Re: replacement for severn tunnel?

David Hansen <SENDdavidNOhSPAM@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

http://www.embracewind.com/myths.html

"Myth: Wind farms are inefficient, they are only operational 30% of
the time

"Fact: A modern wind turbine produces electricity 70-85% of the
time, but it generates different outputs dependent on wind speed.
Over the course of a year, it will generate about 30% of the
theoretical maximum output. This is known as its load factor. The
load factor of conventional power stations is on average 50%. A
modern wind turbine will generate enough to meet the electricity
demands of more than a thousand homes over the course of a year.

"Myth: Wind energy needs back-up to work

"Fact: All forms of power generation require back up and no energy
technology can be relied upon 100%. The UK's transmission system
already operates with enough back-up to manage the instantaneous
loss of a large power station. Variations in the output from wind
farms are barely noticeable over and above the normal fluctuation in
supply and demand, seen when the nation's workforce goes home, or if
lightning brings down a high-voltage transmission line. Therefore,
at present there is no need for additional back-up because of wind
energy.

But unlike other forms of generation, you cannot plan down time to coincide with
troughs in demand. You need the equivalent fossil and / or nuclear capacity
running at all times in case power production falls.


"Even for wind power to provide 10% of our nation's electricity
needs, only a small amount of additional conventional back-up would
be required, in the region of 300-500 MW. This would add only 0.2
pence per kilowatt hour to the generation cost of wind energy and
would not in any way threaten the security of our grid 6. In fact,
this is unlikely to become a significant issue until wind generates
over 20% of total electricity supply."

Just before Christmas we had several days of cold, foggy, still weather, when
wind was producing no electricity at all.

--
John Youles Norwich England UK



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