One frustration I had during the wind farm tour is that I felt like the kind of conversations we had with the guide, and the kind of things he addressed and how he addressed our questions was not at all aligned with what I would address with my students in a physics course. The guide seemed to answer questions indirectly, sidestepping physics details. For the most part I felt that the participants were ok with this level of discourse (or possibly accepted that this is all they were going to get from the guide), but when we were walking back to the building from going inside the turbine one participant walked up front with the guide and tried unsuccessfully to press for more. Here is the transcript - it's not totally complete because the wind was so strong on the mic (apologies for spelling):
[00:00:00.00] (G) I read this in one of the books I can't remember specifically so don't quote me on it. (P) (he says a word or two, perhaps of encouragement?) (G) But there's for each mile an hour wind speed it increase it produces like 8 times greater efficiency
[00:00:18.02](P) It must be because (G inserts an uh huh) it seems like...(can't hear from wind) if it's only 5 miles an hour more than it is now it will increase from 1/3 to full capactity (G) exactly and that's how it does it, and so, with these turbines, and all, most utilities turbines are like that. Some of them use ah direct drive method though. which instead of having the geerbox in there the whole naselle is actually the generator and so it's less
[00:00:43.04] (P) (he cuts the guide off here) it seems like that would be more efficient... (G) (G cuts off P here) it's it's yea it's less moving componants, yea, but right now they have an american company that's actually desiging and building those called clipper (P) so it doesn't matter how fast they're going (G) no they they they are still they are still (P) ...(says something I can't hear, maybe using the word limited?) (G) yea, exactly, they are still limited to... (P) is there a way to uh capture the energy and slow...? (G) oh yea, oh yea
[00:01:12.17] (G) as long as the legs(?) are capturing... capture electicity, you can have some, like these ones are at 16 and a half rpm's but the gear box is stepped up to that 1800 to get it senquanized with the grid, who knows the ones across the street they could be slower or faster than that, but they want to keep them slower. it doesn't matter the faster you go with the rotor, doesn't necessairly mean the more energy you produce (P) it's the torque... (G) yep
[00:01:45.05] (G) a lot of technology goes into these things, (P) .. (yea..?) (G) i mean a lot of testing (P) it's a lot more complicated than it looks (G) oh yea, oh yea, I had, it's amazing working out here because you have some people that... (he goes on to talk about strange ideas people have and some not even knowing they're producing electricity)
What I find interesting here is a few statements: (G) says "and that's how it does it" relating to the increase in efficiency - but there is no explanation of 'how' in the conversation then he starts talking about an alternative design that is direct drive, and (P) seems immediately to be asking about that being more efficient because it won't be stuck at one rotation speed (this was a question that I seem to recall having come up throughout the tour - why fixed speed, why is that efficient?), then they discuss the fact the speed is limited, and (P) presses the issue by asking about capturing the energy, and (G) starts with oh yea, oh yea, but then answers off topic but simply asserts that faster doesn't equal more energy then (P) offers 'it's the torque' and (G) immediately agrees but then totally veers off topic and starts talking about how much the visitors don't know about turbines.
It was as if the guide was only comfortable stating certain things and then holding interesting conversation - and he just avoided the technical questions. I liked this clip because it was the participant, and not Stamatis, who was pushing, and he was trying to do so away from the others, as if perhaps having an independent conversation would offer him the chance to get his questions answered. He didn't press the issue at all after that - he didn't try to get the guide back on track, and just let the guide talk about other visitors.
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