A Significant Limitation of Large Wind Energy Projects

Large scale wind energy suffers from many problems. The UK recently discovered one of those serious problems:

...the shortfall in power generated by wind during cold snaps seriously undermined the Government's pledge on Friday to build nine major new wind "super farms" by 2020.

"If we had this 30 gigawatts of wind power, it wouldn't have contributed anything of any significance this winter," he said. "The current cold snap is a warning that our power generation and gas supplies are under strain and it is getting worse."

Coal stations are currently used as back-up generation when there is a surge in demand for gas and the wind does not blow – which both tend to happen during cold weather.

However, increased dependence on wind farms will coincide with a European Union directive shutting down Britain's dirtiest coal and oil fired power stations.

The UK has committed to switching off these stations by 2015, leaving it uniquely vulnerable to gas shortages and the intermittency of wind farms.

The EIUG, which represents the major steel, chemicals, paper, cement, glass, ceramics and aluminium companies,
said many of its members were worried about the prospect of future gas rationing.

"It will be industry that gets its gas switched off first," Mr Nicholson said. "Just imagine going through the winter we're having now when energy demand has gone back up to pre-recession levels, we're more reliant on wind and 60pc of supply comes from gas compared with 40pc now.

"What is industry going to switch to using?"

Andrew Horstead, a risk analyst for energy consultant Utilyx, said current plans to build 30 gigawatts of wind farms could have serious consequences for the security of the UK's energy supply in harsh weather conditions.

"This week's surge in demand for energy in response to the cold weather raises serious concerns about the UK's increased reliance on wind power," he said. _Telegraph_via_SmallDeadAnimals

If you are a true believer in "green utopian crusades", you will merely smile, shrug, and say "screw industry"!

But green utopian crusaders can only spew their nonsense when they are being coddled by the wealth of industrial societies. Primitive societies do not breed frivolous green utopian crusaders (GUCs). They are too busy surviving against the worst nature can throw at them.

I wonder how Oynklent Green [OTC:OYNK] works on GUCs?