A Free-Market Energy Blog

OVERBLOWN: Getting to the Facts on Emissions (Part II)

By Jon Boone -- September 14, 2010

FACTS ARE STUBBORN, BUT STATISTICS ARE MORE PLIABLE

Mark Twain

This section reviews the criticism the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) makes about the Bentek report and the evidence the organization offers purporting to prove how wind reduced substantial greenhouse gas emissions in Texas and Colorado. The section concludes with an examination of what the EIA data really show for those states for 2007 versus 2008—and what the official Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports say about causal factors for any CO2 reductions.

The Bentek study showed that wind volatility in the sampled regions of Colorado and Texas caused more CO2 emissions than would have been the case with less wind and more efficient coal plants. Using mostly sub-hourly performance data, Bentek was able to “examine in detail how coal, gas and wind interact and the resulting emissions implications.”…

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OVERBLOWN: Windpower on the Firing Line (Part I)

By Jon Boone -- September 13, 2010

THE LESS ONE KNOWS ABOUT THE UNIVERSE, THE EASIER IT IS TO EXPLAIN

Leon Brunschvicg

Have truth and consequences arrived for the biggest energy sham of all?

Energy journalist Robert Bryce recently broke the news to mainstream American media. In a hard-hitting article published in the Wall Street Journal, he reported the findings of a Colorado energy research study, which earlier this year concluded that the industrial wind technology it sampled in the regions of Colorado and Texas neither reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the production of electricity nor rolled back consumption of fossil fuels.

The raison d’être of the wind industry is to abate significant levels of the greenhouse gas emissions many feel are causing precipitous and adverse warming trends in the earth’s climate.…

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Wind is Not Power at All (Part III – Capacity Value)

By Kent Hawkins -- September 10, 2010

This three-part series assesses utility-scale wind’s ability to provide reliable power, a necessary qualification for its use in electricity systems. After Part I’s introductionPart II dealt with power density, where wind fails to meet today’s standards. This final part will look at the extension to power density, that is, capacity (power) value, which takes into account wind’s randomness and intermittency of supply. Again wind fails to qualify as industrial energy.

Electricity capacity is measured in power terms, for example MW. In this connection it is important to note the importance of the distinction that must be made between capacity factor, capacity credit and capacity value. Compared to capacity value, capacity credit and capacity factor are of small importance. Jon Boone has long called attention to this as follows:

“Modern society exists on a foundation built upon productivity that comes from reliable, controllable, interdependent high-powered machine systems.

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Wind Is Not Power at All (Part II – Power Density)

By Kent Hawkins -- September 9, 2010
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Wind Is Not Power at All (Part I – Overview)

By Kent Hawkins -- September 8, 2010
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German Wind Capacity Revisited: High Cost versus Least Cost

By Donald Hertzmark -- September 7, 2010
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Remembering When Enron Saved the U.S. Wind Industry (Best of MasterResource)

By -- September 4, 2010
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Germany: Wind and the Power Pool Savings Myth

By Donald Hertzmark -- September 3, 2010
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Drill, Baby, Drill Is Back, Baby, Back

By Ben Lieberman -- September 2, 2010
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Post-Carbon Left Enviro Blues (Why the Senate rejected cap-and-trade)

By -- September 1, 2010
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