Lights Out For the UK? The Blunder of Relying On Wind Power

bigpeace.com ^ | July 8, 2011 | Institute for Energy Research (IER)

[PROCON]

Because wind does not blow all the time, wind power is an “intermittent” technology that needs other power as back-up to ensure that the lights stay on. Currently, wind capacity is backed up by existing fossil fuel capacity (natural gas or coal), but Britain has determined that it will need an additional 17 natural-gas powered plants to keep the lights on by 2020. The generators that will be used when the wind does not blow will cost UK consumers 10 billion pounds.[i] To cover the cost of this additional standby capacity, the utility companies are asking for capacity paymentsthat will be charged year round. In other words, consumers will need to pay for the heavily subsidized wind power and then pay again for capacity built to back-up wind in order to keep the electricity on.

[PROCON]

Britain has determined that it will need an additional 17 natural-gas powered plants to keep the lights on by 2020. The generators that will be used when the wind does not blow will cost UK consumers 10 billion pounds

Looks like Hope & Change has come across the pond too!

[PROCON]

Ping!

[wita]

Apparently they overlooked, ignored, or were never fed the truth, and reality of green, and renewables. Not to mention, history. Wind has been tried everywhere for everything, for centuries, and for the most part has been abandoned for technology far superior in cost, efficiency, reliability, speed, or any measurable value.

[almost done by half]

Wind power really blows in a number of ways.....

[steelyourfaith]

 

Beam me to Planet Gore !

[PROCON]

The "Greenies" are alive and well in Great Britain and even more so in Australia, which just passed a carbon tax on it's citizens.

The free market has always been able to provide the most reliable and cheapest energy, but leave it to the globalwarming fanatics to make us pay more for the Greatest Hoax ever perpetrated on mankind!

BTW, thanks for your Sevice to Our Country! My BIL was a C-130 pilot from 73-93 and just recently went back in to fly AF drones in the sandboxes! (and of course to pad his AF retiremment..:=))

[steelyourfaith]

Thanx, btw !

[PROCON]

Your welcome, BTW, have a GREAT weekend!

[glorgau]

cost UK consumers 10 billion pounds

Literally pissing money into the wind.

[SteamShovel]

Wind has been tried everywhere for everything, for centuries, and for the most part has been abandoned for technology far superior in cost, efficiency, reliability, speed, or any measurable value.

Funny how Obama thinks wind is new. You are correct, it has been abandoned due to cost, energy density per acre, reliability, and capacity factor. Wind (solar too) are appropriate in certain niche applications, but to force it into the base load we all depend on is asking for trouble and high costs.

Thats what they want the stupid smart grid for; for load shedding when the wind isn't blowing or the sun isn't shining. And we are told that is an advancement. Feedback control and load shedding isn't new. It is just that smart people in the past decided the best solution was to make sure there was enough generation and distribution to keep up with demand. Now we have stupid people thinking otherwise.

[truthguy]

Apparently they overlooked, ignored, or were never fed the truth, and reality of green, and renewables.

It's astonishing the degree of ignorance in the average American when it comes to basics like electricity, clean water, sewage system and the like. Most people today simply cannot comprehend with a thin thread that their comfortable existence is hanging by. I'm sure it's just as bad in the UK.

The pundits in the MSM and other places have been telling the average troglodyte that renew-ables like wind and solar are going to solve our energy problems. Excrement, and that's putting it as mildly as I can. You would think that Joe Sixpack could at a minimum understand that Solar Panels don't produce at night, when it's raining, or especially when covered with snow. But apparently this as escaped Joe and Jane Sixpack.

So I'm convinced that Brownouts and Blackouts are in our future. That's probably the only thing that these foolish types understand. It would probably be a good thing for the average so called "Green" to go for a few days without power or water. That is what might wake up some of these fools. And I'm at a stage where I think this might be the only thing that will wake up these idiots.

[PROCON]

Now we have stupid people liberal, progresive, globalwarming fanatics, who make the laws, thinking otherwise.

Fixed it!

[Laur]

Britain should have checked Denmark’s wind “solution” for a few hints as to costs and reliability.

[wita]

Lucky BIL. The base I live near is scheduled to be a drone drome.

PS you are welcome. It was a pleasure to be sure. I’d do it again, if they would let me, but now I am for lack of a better description a drag on the system. A drone. I still pay taxes, out of a desire to be a contributor but they don’t add up to what I’m costing you and the rest of our generous public. At least I still can and do work for a living. Sort of like your BIL who is doing the same.

[wita]

or the sun isn’t shining.

...and it certainly isn’t shining on a huge number of heads stuck where the sun never shines. Beginning with the DIC.

[wita]

That is what might wake up some of these fools. And I’m at a stage where I think this might be the only thing that will wake up these idiots.

Sad but true I’m afraid.

[Nowhere Man]

Thats what they want the stupid smart grid for; for load shedding when the wind isn't blowing or the sun isn't shining. And we are told that is an advancement. Feedback control and load shedding isn't new. It is just that smart people in the past decided the best solution was to make sure there was enough generation and distribution to keep up with demand. Now we have stupid people thinking otherwise.

I'll tell them to stick it "where the sun don't shine."

[Nowhere Man]

Thats what they want the stupid smart grid for; for load shedding when the wind isn't blowing or the sun isn't shining. And we are told that is an advancement. Feedback control and load shedding isn't new. It is just that smart people in the past decided the best solution was to make sure there was enough generation and distribution to keep up with demand. Now we have stupid people thinking otherwise.

I'll tell them to stick it "where the sun don't shine."

[nascarnation]

Went on a cruise to Aruba this spring.
On the north side, the wind is always blowing.
I mean the rocks are sculptured from the sandblasting.

They put in a bunch of windmills.
Day we were there, none of them were turning.
I asked the bus driver, she said those things are always breaking down.

[EDINVA]

What has Prince Charles the Green to say about this?