[mdlug] (a lot of) Wind, was: RE: Router - now power.

[Aaron Kulkis]

Novak, Louis (L.M.) wrote:
> Technology will trump politics every time.
> 
> Tech Allows Stable Integration of Wind In the Power Grid
> By timothy on giant-whooshing-sound
> diegocgteleline.es writes "One of the most frequently raised arguments
> against renewable power sources is that they can only supply a low
> percentage of the total power because their unpredictability can
> destabilize the grid. Spain seems to have disproved this assertion. In
> the last three days, the wind power generation records with respect to
> the total demand were beaten twice (in special conditions: a very windy
> weekend, at night): 45% on November 5 and almost 54% last night (Google
> translation; Spanish original). There was no instability. These
> milestones were accomplished with the help of a control center that
> processes meteorologic data from the whole country and predicts, with
> high certainty, the wind and solar power that will be generated,
> allowing a stable integration of all the renewable power. You can see a
> graphic of the record here." 

But at what cost?

These wind-power schemes result in ridiculously expensive electricity.

> http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/11/08/1911234/Tech-Allows-Stable-Integ
> ration-of-Wind-In-the-Power-Grid?from=rss
> 
> more facts and figures (usually missing from idealogically based
> arguments that rely on primae facea evidence)
> 
> Denmark a global leader in wind power
> Denmark is by far the world leader in producing wind energy: 20% of its
> electricity comes from wind. Spain gets 13% of its power from wind;
> Germany, 7.5%; the U.S., just 1.3% -- and Canada, only 1%.
> http://www.nationalpost.com/related/links/story.html?id=2191961

but the electricity produced is often 10x more expensive.  While
the charge PRICE may be the same, the actual COST is very high.
Politicians can fiddle with prices, but they have absolutely
zero ability to lower costs.