Within the grid business, windpower is considered poor quality because it is not predictable...that is, the companies that manage the grid can't count on windpower to provide the power they need...when they need it. So...it is poor quality power.
When I read this ...
4 gigawatts of windpower generation capacity lying idle
Then I have to wonder about the logic of having already paid for the production of that electricity (i.e., it's ready to produce, even if not all the time or evenly) -- and not using it at all.... that sounds way too stupid to me, especially in the era of increasing energy usage (over the world) and China's demand increasing so fast.
To me it's just dumb and dumb, especially with having the units already there.
What they are idling are factories.
The title is sort of misleading. They have excess manufacturing capacity not excess generating capacity.