Windmills on my mind

Just south of Post, TX, founded by C. W. Post the cereal mfg., was a high ridge extending E & W as far as you could see. This was a wind farm area consisting of 1000's of wind generators. To justify the installation of a generator it needs to be in an area where the winds average 14mph all year long. The GE 1.5 megawatt unit shown has a blade length of 112 feet, with all 3 blades assembled the wheel dia. is 231 ft. One of these wind generators and power 500 to 700 homes. Nita is standing at the end of the blade that fastens to the hub.

Further up the road we stopped at the American Wind Power Center in Lubbock, TX to see windmills from the early 1800,s to the monster generators like the GE above. A fascinating place, at least to me, maybe not so much to Nita. Many of the farmers around the country still use the old style windmill to pump water, and more modern ones the generator their own power. The last picture is kind of an interesting contrast of oil to wind energy in the same location.