Windmills are huge. This is how you get to the top
Since 2012, the average height of wind turbines installed in the United States has been about 280 feet, or 80 meters. Before 2006, few wind turbines were as tall as 280 feet. Wind speed typically increases with altitude and increases over open areas without windbreaks such as trees or buildings.
That's impressive. :-)
Of course the taller it is, the more stable it has to be made.
Do they put on those blinking lights that towers for power lines have?
Andy
This refers to the actual regulations.
The Coast Guard used to have 1/4 mile high transmitting towers when they ran the LORAN system. One ladder, right up the middle, out in the open. The maintenance guys used to climb it "manually". No lift involved.
The mega-watt signal would be turned off for about 30 seconds so the guys could get on (and off) the tower, then turned back on while they were working on it.
That's just about what I was thinking when I watched the video. What a wimp. Real men whould have climbed up the stairs, or the ladder.
This one had me in severe anxiety....
I bet they make more than $10 an hour to do that. I'd do it but I have a 1600 foot limit so a bit too high for me.
The History Channel showed wind generators being built in the North Sea..
I think it was Al Unser Sr. who came up with the idea of putting something like an angle iron on the back of the car's spoiler. That changed the air flow to create more down force and let him drive faster. They designers of the wind generators figured out that same type of thing on the wind generator's blades would make the generator more efficient.
You have reminded me of when I worked summers on ground maintenance at the Delaware Memorial Bridge, we had a rigger from original construction working there. Every Friday afternoon before he climbed the tower to check and tighten up stuff he would drink a half pint of whiskey at lunch. He also had an open end wrench bigger than anything I have ever seen.
I've crossed that bridge many times. Tower height is 440'. Would take more than a half pint for me to go up there.
They paint it all the time too. One summer I was there two or three painters fell off. They took a bunch of us to the base of the bridge to shovel out gravel to make it easier for the local fire company to launch a rescue boat but tides washed it away and I believe later they put in a concrete ramp.
Every now and then you would get a jumper too. Heard of them finding a body several days later and the crabs had gotten to it. Yet, some of the workers put out crab traps to catch and eat them.
Let's not go into a crab's diet... Or a catfish's for that matter. They both cook up real fine.
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