A critical creative look at issues of Economics, Politics and Finding a Purpose in Life - Let's talk about it. I try to leave the woodpile higher than I found it.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
1 comment:
Anonymous1\
said...
For wind having little contribution to the pie (0.31%), it sure causes problems with blackouts, etc.
If anyone remembers back to the blackout days of Grayout Davis in California, one contributing factor to the mess was they made the power companies buy eletrical power on the spot market to make sure wind could be part of the scheme. The net result was they didn't lock in long-term contracts for stable power supply. When demand went up, they were the first ones aced out. Of course the other contributing factor was government subsidies. The government subsidized usage of the power lines in such a fashion, the power companies creatively routed power from Hoover dam and other facilities up north to Oregon and then back down to California in order to maximize the usage of power lines in order to obtain the biggest subsidy. In all of this, significant line loss occurred where the electrons dumped into the line at the starting point were greatly diminished by the time the electrons trickled out at the end. Much akin to a very long series of garden hoses with tiny leaks. Electrical engineers at work.
Texas is now struggling. The power companies have been steered by the government to pursue wind. They have. Now the needs are not being met. The only way they can maintain the entire grid in Texas under peak demand is if the wind is blowing at maximum working velocity. Electrical engineers at work. One could see this coming a mile away. Why couldn't they? Were the engineers over-ruled by the green kings? It will get worse before it gets better.
1 comment:
For wind having little contribution to the pie (0.31%), it sure causes problems with blackouts, etc.
If anyone remembers back to the blackout days of Grayout Davis in California, one contributing factor to the mess was they made the power companies buy eletrical power on the spot market to make sure wind could be part of the scheme. The net result was they didn't lock in long-term contracts for stable power supply. When demand went up, they were the first ones aced out. Of course the other contributing factor was government subsidies. The government subsidized usage of the power lines in such a fashion, the power companies creatively routed power from Hoover dam and other facilities up north to Oregon and then back down to California in order to maximize the usage of power lines in order to obtain the biggest subsidy. In all of this, significant line loss occurred where the electrons dumped into the line at the starting point were greatly diminished by the time the electrons trickled out at the end. Much akin to a very long series of garden hoses with tiny leaks. Electrical engineers at work.
Texas is now struggling. The power companies have been steered by the government to pursue wind. They have. Now the needs are not being met. The only way they can maintain the entire grid in Texas under peak demand is if the wind is blowing at maximum working velocity. Electrical engineers at work. One could see this coming a mile away. Why couldn't they? Were the engineers over-ruled by the green kings? It will get worse before it gets better.
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