Comments on NoFreeWind - The Heavy Price We Pay for Windpower: A picture of wind versus load that is worth thousa...

If Andrea Rossi's e-cat promise comes true (st...

2011-11-08T06:15:45.211-05:00

If Andrea Rossi's e-cat promise comes true (still waiting for confirmation), wind and solar energy will be out much faster than fossil fuels. Keep that possibility in the back of your mind.

Here is a link:
http://coldfusion3.com/blog/why-the-grid-will-die

Uppaimappla
cochin, India

He was'nt ridiculing a damn thing. The man wa...

2010-05-27T18:32:05.495-04:00

He was'nt ridiculing a damn thing.

The man was speaking with sound logic.

Reply to "Anonymous said" @ 1:21am Befo...

2010-03-28T14:33:34.896-04:00

Reply to "Anonymous said" @ 1:21am

Before rediculing NOFREEWIND for his article, perhaps you should explain yourself.

What does 'Firming up' have to do with natural gas (natgas?), let alone hydro plants? Unless either fuel can be used by the power grid that you contract your wind farm output to, I don't understand the relationship. Also, if you are purchasing such power to "make up the difference" in the spasmodic output (vis a vis the demand curve?), somehow the additional fees you pay to the "natgas" or hyropower providers must be offset by the fee you receive from the power grid. This would certainly increase the cost of the energy you provide well above 5.5 cents/kWH (or does it cost you more?)--and apparently the power grid you provide it to MUST pay it, even if it exceeds what it would pay for energy if it could ignore your wind farm--right? If not, please explain.

Also, please tell me up to what level you "firm up" your meager output for sale to the gride, and what % of the total contract is the natgas and hydropower contribution? Without understanding the full import of your letter, there's no way of "firming up" your ridicule of NOFREEWIND.

My grid isn't forced to buy wind. The wind tra...

2009-06-22T02:13:42.675-04:00

My grid isn't forced to buy wind. The wind traders book a bunch of transmission months ahead of time. This transmission can be scheduled a month, week, day or hour ahead of time with coal, hydo, nat gas, wind or whatever. Electricity is fungible so the trader builds the cheapest contract possible. Wind isn't a problem for grid stability until you get large penetrations. My grid doesn't have a whole lot of wind so it's not an issue yet. You'd have to investigate ERCOT to see what happens when wind goes whole hog. My buddy lives down in Amarillo and I asked him if turbines were everywhere. Turns out no...

For me it all comes back to cost. You don't agree so let's leave it at that. If you can't agree on first principles you shouldn't have an argument. Cheers

Anonymous. My fight is much more than cost, that ...

2009-05-20T11:50:12.349-04:00

Anonymous. My fight is much more than cost, that is the smallest part of it. The largest part of it is the enormous amount of environmental damage that is done to construct these wind turbines on our most precious acres. An argument can be made for cost, and I appreciate your professional input, but there is little argument that can be made, IMHO, for the many thousands of turbines and destruction of our most precious natural history for a couple of percent of electricity. Our nation is being told by the Secretary of Interior/Energy that we will be closing coal plants because of wind, when even a cursory look at few charts confirms that is not possible because even in windy spots the wind comes to a dead stop at least every other day. I have UK offshore charts which show it to be no better offshore. Tell me why wind needs the double-accelerated depreciation and why it need the PTC and why your grid is FORCED to purchase it. Why didn't the experts think of this before the global warming scam became reality. Also, look at the steepness of those curves, I know you can ramp up and ramp down very quickly, but can you "follow the curve"? We are paying for all that "firming" wasted while you are following. This study here from Germany says almost 40% of fossil fuel is needed for each kW generated.
http://nofreewind.com/german_large_amts_wind.pdf

Are you saving me 40%? I don't think so. (this lay person's gut say I don't think so).

You should look into how North America trades elec...

2009-05-19T01:21:00.000-04:00

You should look into how North America trades electricity. Most grids clear hour by hour. This means operators schedule generation to meet the predicted load on an hour to hour basis. At 40 minutes after all trading stops. Between 50 after and 10 after the units ramp up or down.

The wind I've seen trade is sold as firm generation. The reason why they are able to sell wind as firm is twofold: #1. The wind operators can predict hourly output with 95% accuracy. #2. The wind operators contract with a natgas or hydro plants to make up the difference in output - it's called "firming up". The end product is reliable power.

The case for or against wind needs to be argued in economic terms. It seems like a hassle but so are the tar sands - if wind can displace more expensive power when it's windy then the technology should move forward - sorta like the tar sands.

Ten years back wind farms were selling for about $1000/kW. When I plug this cost into an LEC calculator along with estimates for O&M (2% of initial cost/year), financing (8%), capacity factor (25%), equipment lifetime (20 years) I come up with 5.5 cents/kWh (seems like a bargain). If I assume an initial cost of $2000/kW I come up with 11 cents/kWh (not really a bargain). Wind generally competes against natgas so (for me) the argument for or against wind is a comparison of the costs between wind and natgas. These simple calculations only point in the right direction... it takes a lot more math and better assumptions to finish the argument.

Looking back at the ramp up in natgas prices over the last many years it's easy (for me) to understand the push towards wind. Looking at Europe's issues with their natgas supply I see even more reason for the push.

You guys certainly are putting up a good fight. Can't understand what you're fighting for though.