Another Low Blow — Wind Energy Falters (Again)

[GURPS]

One of the countless ironies running through current climate policies is that that progress may be about to go into reverse, not because of climate change, but because of policies designed to combat it, and, more specifically, what looks more and more like a premature dash into wind energy. One of the triggers of the prolonged energy-price squeeze in the U.K. was the failure of winds over the North Sea to do what was expected of them in the late summer/early fall. I wrote a bit about this in mid September, and here’s Joe Wallace in the Wall Street Journal, on September 13:

Natural gas and electricity markets were already surging in Europe when a fresh catalyst emerged: The wind in the stormy North Sea stopped blowing.
The sudden slowdown in wind-driven electricity production off the coast of the U.K. in recent weeks whipsawed through regional energy markets. Gas and coal-fired electricity plants were called in to make up the shortfall from wind.

Natural-gas prices, already boosted by the pandemic recovery and a lack of fuel in storage caverns and tanks, hit all-time highs. Thermal coal, long shunned for its carbon emissions, has emerged from a long price slump as utilities are forced to turn on backup power sources.

The episode underscored the precarious state the region’s energy markets face heading into the long European winter. The electricity price shock was most acute in the U.K., which has leaned on wind farms to eradicate net carbon emissions by 2050. Prices for carbon credits, which electricity producers need to burn fossil fuels, are at records, too.

Perhaps “leaning on wind farms” to the extent that the U.K.’s ruling establishment (this is more than a matter of Tory incompetence, although the Conservative Party deserves a great deal of the blame) has decided to do was not the wisest course of action, particularly when combined with — and even more of the blame rests with the Tories for this — moving to a more or less just-in-time supply arrangement for gas.

Another Low Blow — Wind Energy Falters (Again) | National Review

Perhaps ‘leaning on wind farms’ to the extent that the U.K.’s ruling establishment has decided to do was not the wisest course of action.

www.nationalreview.com

 

[stgislander]

Doesn't appear to be slowing the US down.

Offshore wind turbines will likely line Maryland’s coast by 2026

The projects, developed by companies US Wind and Ørsted, are slated to collectively power more than 600,000 homes in Delaware and Maryland upon their completion in 2026.

cnsmaryland.org

 

[GURPS]

How about Tidal Generators

 

[Gilligan]

Doesn't appear to be slowing the US down.

Offshore wind turbines will likely line Maryland’s coast by 2026

The projects, developed by companies US Wind and Ørsted, are slated to collectively power more than 600,000 homes in Delaware and Maryland upon their completion in 2026.

cnsmaryland.org

Reality will bite. The utilization rate for those is going to be really low. Surely the actual engineers involved know that. Yet the proponents only add up the rated output of the trubines installed and use that for their worthless predictions.