Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2016/09/01/watch-trucks-drive-massive-win.html
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Video needs a Tangerine Dream soundtrack.
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Was waiting for Godzilla to pop out at anytime.
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A couple of years ago we drove past a series of trucks parked by the motorway, each carrying a single turbine blade. You just don’t realise how big the blades are until you see one up close - the shape somehow gives very few cues as to the size. It always makes me smile to see the teeny-tiny door in the bottom of a complete wind turbine - it looks like it’s designed for a mouse.
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Surprisingly engaging video. Watched the whole thing.
I know we’re probably not there yet, but what about transport blimps? Might not be able to lift that weight though…
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First, blimps and dirigibles have lousy lift capacity- you have to go really absurdly huge to get major lift, and the bigger you go, the less maneuverable and more unwieldy they get.
Second, Blimps don’t play well with high winds, and you want wind turbines to be installed in high wind areas, so that doesn’t work out well.
Eta: just realized that naturally the blades are aerodynamic (duh), so carrying them by air would probably be dangerous no matter how you lofted them, since they’d want to spin and twist with the wind as you flew. Which is probably why a heavy cargo chopper or two was not used.
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I hope that those are green blades and not the coal-burning ones that plague most of the countryside.
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Here, we see, the rare, but distinctive, leafcutter truck. Each truck is capable of lifting, more than a thousand times, its own weight. These industrious creatures, work together, to build structures, of astonishing complexity.
</attenborough>
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try airlander
blimp
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like to see more sea-going turbines
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The drivers probably wouldn’t be so nervous if they didn’t blast that suspenseful music at them during the trip.
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I think each blade weighs ~80 tons… we don’t have helicopters that can lift that payload (20 tons is the max) let alone a airship.
BUT, you aren’t too far off. DARPA started a project (and cancelled it) for using airships to carry heavy payloads long distances. The goal was 450ton payload. Lockheed made the P-791 which could carry 20 tons… so just stack 4 of those mumbo-jumbos together and BAM! airship turbine delivery lol.
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Yeah the airlander 50 can only do 50 tons of cargo, and that is within their cargo bay. The strange shape of the blades and definitely the issue with the wind implies that yes, this is (and probably will be for some time) the only option for shipping these things
Just print them in place
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I’m more a fan of the explody ones:
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This needed a much longer intro and much louder, more “you WILL be impressed” music.
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I’m thinking there’s a lot of leverage for any breeze to just tip them over. Do they just wait for a really calm day?
(No, I didn’t WTFV as I’m at work right now, sorry if that’s answered within.)
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Seems like there has to be a better way.
I was thinking Dr. Seuss would put a blade on each side of the truck and fly the whole thing to the top of the mountain.
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These should be fine getting under that one bridge in NC.
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