Wind energy is unpredictable and must be “backed up” by conventional generation.
Wind energy is unpredictable and must be “backed up” by conventional generation.
No power plant is 100% reliable. During a power plant outage—whether a conventional plant or a wind
plant—backup is provided by the entire interconnected utility system.
The system operating strategy strives to make best use of all elements
of the overall system, taking into account the operating characteristics
of each generating unit and planning for contingencies such as plant
or transmission line outages. The utility system is also designed to
accommodate load fluctuations, which occur continuously. This feature
also facilitates accommodation of wind plant output fluctuations. In Denmark, Northern Germany, and parts of Spain, wind supplies 20%
to 40% of electric loads without sacrificing reliability. When wind is
added to a utility system, no new backup is required to maintain
system reliability.
Wind Powering America Fact Sheet NREL
Solar electrcity cannot serve any significant fraction of U.S. or world electricity needs.
Solar electrcity cannot serve any significant fraction of U.S. or world electricity needs.
PV technology can meet electricity demand on any scale. The solar energy resource in a 100-mile-square area of Nevada could supply the united States with all its electrcity (about 800 gigawatts) using modestly effcient (10%) commerical PV modules.
A more realistic scenario invloves distrubiting these same PV systems through the 50 states. Currently available
Rates for electricity from wind plants
being installed today are comparable to wholesale electric power
prices of 2.5¢ to 3.5¢/kWh. The incremental cost of wind power, if any,
will be negligible when distributed among all customers. A number of
studies have examined the rate impacts of wind and have considered
the costs of various renewable portfolio standard percentages from
5% to 10%, and average residential bill impacts are predicted to range
from a savings to a premium of 25¢/month. In fact, some studies
predict the accompanying decrease in demand for conventional fuels
will reduce fuel prices enough to fully compensate for slightly higher
costs for renewables. In the New York study mentioned above, wind
displaced energy from both coal and natural gas plants. Rates
decreased, and harmful emissions from the coal and gas plants were
reduced as well
Wind Powering America Fact Sheet NREL
New natural gas power plants provide cheaper energy than wind plants.
New natural gas power plants provide cheaper energy than wind plants.
This is not likely with today’s rising gas prices. At $3/MBTU, the fuel cost alone is 2.5¢ to 3¢/kWh, and capital and O&M costs add a similar amount. Today, gas prices have risen to more than $6/MBTU, yielding a fuel cost alone in the 5¢ to 6¢/kWh range. And gas prices have spiked to more than $10/MBTU in past years. Betting on low gas prices over the foreseeable future is highly risky, while energy costs from wind plants will be relatively stable over time. In a recent study, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that the natural gas “hedge value” of wind could be conservatively estimated to be 1/2 cent/kWh
Wind Powering America Fact Sheet NREL
In terms of emissions, ethanol pollutes the same as gasoline or more.
In terms of emissions, ethanol pollutes the same as gasoline or more.
Today, on a life cycle basis, ethonal produced from corn results in about a 20 percent reduction in GHG emissions relative to gasoline. With improved effeciency and use of renewable energy this reduction could be as much 52 percent.
Ethanol Myths and Facts (EERE)
More energy goes into producing ethanol than it delivers as a fuel.
More energy goes into producing ethanol that it delivers as a fuel.
Ethanol has a postitive energy balance - that is, the energy content of ethanol is greater than the fossil energy used to produce it - and this balance is constantly improving with new technologies.
Most studies that claim a negative balance for ethanol fail to take into account the energy contained in the co-products.
Ethanol Myths and Facts (EERE)
Wind turbines kill birds and thus have serious environmental impacts.
Wind turbines kill birds and thus have serious environmental impacts.
Bird kills have caused serious scientific concern at only one location in the United States: Altamont Pass in California, one of the first areas in the country to experience significant wind development. Over the past decade, the wind community has learned that wind farms and wildlife can and do coexist successfully. Wind energy development’s overall impact on birds is extremely low (1 of 30,000) compared to other human-related causes, such as buildings, communications towers, traffic, and house cats. Birds can fly into wind turbines, as they do with other tall structures. However, conventional fuels contribute to air and water pollution that can have far greater impact on wildlife and their habitat, as well as the environment and human health.
Wind Powering America Fact Sheet NREL
Wind turbines are noisy.
Wind turbines are noisy.
Modern wind turbines produce very little noise. The turbine blades produce a whooshing sound as they encounter turbulence in the air, but this noise tends to be masked by the background noise of the blowing wind. An operating modern wind farm at a distance of 750 feet to 1000 feet is no more noisy than a kitchen refrigerator.
