Wind Power Is Just a Lot of Hot Air

Right Side News ^ | August 8, 2008 | Vincent Gioia

[kellynla]

At first glance, the energy proposals of Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens for wind power and increased gas usage sound good. "We can't drill our way out of this crises"; I happen to disagree with this statement. We still need to drill to make ourselves "independent from foreign oil."

But the real issue is what is behind the clamor to expand wind power in lieu of increasing oil drilling. To understand this you have to read between the lines.

Not only does Pickens' firm, BP capital, have significant investments in natural gas, but last June he announced plans to build the world's largest wind farm in west Texas, capable of producing 4,000 megawatts of electricity.

The federal government subsidizes wind farm operators with a tax credit worth 1.9 cents per kilowatt hour - potentially making for a tidy annual taxpayer gift to Pickens based on his anticipated capacity. But Pickens and wind power investors have a problem: since congress didn't renew the wind subsidy as part of the 2007 energy bill, it will expire at the end of this year unless reauthorized. Government subsidies the most important aspect for wind power usage and expansion; without them, wind can't compete against fossil fuel-generated power.

As pointed out by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on July 9, "In 1999, 2001 and 2003, when Congress temporarily killed the credits, the number of new turbines dropped dramatically."

President Bush and Senator McCain have both called for renewed offshore oil and gas drilling. With gasoline prices around $4 per gallon, something needs to be done. However why is there opposition to offshore wind development? The Wall Street Journal notes that although there is no formal moratorium against offshore wind power, environmentalist and NIMBY opposition has stalled every sea-based wind project proposed in the U.S. thus far.

[Piquaboy]

It would cost me right at $25000 for a wind turbine to supply the energy needs of my small house. That would take a long time to recoup.

[Zevonismymuse]

I were to have a wind mill here, the power it would produce could run my home with ease.....anyone else agree/disagree?

Maybe once I figured out a way to predict the weather.

[LisaS]

Break even for a small wind system occurs at about 12.5 mph annual average wind speed. Few of us live in such a wind regime so, for most of us, a wind system costs more than the power one can buy from the grid with the same money. Small systems range in cost from $25k to $150k. Most folks would do much better if they invested in reducing their energy consumption rather than adding to their generation options. And when suburbia starts putting up 120-foot whirly structures just 200 feet from their neighbor's house, watch the games begin... A town in Vermont is already on record reducing the assessed value of a home because their neighbor's home system produced too much noise.

[MinuteGal]

Then he is unconsciously aiding and abetting Obama (which I find hard to believe, but it's possible).....and the spineless Pubs won't call him out on his red-herring ads because of his long-time gushers of contributions.

.......and McCain won't either, given his own position on global warming crappola and, obviously, a reluctance to offend a heavy hitter, also.

Always follow the money trails.

Leni

[count-your-change]

In the past most farms had windmills to pump well water and even as inefficient as those windmills were they were quite useful as a source of intermittent power. So too a windmill on your house might serve well if the power could be stored like the water pumped by farm windmills.
Therein lies the problem: How to store the power. And how to store it at a low enough cost to be worth the investment of time and money. If the purpose of the windmill is to reduce energy costs there are other, better ways of doing that at lower cost.
If your goal is to make your house independent of the grid then you might have more work and expense then you're willing to devote to the idea.

[Realism]

That would take a long time to recoup.

About 10-15 years? Location has everything to do with it. Its all about the mindset and long term investment, do you have $25K sitting in the bank doing nothing which you can use to shave $120+ per month off your utility bill? That $120/mo. could be applied somewhere else over the life of the windmill incerasing your rate of return.

[Realism]

If your goal is to make your house independent of the grid then you might have more work and expense then you're willing to devote to the idea.

The choice is easy for off-grid. Just calculate the cost of gas or diesel needed each day for power.

[CharlesWayneCT]

You mean, like this container ship?:

[CharlesWayneCT]

The smartest choice for backup for wind power is to install on-site natural gas generators. Note that Pickens has major investments in natural gas.

Wind farms can easily be combined with natural gas generating facilities, and provide electricity for less than half the natural gas of a gas-only plant.

The issue is how much it costs for the wind turbines relative to the power you get out of them. But it's not really a technical problem or a problem with wind being unpredictable, it's simply the cost of natural gas generation backup facilities.

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

However despite this hemorrhaging of government money, according to the IPCC, after 25 years of world-wide subsidies, wind and solar have managed to deliver only 1/2 of 1% of the world's energy. At this rate, it will take 5,000 years for wind and solar to replace coal.

While ethanol and biomass energy have gained on hydroelectric as major providers of renewable energy, wind and solar still reach less than two percent of the total.

[kellynla]

good chart...but if you look, the EIA has an even more revealing chart showing the percentage of energy sources used for electricity which shows nuclear close to 20% and wind power around 2%...I don’t have it handy but if you can’t find it, I’ll look for it later today.

[kellynla]

Here’s one but I think I can find another source that is even more recent.

RESOURCES BEING USED TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY
2000

FOSSIL FUELS 71.0%
Coal 51.5%
Natural Gas 16.5%
Oil 3.0%

NUCLEAR 20%

RENEWABLES 9.0%
Hydropower 7.0%
Other renewables 2.0%
http://www.energyforkeeps.org/book_chapters/eforkeeps_pre_ch3.pdf

[Realism]

wind and solar still reach less than two percent of the total.

To be fair and to your point transportation shouldn't be included since wind and solar are pretty much strictly used for the generation of electric. Also with new technology we are just now seeing 3 to 5MW turbines.

[thackney]

Then he is unconsciously aiding and abetting Obama

In my opinion, any time T. Boone Pickens is speaking or doing anything, it is to aid and abet T. Boone Pickens. If anyone else gets benefit or penalty, it matters little.

[brityank]

>i?well if Pickens is hitching his wagon to Obama; he’s picking a loser...

Obama has two chances of winning on 11/4...”slim & none” and “Slim” just left the building. LOL

Never bet against the stupidity of the American voter, or for the all-knowing promises of the American politician.       ;^)

[driftdiver]

“Since windmills only tap energy from winds close to the ground, the odds that they will actually affect climate is zip point bupkus.”

I don’t believe in free energy. It comes from some place and will have some impact however negligible.

There is a reason we moved away from windmills and have never adopted solar as a major source. They are less efficient then hydrocarbon based energy sources.

I think we should adopt nuclear but until we collar the envir-whacko’s we will not make progress there.

[Realism]

You only need to look at Denmark for a can do example. They produce nearly 20% of their power with wind and manage to export 90% of their total national production. Some how they have turned Wind power into a 3 billion euro industry. They must be an amazing people to overcome such an imposable feat.

[DungeonMaster]

But the real issue is what is behind the clamor to expand wind power in lieu of increasing oil drilling.

We need both. Wind power is an excellent solution to the electrical power issue but it won't run my Harley.

[OESY]

Harry Reid's monument to wind power.

.

[omega4179]

No subsidies for anything. I am for free markets.