It's absolutely true--there is no panacea for all of our energy problems. Wind power produces no air pollution, no water pollution, no greenhouse gases, and requires no mining or drilling for fuel and no water use--but it's not perfect, just very, very good.
For a more balanced view of the Texas utility system event, see today's (3/1/08) Houston Chronicle article.
When the wind stops blowing and wind farm electricity generation drops, the process usually takes hours. By contrast, other power plants may go out of service instantaneously when a problem occurs. Wind forecasting, which could have helped address the ERCOT situation, can be and is being used by utility system operators to manage wind on their systems, and will become standard practice as the use of this clean, renewable energy source continues to grow.
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For a more balanced view of the Texas utility system event, see today's (3/1/08) Houston Chronicle article.
When the wind stops blowing and wind farm electricity generation drops, the process usually takes hours. By contrast, other power plants may go out of service instantaneously when a problem occurs. Wind forecasting,
which could have helped address the ERCOT situation, can be and is being used by utility system operators to manage wind on their systems, and will become standard practice as the use of this clean, renewable energy source continues to grow.
Regards,
Thomas O. Gray
American Wind Energy Association
www.powerofwind.org
www.awea.org