Wind Farms

So this post isn't about super neat vacation spots, but it is something that I think is pretty neat.  My dad has been with Shell Oil for about 30 years.  He started out as an engineer in pipeline, and eventually worked his way into management.  About 3 years ago he moved to the Wind Energy part of Shell, and has loved every minute of it.  True, he has a lot of hard work, and he does spend most of his time in meetings, but he loves being an ambassador for Shell as a whole and for renewable energy on a national scale.  One of his favorite comparisons between WindEnergy and pipeline is the experience he has going through Canadian customs.  According to him, when he was in pipeline, and when they asked who he worked for, and heard pipeline, they would grill him with questions akin to the inquisition.  How long, where, who, hotel, etc.  But in WindEnergy, it's, "Wind Energy, eh? Have a nice day!" *stamp passport*
So I got to go with him to a wind farm this past Christmas break (in January of 2011).  We went to one of Shell's newest wind farms, in West Virginia.  I got to go on a ride and see the farm, and what it's like.  I was not allowed out of the truck, though, because I did not have proper clothing (i.e. no steel toed boots).  But it was really neat.
There is one thing that I want to say about Shell and what my dad has worked on while in WindEnergy.  My dad wants improved safety to be his legacy, and he is doing a great job of it.  Shell is VERY big on safety.  They have what they call their "12 Life-saving Rules".  Basically, many years ago, Shell sat down and looked at each and every reportable (incident where the injuries couldn't be solved by OTC methods, and require a doctor or specialized treatment), and found that a combination of 12 safety issues factored into the vast majority of the reportables (and could have prevented them if they had been observed).  As such, these 12 rules are like the Bible's 10 Commandments of Shell's safety policies.  Violation of any of these 12 rules is grounds for immediate termination.  If any employee sees a possible unsafe situation, Shell would rather bring a complex and costly operation to a screeching halt (an possibly lose millions of dollars) than risk one employee being injured.  I'm glad that my dad is a part of a culture that consideres the safety of it's employes to be far more important than productivity or profits. 

Above is a picture of the wind farm in West Virginia.