Posted on 04/26/2010 7:35:55 AM PDT by TonyfromOz
Legislation to implement standards for renewable power has been put on hold for now in the U.S. However, with a brutal Winter now behind the U.S. maybe those legislators need to look at some statistics on how the existing ‘flavour of the month’ renewable power plants performed at delivering power when it was needed most. Those statistics prove (again) that renewable power cannot supply power on the basis it is needed, and for when it is needed. This post explains those stats, what is behind them, and the ramifications. Not surprisingly, when it was needed the most, the power source that did do the job, and thus provided the biggest spike in usage was coal fired power. The only sector that actually decreased the power it supplied was that Renewable power sector.
"Denmark, the world’s most wind-intensive nation, with more than 6,000 turbines generating 19% of its electricity, has yet to close a single fossil-fuel plant. It requires 50% more coal-generated electricity to cover wind power’s unpredictability, and pollution and carbon dioxide emissions have risen (by 36% in 2006 alone)."
Each form has its place in the energy spectrum.
After Wilma knocked out our power, it was really sunny the following days. So I put out the solar panels to charge a couple car batteries, so we had light at least. The weather was beautiful in late Oct. 05.
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