Pickens Calls Off Massive Wind Farm in Texas

[stew6302]

If crystal power is real , we can use intermittent power to make them. Pop sci says crystal power is possible.

[Conesarekoolyahoo]

Wind is extremely expansive and wont even work unless you can magically store all the energy. Because it isn't constant, you need 100% backup. It can be windly, generating power one moment. And nothing the next. The power you use was generated a fraction of a second ago. It is very expensive to store power. Have you seen the price of a new laptop battery? My laptop battery costs nearly 100$ and stores 5.2 Ah (110 watt hours). What would a 500 mega watt hour battery cost? (mega watt = 1,000,000w)

[bpentium]

I'm confused. Is the issue money? Foreign dependence, or global warming?

[snapura]

Obviously these projects are definitely expensive, and the payback is minimal at best. Space is also a huge factor. These wind farms take up VAST amounts of space, and farmers in west Texas are reluctant to allow these things to be built on their land.

Wind energy is a GREAT "idea." But the idea isn't feasible or efficient, which means that it will never replace coal or oil on a macro scale in the United States. Either Pickens is delusional, or he's just adopting a pet project to appear "green"

[bpentium]

I think it's a mix of both delusional and green. Not even sure what a GREEN job even is. Going green in other countries LOST jobs.

[martysvoice]

These windmills are the largest waste of taxpayer money in recent history. We can capture more usable wind energy with a garbage can. Really. We know how to reduce most of the friction energy loss. See me.

[webxsuccess]

PICKENS IS A TRAITOR!

Hey everyone give me your money to invest and make me a Billionairre!

Then I will collaborate with a con-man like Al Gore to convince stupid people there is "Global Warming" then we will pass oppressive laws to tax everyone!

Then I will use my borrowed billions to buy wind farms and natural gas to sell it to these same stupid Americans.

F@CK YOU T. BOONE!! Stop tying to get on over on us!

[martysvoice]

Dead on my friend, they suck us dry and run with the money, leaving assholes and taxpayers in their wake. We made a better windmill in our backyard for free.

You sure pegged this con-man. I wish we could expose them all.

[EndOfTimesProphecy]

Obama's the Antichrist announced by the IL Lottery.

I received death threats for spreading this from heartfortibet aka LetsNotBeL7 aka haltmusic (Joe Hamilton, from Freising town, near Munich, Germany; a mentally unhinged individual; report him to the FBI, the police and U Tube.)

[dragknuckle]

Repeal Ohm's Law!

[sunshinyday11]

pelosi and Gore both have companies that make millions on global warming. I'd like to sell my carbon credits to Pelosi ... I promise not to jet set around the world this year so she can fly home twice a week .

[VerbotenDingleberry]

Wow. Who'd have ever seen his coming?

ROFLMAO!

[burntonion05]

We should put those wind farm in Repub states because they are full of hot air and fat windbags.

[93caddie]

We will take them - after Cap & Trade goes through and your energy rates go up 4 times the current rate we will be happy to sell the "Progressives" all the energy they want at rates that are even higher.

[mrbriscoe2001]

burton:Nah;those democratic environmentalists living off the Cape Are fighting wind farms in that area,even though there will be tremendous energy savings;i love Democratic hypocrisy.

[thomasw78]

His plan never really impressed me all that much. Not surprised it didn't work out.

[webxsuccess]

PICKENS IS A RETARD!

HEY everyone give me millions of dollars to invest so I can become a billionaire like T.Boon!

Then I can help Al Gore perpetuate this "Global Warming" lie to the American people so I can invest my billions in natural gas and windfarms.

Here's a better idea... why don't we stop oil speculators from manipulating oil prices on the futures market and allowing OPEC to control the supply of oil. Then when their oil runs out we can then drill here drill later.

[dwetick]

Now that GE Capital is on the hook for 2 billion dollars worth of capital equipment that is basically worthless, whats going to happen to this equipment? They make these gearboxes in my town, and now that labor force is being let go. Lets face it, wind energy will only produce a tiny fraction of the power we need in this country (5%) and windmills are typically on a 20% duty cycle. 80% of the time, there is not enough wind.

[MatchesMalone242]

the scary thing is the 20% renewable mandate in the 'climate' bill. what happens when that tech isn't efficient, affordable and capable when the deadline hits? do we have to reduce other energy so that the renewable will make up the right amount, or just use more renewable at a likely much greater cost? it's silly. we have so much natural gas, capacity for nuclear, oil offshore and in shale and coal. that's what we need now until the renewable tech is able to meet large-scale needs.

[PatricksTime]

t. boone knows he can make a fortune just like gore...he is a buisness man and nothing more!

ask him why he doesn't want turbines on his 2000 acres just west of Forth Worth!

[MatchesMalone242]

much like that one Kennedy, I think it's Robert, who fought wind turbines up where he lived because it'd damage his pretty view of whatever.

I don't care what T Boone(r) does so long as I'm not having to subsidize him with my tax dollars ... which is what the climate bill does.

[hassleoffa]

He hinted at it ... he couldn't secure the transmission contract.

Energy Production, Transmission, and Distribution are the three components to your bill. He wanted to get the first two under his belt in order to make it profitable.

[Boomer1949]

I sure would like to know the reason behind this, who he was dealing with and reason for it's failure.

[PatricksTime]

he is dealing with large landowners who don't want to have large transmission lines running through their property...even if the company pays 250,000 a mile. I know landowners who have already been paid for an easement for the lines while others want nothing to do with it! Wind turbines are not profitable without large incentives from the government. And they are ugly as hell and don't produce much electricity!!! Technology needs to be better before we can take this serious.

[buzz851]

Here in Western NY we have over 200 wind turbines. The people in the towns with wind turbines pay no property or school taxes. The power lines run under ground, and each landowner gets $15,000 for each turbine on their property each year. It seems to be working good for the small farming communities around here. As far as appearance it seems either you love them or hate them, but for the most part people are impressed and in awe of them.

[MatchesMalone242]

gets 15k from who? tax payers?

[buzz851]

The money is coming from profits the company makes by producing electricity. It is a very profitable business. More turbines are going to be put up because there are people willing to invest and hope to get a good return on there money, the free market at work! The company's name is Invenergy if you are interested in checking for yourself.

[MatchesMalone242]

That's fine then. My problem is the government doling out money to preffered industry to subsidize an otherwise unprofitable or low profit industry. Billions going to solar and wind (private companies) from the taxpayer is not ok.

PS. I'm a former WNYer, out of Amherst

[btrowland]

proclaim himself such a visionary run around the country pattin himself on the back baskin in the light ..and deliver nothin haha same old schtick ...durrr theres no room in ma garage durr dribble..how pathetic

[y2knoproblem]

Plan scrapped because he can't make a profit.

[muiere2]

T. Boone Pickens to have build this wind farms would have been like the wolf starting a security protection for the sheep.

[savebury]

Pickens is an oil and gas man. He never really intended this project to go through. Remember how we were all supposed to put our cars on his natural gas as a step in his wind power project? Maybe he sold enough natural gas that he no longer needs to pretend to be into alternative energy.

[eurogoldexchange]

The grid issue is one that is easily mired in local politics. This means oil companies can effectivly choke off wind farms.

[andrewh23]

Great Job AP. You forgot to tell us WHY the plan got scraped. Did anyone actually watch the video before posting it?

[exacerbatedtaboo]

So what happened? Did big oil buy his silence? Did they pay him to go away? I don't recall there being a reason why he is scrapping this project.

[quitearow]

unclear

[shparker]

i bet the oil tycoons over in the middle east are laughing their asses offf and rolling around in a pile of money at the same time

[sugarpuddin88]

Wind is stupid - You can't transmit wind turbine electricity for very long distances without losing power

Apparently Pickens is another numbnut with lots of money & no brains!

[andrewh23]

Yes. If only we had a nationwide power grid to convey electricity over long distances. It's so annoying running my house on a gas generator all year. We need to invent "power plants" to produce and sell electricity. Sugarpuddin - you need to write to all the other successful, functioning wind farms and let them know that the power they produce isn't real or capable of being conveyed. Also, please write to the airports to tell them that man will never fly.

[sugarpuddin88]

Wind is good for local (very close by) needs

Pickens was thinking he could project that energy over vast power lines like conventional electric plants - But you cant. Wind doesn't make enough power; that power dissipates very quickly over distance

I agree man must work on new energy like hydrogen & so-called cold fusion

Already, Riser can implement a geothermal unit for a house to a factory in under 3 months

Believe me, I have examined all these sources

[n1ppywin9er]

Energy, being energetic, does this regardless of where it came from. Science only needs to catch up. Better technology is inevitable given wider usage. And what's stupider than using outdated technology dependent on finite resources whose use contributes to global warming?

And I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds it hilarious that sugarpuddin88 is accusing a self made businessman who's worth billions of having no brains.

[sugarpuddin88]

Pickens made money on oil - Lots of cow pokes did that in Texas back in the day

Pickens admits in the video that he could not get the power to transmit the distance he had originally planned: Which makes him another dumb oil tycoon - Kind of like a dumb rapper who made a fortune; or a dumb NFL convict that makes a fortune - They may be rich, but dumb as a door nail!

[rayme4raw]

Security problem regarding foreign oil? They just release data showing that the Bakken Formation in Montana and North Dakota has 3.5 to 4.3 billion gallons of oil.

[VisionQuest2012]

How do we know if he bought large amounts of GE stock through a 3rd person with a 70/30 split? His media campaign may have been in an effort to get GE stocks higher before dumping them. It's called pump and dump. This would be a more clever way of doing it in order to get around the Securities and Trade Commission (SEC). For all we know he spent 60 million to make over a billion.

[SantaBarbaraDianne]

smart people like me saw this coming like a blade flying off one of those turbines in my direction.

You have to wonder what the real motivation for this alternative energy plan was---especially one with an big oil man behind it.

[ThinkingLeft]

those giant turbines will use up all the wind...

[cotullaguy]

watch "non energy crisis" video to know the truth

[clnmike]

Dont give up Pickens, this is the type of American know how thats needed in this age.

[SantaBarbaraDianne]

wake up!! He knew all along these potential flying samarai blades were not the answer to the energy concerns.

[clnmike]

And why arent they?

[sourbubbled]

Texas won't give him easement for power transmission lines. Sounds like the foreign oil industry has more clout or should I say money than T Boone. Sounds like the same old business practices. Sure we will let you build a Wind Farm but you can't transmit the power anywhere.

[oilhammer04]

He must not have donated enough to the Obama campaign. Doesn't he know how things are suppose to work with this new administration? It's Illinois politics in Washington now, so the palms have to be greased.

[SkyDaddy7]

I thought you right wingers were in bed with the theory Obama was controlled by GE who T.Boone bought 2 billion worth of Wind Turbines from and perhaps more to come?

Of course, you folks simply say whatever comes to your head and that is why no one respects the GOP or failed Conservative Values.

[terpis]

Yeah, those conspiracy theories are awfully flexible.

Being cobbled together completely from make-believe and blind hatred, I guess they would work that way.

To a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. And to a wingnut (generally dumb as a whole BAG of hammers), every problem looks like Obama's doing.

[Liynkx]

Makes me sad how money keeps us so far behind our potential in this world.

Why doesnt he put up a wind farm in the ocean?

[Skurgefaust]

yeh because that would be chaeper than just putting them on land.....

[Liynkx]

I was half joking...

[rasross96]

Pickens for President 2012

[ClintfromNYtoVA]

T Boone if u can spare a few acres for a new type of special homeless shelter to help those down on their luck but only those willing to help themselves.

I would like to start one unlike any other before it. It would be designed for those attempting to get back into the work force. I believe it would have community support due to the special nature of the people it is designed to help who would need to qualify,

It would honor your name as a philanthropist of a special kind. Contact me.

[StusMauler]

why did he do that?

[shenmueryu]

Just wait til he finds the right home and has to install those 687 wind turbines lol spend 60 million more.

[HopSingSex]

Lousy job, AP. I watched your vid and I still have no idea why no wind farm. He couldn't "provide the transmission?" WTF does that mean?

[Skurgefaust]

its called red tape, we're not supposed to know

[getplaning]

Today's electrical grids are designed for coal and nuclear power generation.

Solar and Wind power generation require their own "smart grids" which are more sophisticated and expensive. You can't simply connect your wind farm to the existing grid.

With coal and natural gas at 10 year lows, it is not currently cost effective to build wind and solar power grids.

Too bad, because clean energy is the future.

[HopSingSex]

The first part of what you say may be true, but I don't believe that some sort of interface could not be provided. Maybe it has more to do with the second point.

[Tylatz]

That's a part of the reason I like the space based solar panel array idea. If we are going to invest in new infrastructure then we need to make sure it's as far forward as we can make it at the time of construction. Problem is that we can't do that unless we have a clear vision of our energy source. Committing to that sort of plan would kind of set it in stone and we could move forward from there instead of this current floundering.

[Skyman46]

Natural gas at ten years low, where do you live? You must have money to burn...I'm all for going back to living in the caves...this thing of investing in our future just doesn't make any sense and is too difficult.

[Tylatz]

I wouldn't be too surprised by those numbers for some areas. Prices have been very volatile with recent events from war to hurricanes to economic issues to a push to get away from foreign oil. Will they stay low like that? Doubt it. Especially since the gas prices recently took a bit of a jump. Things might start panning out for the market soon.

[jcdevelopment]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!­!!!!!

Come back T Boone!!!!

[SupportingMyself]

What a waste of money. He wasted 60 million on doing shit.

[shenmueryu]

Lol that's exactly why he quit the plan...because it costs way too much freakin money...whatever and they say they wanna force this kinda crap on us and we can barely pay to keep our electricity on lol. Then the hybrids ooh you are so evil for not owning one but when you ask that same greenie meanie to loan you 21,000 dollars they swallow their spit real fast don't they? so tired of this green energy crap when everyone is broke praying their next submitted resume will get them a freaking job