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Friday, July 30, 2010

Environment Wind turbines: Becalmed?

Posted by Max Brantley on Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 4:40 AM

You have to wonder if this report on the wind turbine industry has implications for Arkansas's young industry. U.S. wind capacity is up strongly. But ...

The bad news, if you were waiting for it, is that new installation of wind turbines in the first quarter of 2010 was a mere 539 megawatts, the lowest figure since 2007. The recession plays a role, but the industry also blames the failure to set a national requirement for renewable-energy generation, which it says is broadly popular. Which does rather illustrate the crux of the problem we're having with climate-change legislation: politicians are afraid to touch either a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system, as they're convinced the public is allergic to taxes. But they may be willing to tolerate direct regulatory restrictions on carbon generation, which the public seems to like. Either a carbon tax or cap-and-trade would have been more efficient, but with any luck, EPA action to regulate CO2 as a pollutant will provide the price signal wind generators need to resume expansion.

Tags: wind turbines, Arkansas industry

        
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Which brings me back to something I've considered from time to time, that is, the future of electric automobiles. Let's say that many people for whom electric powered vehicles make sense do buy them. Surely there are studies which consider what an increased demand on our power grids will bring, but I haven't heard of any.

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Posted by Doigotta on July 30, 2010 at 8:44 AM

I think the assumption is that they will be recharged at night when there is still a lot of free capacity in the system.

In CT, there is a falling water elexctrical plant that pumps water from the Housatonic River up to Candlewood Lake at night when capacity is high and rates low and then allows the water to fall back down through a turbine during the day to help meet peak demand. It is quite the wonder and an engineering marvel of its time. It is on highway 7 near New Milford (the site of another Kimberly Clark plant).

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Posted by couldn't be better on July 30, 2010 at 9:02 AM

There is one in the new energy bill just released by Harry Reid. It is very pro-electric vehicle, but that's about it. But I'll never agree with taxing CO2, that is lunacy. After that we'll be taxing H2O. Can't wait for that one.

As Max types about global warming while sitting in his nice air conditioned office, with no solar panels on the roof, with a total Jabba the Hut sized carbon footprint.

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Posted by ActMax on July 30, 2010 at 9:04 AM

Just for a dose of reality, we do pay a H20 tax, troll. They are called municipal water bills, which include charges for fresh water delivery, sanitary sewer removal, treatment, system operations and maintenance.

It's a small price to pay for fresh potable water on demand in the kitchen and not having to use a one or two holer out in the back yard.

One of these days, trolls, Republicans, Tea trolls and other nay-sayers will realize that TANSTAAFL is not just a old saying or neat phrase in a Sci-Fi novel.

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Posted by dottholliday on July 30, 2010 at 9:57 AM

I've heard the night usage argument, CBB, but I have reservations. Let's say you get home at 5 or 6 p.m. and pull into the garage. My bet is that you'll plug in right then so you won't forget it later. There's still heavy electrical usage in the early evening.
Then there are the suggestions that we have garage or municipal charging stations for use during the day while we're at work. Apparently those will be necessary for folks who live 30 or 40 miles out and might not have enough power to make it back to the barn.
Unless there's something I've missed, and I'll concede that's quite possible, I don't think there's been enough thought put into the possible widespread usage of electric cars.

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Posted by Doigotta on July 30, 2010 at 10:21 AM

Industrial wind systems are not the answer. They are mainly a tax break for large polluting utilities, cost 1.5 million a piece, take 40+ year to maybe make it worth the cost. They destroy the areas where they are built and the sound makes the area uninhabitable. The wind contracts I have read also make the oil and gas industry look generous. Blasting mountain tops for tower foundations ruins groundwater too. Please look online about some different opinions about the industrial wind energy. The smaller turbines are fine but the 400ft tall turbines do not need to be put on our beautiful mountain tops.

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Posted by nobigwind on July 30, 2010 at 10:32 AM

My 'partial electric' vehicle, a Toyota Prius, uses no electricity that must be generated by burning fossil fuels or any other consumptive energy source. It charges the batteries using what is wasted braking energy in all other vehicles. You hit your brakes and energy is dissipated and lost as heat. I hit my brakes and capture some of that energy and get much higher mileage as a benefit.

So I'm laughing all the way to the bank getting 46+ mpg while others get in the teens or 20s. I use exactly one-half the gas I used to use, drive the same number of miles per year, have plenty of storage space in the rear of the vehicle (especially when the rear seats are folded down), and have the best and safest vehicle I've even owned. AND it cost thousands less than what the average American consumer spent on a new vehicle last year.

You can lead a horse to water, but ....

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Posted by Sound Policy on July 30, 2010 at 1:05 PM

Go Nuclear

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Posted by IrradiatedFuelHandler on July 30, 2010 at 6:58 PM

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