It's Blowing in the Wind

[cecilia]

http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/0 ... lease.html

U.S. WIND ENERGY INDUSTRY BREAKS ALL RECORDS,
INSTALLS NEARLY 10,000 MW IN 2009

I was researching info about solar roof tiles and found this - yeah, I know it's wind and not solar, but when i research I go all over the place :mrgreen:

anyway, it appears

Early last year, before the Recovery Act (ARRA), the industry anticipated that in 2009 wind power development might drop by as much as 50% from 2008 levels, with equivalent job losses. The clear commitment by the President to create clean energy jobs and the swift implementation of ARRA incentives by the Administration in mid-summer reversed the situation. Recovery Act incentives spurred the growth of construction, operations and maintenance, and management jobs, helping the industry to save and create jobs in those sectors and shine as a bright spot in the economy.

they feel the policies the President has implemented have been good.

 

[metalman]

The Bonneville Power Administration wind energy production in 5 minute intervals.
The output from wind generators is “essentially random.”

Wind power generators pay the state grid operator to take their offpeak output so that they can get federal tax credits


On eight separate occasions, President Barack Obama has referred to the “green economy” policies enacted by Spain as being the model for what he envisioned for America.

Spain’s “green economy” program cost the country 2.2 other jobs for every green job “created”. Spain’s economic meltdown has caused Spain to to cancel its plans for a “green economy.”

Wind Energy's Ghosts

 

[Wayne]

The Bonneville Power Administration wind energy production in 5 minute intervals. The output from wind generators is “essentially random.”

What? Wind is entirely random? Surely you jest...

Wayne

 

[metalman]

Swollen Columbia River churns so much electricity BPA is giving some away

During the last few days, the 31 federally operated BPA hydroelectric dams in the region have been running full tilt, generating an average of 13,000 megawatts of electricity. That's 144 percent of their normal spring generation.

Complicating the picture is the region's growing fleet of wind turbines, which have been cranking out extra megawatts as the same storm cells dumping rain into the rivers have whipped wind speeds higher.

"You can only run the turbines as fast as you can find a home for the power," said Michael Milstein, a spokesman for the Bonneville Power Administration, which markets the power from the federal dams and one nuclear plant, and integrates the spikey output of the region's wind fleet onto the grid.

To accommodate the surge, the nuclear plant at Hanford has been dialed back to 25 percent of capacity, Milstein said. BPA has also warned wind farm operators that it won't be accepting much, if any, unscheduled power production.

 

[cecilia]

Posted by: Argyll
Feb 15, 09:50 AM

It migth be useful to keep up with the massive growth of windpower, a technology which is being run by the largest utilities and built by the biggest energy companies, including Areva, GE, and the like:

[www.awea.org]

As one can see from these tables, wind power growth is massive and increasing every year. China alone installed 13 GW capacity last year. There are some useful points in the article, but complaining about 1980s turbines is a bit like complaining the Wright brothers' plane was useless because it could not carry much of anything any distance more than a few miles. In fact there are still functioning wind turbines from the 1980s working just fine. If you think politics is the issue, I know someone about as right-wing as they come who owns 25 turbines installed in CA in the 80s. They are functioning just fine.

However, since then the technology of windpower has increased exponentially much like the PC. Now they are run by software, are much larger, can turn to the wind and function in diffferent wind speeds, etc. They are technological marvels. They can be built for specific areas and functions, like cold weather (the ones that failed in Minn. are old, used wind turbines -- wind turbines are functioning just fine in Antarctica).

In the US, Texas is the leader in wind turbines. If it were a separate nation, it would be sixth in the world in windpower. Iowa currently gets over 15% of its electricity from windpower. That windpower works is already proved. It requires some artistry and creativity to handle, but it works.
Denmark does receive over 20% of its electricity from windpower. Yes, they share electricity with neighboring countries, but so does the US, which produces a surplus of electricity. Canada supplies electricity to the northern US. Despite importing natural gas as a whole the US exports natural gas from local areas like Texas to Mexico.

As regards Denmark, it is an oil and gas exporter, so they could choose to be energy independent on fossil fuels for a few years ...

http://comments.americanthinker.com/rea ... 38795.html