Comments on: Texas Gets the Wind Taken Out of Its Sails http://earth2tech.com/2008/02/28/texas-gets-the-wind-taken-out-of-its-sails/ Helping the Earth with Technology Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:16:20 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Web http://earth2tech.com/2008/02/28/texas-gets-the-wind-taken-out-of-its-sails/#comment-9565 Web Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:13:37 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=1488#comment-9565 <p>Green energy is definitely the best solution in most cases. Technology like solar energy, wind power, fuel cells, zaps electric vehicles, EV hybrids, etc have come so far recently. Green energy even costs way less than oil and gas in many cases.</p> Green energy is definitely the best solution in most cases. Technology like solar energy, wind power, fuel cells, zaps electric vehicles, EV hybrids, etc have come so far recently. Green energy even costs way less than oil and gas in many cases.

]]> By: EnerNOC Waltzes Into Texas « Earth2Tech http://earth2tech.com/2008/02/28/texas-gets-the-wind-taken-out-of-its-sails/#comment-9321 EnerNOC Waltzes Into Texas « Earth2Tech Thu, 13 Mar 2008 22:19:51 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=1488#comment-9321 <p>[...] grid and reduce power consumption by large industrial users for a number of years; most recently it used the system after wind turbines slowed just as evening electric usage was powering [...]</p> [...] grid and reduce power consumption by large industrial users for a number of years; most recently it used the system after wind turbines slowed just as evening electric usage was powering [...]

]]> By: Eideard http://earth2tech.com/2008/02/28/texas-gets-the-wind-taken-out-of-its-sails/#comment-9107 Eideard Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:03:58 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=1488#comment-9107 <p>Appropriately chastened, Stacey...</p> Appropriately chastened, Stacey…

]]> By: Stacey Higginbotham http://earth2tech.com/2008/02/28/texas-gets-the-wind-taken-out-of-its-sails/#comment-9105 Stacey Higginbotham Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:03:30 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=1488#comment-9105 <p>@Eideard, all systems, including some power plants under-producing, combined to cause problems, but wind power dropped by 1,400 MW three hours before the Stage 2 emergency was called. It only takes a drop of 750 MW to move ERCOT from an alert to the stage 2 emergency that was declared, so obviously wind played a significant role in ERCOT's decision to interrupt power. That's direct from the primary source of ERCOT's press release, which is linked to in the article.</p> @Eideard, all systems, including some power plants under-producing, combined to cause problems, but wind power dropped by 1,400 MW three hours before the Stage 2 emergency was called. It only takes a drop of 750 MW to move ERCOT from an alert to the stage 2 emergency that was declared, so obviously wind played a significant role in ERCOT’s decision to interrupt power. That’s direct from the primary source of ERCOT’s press release, which is linked to in the article.

]]> By: Eideard http://earth2tech.com/2008/02/28/texas-gets-the-wind-taken-out-of-its-sails/#comment-9095 Eideard Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:48:10 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=1488#comment-9095 <p>Sounds like no one here read any of the primary source coverage. True, it was lousy journalism compounded by even worse writing.</p> <p>The fall-off was the result of several systems coming up short. Because wind was the newest [and newsworthy] it got the only feature. But, ALL the systems combined for the shortfall.</p> <p>Which is why I didn't consider it worthwhile blogging.</p> Sounds like no one here read any of the primary source coverage. True, it was lousy journalism compounded by even worse writing.

The fall-off was the result of several systems coming up short. Because wind was the newest [and newsworthy] it got the only feature. But, ALL the systems combined for the shortfall.

Which is why I didn’t consider it worthwhile blogging.

]]> By: Tim Hurst http://earth2tech.com/2008/02/28/texas-gets-the-wind-taken-out-of-its-sails/#comment-9094 Tim Hurst Fri, 29 Feb 2008 01:57:59 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=1488#comment-9094 <p>This can't be good. Especially when the Congress is debating the merits of the federal Production Tax Credit for wind. I recognize that this is not some inherent shortcoming of wind energy, per se, but rather how wind fits in with our current grid along with smarter planning, combined with broadband information diffusion and, of course, storage, would all help alleviate the temporal inconsistencies of wind.</p> <p>Politically, I just think the timing is ironic. Especially considering at least one Democratic Rep. from Texas, Gene Green (29th District) voted in opposition to the bill despite having supported it last December (HR 6, I think).</p> This can’t be good. Especially when the Congress is debating the merits of the federal Production Tax Credit for wind. I recognize that this is not some inherent shortcoming of wind energy, per se, but rather how wind fits in with our current grid along with smarter planning, combined with broadband information diffusion and, of course, storage, would all help alleviate the temporal inconsistencies of wind.

Politically, I just think the timing is ironic. Especially considering at least one Democratic Rep. from Texas, Gene Green (29th District) voted in opposition to the bill despite having supported it last December (HR 6, I think).

]]> By: Conor Lee http://earth2tech.com/2008/02/28/texas-gets-the-wind-taken-out-of-its-sails/#comment-9085 Conor Lee Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:24:20 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=1488#comment-9085 <p>I believe this is more of an issue of bad planning and lack of storage cells than an example of the failings of wind technology. ERC of TX made a serious miscalculation, buying too little energy produced on-demand from non-renewable sources, and betting long that wind would not drop as low as it did for as long as it did. In order for the full potential of wind energy to be realized in TX, better ways of transmitting the energy to areas other parts of the power grid that can utilize excess energy produced by wind at any given time, or converting the excess wind power to a storable means of energy, is absolutely necessary.</p> <p>Wind currents moving close to the surface of the earth are subject to a high degree of fluctuation due to a variety of seasonal, topographic and weather-related factors. By converting this source into electrical energy using turbines, one is using an inherently unpredictable source of electrical energy. If there is no easy way to store energy gained from wind, then using this energy in a power grid still will requires a much larger, non-renewable energy generator, which can increase its output based on demand -- not tied to natural conditions.</p> I believe this is more of an issue of bad planning and lack of storage cells than an example of the failings of wind technology. ERC of TX made a serious miscalculation, buying too little energy produced on-demand from non-renewable sources, and betting long that wind would not drop as low as it did for as long as it did. In order for the full potential of wind energy to be realized in TX, better ways of transmitting the energy to areas other parts of the power grid that can utilize excess energy produced by wind at any given time, or converting the excess wind power to a storable means of energy, is absolutely necessary.

Wind currents moving close to the surface of the earth are subject to a high degree of fluctuation due to a variety of seasonal, topographic and weather-related factors. By converting this source into electrical energy using turbines, one is using an inherently unpredictable source of electrical energy. If there is no easy way to store energy gained from wind, then using this energy in a power grid still will requires a much larger, non-renewable energy generator, which can increase its output based on demand — not tied to natural conditions.

]]>