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We need about 1000-2000 medium output windmills to produce the power of just one nuclear power plant.

Yes. So what?

Why doesn't China use windmills then?

China does use windmills, too. At the end of 2005, China was eight in the world with a total of 1280 MW. The plan is to increase this to at least 30,000 MW by 2020 (though the local wind industry expects at least the double of that). I note this is grid-connected capacity - as for stand-alone systems, there are hundreds of thousands of small wind turbines chiefly in Inner Mongolia. Still, this is not enough to balance rise in demand.

some countries have a specific geography, which limits the possibility of introducing a chain of windmills in a certain region.

Yes, for example unfortunately most of Central Europe has rather poor winds. On the other hand, a recent realisation is that higher windmills can access much stronger winds even in these places.

privately owned agricultural lands and owners are either not interested on buying windmills or can't afford it.

This is a pretty normal situation - most wind power plants are in fact on farmland. Why? Because if a wind power developer that has the money pays rent to the landowner, both benefit. The problem in our regions is that even the developers are poorer and states less willing to facilitate construction (often in collusion with their existing domestic electricity providers).

Bulgaria is a small country, with many natural reservations.

I suspect Denmark beats Bulgaria both in smallness and natural reserves :-) It should be no problem to exclude bird-frequented areas like Atanasovsko lake.

Hungary and Bulgaria are going through a process of Americanization - where everyone needs to have a transport of his own.

Actually, Hungary reached the stage where many people realised that this won't work - four-hour traffic jams each day on the road from work to nice suburban home does teach one that. But if the alternative is left to rot, and only highways are built from billions, no wonder the car alternative becomes more competitive even so.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Tue Feb 28th, 2006 at 07:12:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
By the way, here is a photo of mine for you, in rather bad weather (thus sorry for quality):

You see 64% of the end-of-2005 Hungarian wind power capacity. The five big units in the foreground are 2 MW units with 113 m high towers, the two smaller in the background are older 600 kW units (IIRC on 40 m towers). All were built by an alliance of local entrepreneurs, rather than big companies or foreign investors. (A boom will follow this year and next: about 300 MW will be added. Investors would build ten times that much, but government policy is to cap it...)

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Tue Feb 28th, 2006 at 07:23:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
You see 64% of the end-of-2005 Hungarian wind power capacity.

<laugh> I can't believe it, it's the same in Bulgaria. So why is the Hungarian government capping the windmill expansion? Let me guess, a state owned electrical company? :)

Be careful! Is it classified?
by darin (dkaloyanov[at]gmail.com) on Tue Feb 28th, 2006 at 07:48:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
No more state-owned except the sole nuclear plant, but big foreign energy giants owning local coal, oil and gas plants means a rather strong counter-lobby. (They can and did threat withdrawal from Hungary is their terms aren't met.)

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Tue Feb 28th, 2006 at 08:10:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Vaild point. But do check out the map I've provided some posts up.

Be careful! Is it classified?
by darin (dkaloyanov[at]gmail.com) on Tue Feb 28th, 2006 at 07:48:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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