Britain’s biggest wind farm companies are to be paid not to

[gremlin]

and now you know. the wind does not blow well for wind farms.


Britain’s biggest wind farm companies are to be paid not to produce electricity when the wind is blowing

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/06/20/f ... s-blowing/


Energy firms will receive thousands of pounds a day per wind farm to turn off their turbines because the National Grid cannot use the power they are producing Photo: ALAMY
Energy firms will receive thousands of pounds a day per wind farm to turn off their turbines because the National Grid cannot use the power they are producing.

Critics of wind farms have seized on the revelation as evidence of the unsuitability of turbines to meet the UK’s energy needs in the future. They claim that the ‘intermittent’ nature of wind makes such farms unreliable providers of electricity.

The National Grid fears that on breezy summer nights, wind farms could actually cause a surge in the electricity supply which is not met by demand from businesses and households.

The electricity cannot be stored, so one solution – known as the ‘balancing mechanism’ – is to switch off or reduce the power supplied.

The system is already used to reduce supply from coal and gas-fired power stations when there is low demand. But shutting down wind farms is likely to cost the National grid – and ultimately consumers – far more. When wind turbines are turned off, owners are being deprived not only of money for the electricity they would have generated but also lucrative ‘green’ subsidies for that electricity.

The first successful test shut down of wind farms took place three weeks ago. Scottish Power received £13,000 for closing down two farms for a little over an hour on 30 May at about five in the morning.

Whereas coal and gas power stations often pay the National Grid £15 to £20 per megawatt hour they do not supply, Scottish Power was paid £180 per megawatt hour during the test to switch off its turbines.

It raises the prospect of hugely profitable electricity suppliers receiving large sums of money from the National Grid just for switching off wind turbines.

Dr Lee Moroney, planning director of the Renewable Energy Foundation, a think tank opposed to the widespread introduction of wind farms, said: “As more and more wind farms come on stream this will become more and more of an issue. Wind power is not controllable and does not provide a solid supply to keep the national grid manageable. Paying multinational companies large sums of money not to supply electricity seems wrong.”

Read the rest of the story here

[russau]

Matt reported that also here in the States. when he went to Oregon to learn how to faucet stones he to pics/videos of moet of the turbins he saw were offline. and now i saw in the paper today the the wacos have sued the power companys for installing these on the east coast stateing that they didnt take into considerations the friggin birds that my fly into these. dumb is as dumb does!maybe Gump was onto something!!

[eightymesh]

i saw a 100 ft turbine blade on a semi truck going down Interstate 5, it looked like somebody was playin swing batter with birds. it was covered with red splotches of bird strikes i mean maybe 100 bird strikes and thats only the ones that got splattered it did show one thing though ..... green is really RED

[gremlin]

i was behind a set of blades going to northern indiana a few weeks ago. there pushing wind here big time. now obama is handing out cash for a solar cell plant here.

[Hoser John]

Wyoming wind farms are all along 1-80 and producing some righteous electricity for one and all-have pics of the monsters in action-post later when unpacked-John