bloom next year, won't you?

schmoo wrote:

I do love me some wind turbines. I think the cleanness of their lines goes well with a nice soft background sunset, like you have here. Thanks for sharing!

redleash

Very nice choice--it's a keeper. I like how the sun is barely seen at the edge of the turbine's base. Nice, soft colors.

Now, for your next assignment . . . can you get a good photo of T. Boone himself?

Corehead

Well, my man Pickens seems to be spread out pretty thin: oil in one hand, wind in the other!

redleash wrote:

Very nice choice--it's a keeper. I like how the sun is barely seen at the edge of the turbine's base. Nice, soft colors.

Now, for your next assignment . . . can you get a good photo of T. Boone himself?

redleash

"Well, my man Pickens seems to be spread out pretty thin: oil in one hand, wind in the other!"

That would make a great shot!

Corehead

Just in case anyone's interested, I have a job interview Tuesday, June 30 at 11am for a Wind Tower Technician position at the new Dry Lake Wind Project, located 18 miles northwest of Snowflake, Arizona, up on the Mogollon Plateau (and at around 6,000 feet above sea level). As I had been trying to get into wind energy while in Texas (to no avail), I'm pretty jazzed about this!

This is a new wind energy project (phase 1, btw) for Arizona (which won't likely be a premier wind energy provider in the nation due to the wind patterns in this state), which will provide 63 MW of power (with 30 Suzlon wind turbines 0f 2.1 MW each) that the Salt River Project will purchase and use to supply some 15,000 homes in the southeast Phoenix metropolitan area. Using wind to generate electricity at the above capacity will prevent some 185 million pounds of CO2 per year from being formed (about what 15,000 average cars produce in a year) if combustion processes were otherwise used.

Your prayers are coveted!

Steve-o

P.S., if I get this job, I'll be sure to post shots of me standing on the nacelle of one of the towers, which stand over 260 feet tall!

P.P.S., the BEST plase for wind energy: The Aleutian Island chain in Alaska. Have FUN with that!!!

torags

Best of luck...

thapamd

Yes, good luck with the interview. Beautiful image, BTW!

schmoo

Wow good luck to you! That sounds like a great opportunity, as well as a great view

Corehead

schmoo wrote:

Wow good luck to you! That sounds like a great opportunity, as well as a great view

The interview went very WELL. I should start work next week, as that's when the 30 wind turbines are to be commissioned

I'll get some shots of me on top of one of the almost 300-foot-tall towers when I get a chance!

schmoo

Corehead wrote:

The interview went very WELL. I should start work next week, as that's when the 30 wind turbines are to be commissioned

I'll get some shots of me on top of one of the almost 300-foot-tall towers when I get a chance!

Woot! Congratulations! I don't think I'm the only one here looking forward to that :smo

Corehead

Alas, I'll have to wait for "the word" until "late next week", due to the holiday season. :bash But that's OK. I need the extra time to get better built up. Climbs on 265-foot ladders "up to 10 times a day" isn't for "spuds" (couch potatoes). So I do the 937-foot climb up Lookout Mountain (a mile from my house and yes I walk there and back thank you very much) TWICE a day, and I do 300 reps on a "chin-up" weight machine five times daily. That's the best I can do to approximate the ladder climbs.

And I think I'm doing darned good for being fifty!

You have a good "Fourth" over there on the East Coast. I bet you have some PRIMO fireworks displays there!

Steve-o

redleash

Keep us posted, Steve-o. It sounds like an exciting job--and yes, you're doing darn well for "50." I only have 9 months to go and no way can I climb like you can . . .

Good luck!
Lauren