I drove down the Columbia River Gorge on Saturday on the north side of the gorge on WA-14. There were hundreds of wind turbines on the Oregon side of the river and NOT ONE was turning. The weird thing is the turbines on the north side of the river (the Washington side) WERE turning, albeit rather slowly.
Every time I see that spectacle of hundreds or thousands of those machines sitting there generating NOTHING I reflect on the pitiful nature of this industry. The machines typically have a capacity factor of 28% (actual output divided by nameplate rating over a year long period). The only entity that would invest in any asset with that horrible utilization is GOVERNMENT.
Detailed forecast for Eastern Columbia River Gorge of Washington Tonight Mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of rain in the evening. Lows in the mid to upper 30s. Windy. West wind 20 to 30 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph increasing to 40 mph overnight"
I drove down the Columbia River Gorge on Saturday on the north side of the gorge on WA-14. There were hundreds of wind turbines on the Oregon side of the river and NOT ONE was turning. The weird thing is the turbines on the north side of the river (the Washington side) WERE turning, albeit rather slowly.
There will be no money to remove them.