Mackinaw Winds Earthcache EarthCache

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Team Rumble: Gone

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Hidden : 8/22/2014
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:


The site of this Earthcache is located in Mackinaw City, Michigan. It was placed with the permission of Mackinaw City Village Manager Adam Smith. The required tasks can be done without crossing the gate. This is one of the smallest wind farms in the state. This part of northern Michigan sits on the south side of the Niagara Escarpment. It is a limestone rock layer . The elevation of the Niagara Escarpment makes it a very desirable location for wind generators, cellular towers, television and radio towers. The exposed edge of the escarpment is now being used by several wind farms. This is due to the wind speeds of an average 10 mph along this stretch.

According to the Global Wind Energy Council, by 2035, renewables will be generating more than 25% of the worlds electricity, with a quarter of this coming from wind. In 2013, the United States had more than 12,000 MW under construction.
In Michigan over 680 wind turbines(Michigan currently ranks 16th in the US), many taller than the Statue of Liberty, are doing their part to help the state reach its renewable portfolio standard (RPS) of ten percent renewable energy by 2015. They are also turning into a must-see stop for visitors to the Great Lakes. In 2013, 2.4% of Michigan's electricity was provided by wind.
An average U.S. household uses about 10,655 kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity each year. One megawatt of wind energy can generate between 2.4 to 3 million kWh annually. Therefore, a megawatt of wind generates about as much electricity as 225 to 300 households use. But because the wind does not blow all of the time, it cannot be the only power source.

Science of Wind Energy: Let's talk about wind. What is wind and what causes it? Wind is air in motion. Believe it or not, the sun helps cause wind. The sun heats up the earth, although it heats up the land and water at different rates. The air above the land heats up quite a bit faster. The hot air flows up into the sky and begins to cool. The cooler air begins to flow out over the water. The cooler air begins to settle downward exerting pressure on the air. This pressure creates wind.



Geology of Wind Energy: Wind energy requires wind. The ideal place for wind is open plains and hilltops. Mackinaw City's landscape elevation on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment makes it a very desirable location for wind farming. It is a high elevation with flat to gently rolling terrain. Glacial action was responsible for the outstanding topographic feature. What is needed geologically for wind energy to be successful? As already mentioned above, you need the sun’s energy heating both the water and the land (both of which are ideally close together).

Landscape of wind: You need a geologic landscape largely devoid of trees and other “wind obstructions." The open plains need to be 93% or more clear to provide the necessary open space for wind energy, while hilltops need to be only 10% “clear” to provide that necessary wind space, and passes or ravines need to only be 40% clear to provide the necessary wind tunnel. Of course, no one would even think of creating a wind farm in an enclosed valley or forest.
The landscape in front of you is what remains from when the Laurentide ice sheet moved through this area approximately 95,000 to 20,000 years ago. It created much of the surface geology of southern Canada and the northern United States, leaving behind glacially scoured valleys, moraines, eskers and glacial till. It also caused many changes to the shape, size, and drainage of the Great Lakes. During its cycle of growth and melting, it moved sediment. The deposits it left behind on the Limestone rock layers were called till. Till is a mixture of sand, silt, clay and boulders. The till leveled the terrain out in these parts and left behind a flat and gently rolling terrain.

Wind Turbines: Windmills are not something new. People have been milling corn and watering crops in Persia since the 1st century with the use of wind mills. They were built in France, England, and Asia in the 12th Century. The first electricity generating windmill was actually built in the late 19th Century. Ironically fossil fuel technology caused wind power to fall by the wayside in the 19th and 20th centuries. But now with the price of oil, environmental concerns, and wind turbines becoming more efficient, wind power is making a comeback.
The wind turbine is essentially made up of 5 main parts: foundation, tower, nacelle, rotors, and the transformer. The wind turns the rotor (or blades), which turns a generator (basically copper wire and magnets) inside of the nacelle, which creates electricity. The nacelle sits on top of the tower. The tower is the long pole that gets the rotors up into the wind currents. The tower sits on top of a foundation full of rebar and over 300 cubic yards of concrete. The transformer sits next to the tower and helps convert the wind into energy.

These wind turbines are 233 feet tall. Each of the blades measure 75 feet long. These turbines began producing energy in 2001. Each of these turbines can produce 1 MW of energy. An important factor in selecting a wind farm location is the land or terrain itself. Wind maps help in selecting a site, but the actual terrain has a lot to do with it.


Logging Requirements:
Now to get credit for this earthcache you will need to answer some questions. Answers need to be e-mailed to the owner of the cache, DO NOT post your answers on the cache page.

1.First, list the name of this earthcache in the first line of your email. Also, list the number of people in your group.
2. Looking to the east towards the turbines, what type of GEOLOGY is present? That is, is the area where you see the turbines working a plain, a pass, or a hilltop?
3. Count the number of turbines (windmills) visible from GZ. Based on your count, how many HOMES can be powered by these visible turbines?
4. What makes up "till"?
5. Look at how the earth's formation is around here. Tell me what about the land here either does or does not make this a good location for a wind farm.
6. Finally, to prove you were at the coordinates, what is the number to call for an appointment ?
7. OPTIONAL- Per current gc.com guidelines, photos are no longer allowed to be required. HOWEVER they are encouraged, since they can help clarify that you have visited the location if your other logging requirement answers are vague. Take a picture of yourself and your GPSr with the windfarm visible behind you. Post the picture with your log.

PLEASE NOTE: I will not be sending follow up requests for answers. If you do not complete the requirements,your log will be deleted. In order to claim this Earth Cache, you must follow through with the requirements, not just visit the site.


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