35 miles south of me an array of 100 wind turbines went up this past year. Easily the stupidest project one can imagine.
The US Dept. of Energy admits wind is not good in our part of Texas, but the subsidies and mandates keep these projects going.
In the real world places like Germany are finding out this was a fools errand this alternative energy thing, basic physics says hydro and nuke are best followed by the fossil fuels–its about energy concentration. Solar and wind are not a steady or reliable or productive source. The grid is corrupted by such sources, back up plants are not as efficient if they are off and on.
So what does cool, cloudy, non windy, anti nuke Germany do now? Natural gas and coal. Fracking may create anxiety in green salons, but it produces good stuff.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/02/green_energy_not_fit_for_the_grid.html
BG, it is because Mr. Pickens KNOWS about the unreliability problem, in fact, he is literally banking on it. He has a stranglehold on natural gas as well so he makes out like a bandit all around.
Wind and solar don’t do well as peaking facilities because the wind and sun may not be good when you need them. It is also too variable as a base load supply because of variability. Peak demand times for electricity coincide with activity, so you get peak demand at about 5A-9A and 5P-7P, or dawn and dusk, typically low sunlight and low wind periods. To make up for what can’t be supplied by wind and solar you have to follow with another source, so you really don’t get rid of all that much nasty fossil fuel. Wind and solar also have bigger footprints than conventional power supply. Other than being a higher cost, more variable supply that doesn’t displace all the polluting combustion units they advertise, tell my why you like it Mr. Pickens.
Instead of a tax credit, wind and solar plants should be required to post a bond to pay for their inevitable failure, removal, and site restoration.
running the numbers 2 cents a KWH may be a cost that is an ideal cost in a circumstance where the government doesn’t get in the way. Most nuke plants get harassed and delayed interminably.
For the price of all those windmills, a small, safe, clean,reliable nuclear reactor could be put in place. Cost per KWH? About two cents. All would benefit. All would be more prosperous. The Imaginary Problem people would rather have windmills that don’t work.