Where Wind Studies Go Wrong: Cullen in AEJ (Part II)

By Kent Hawkins -- February 14, 2014

“The level of emissions savings provided by wind plants has never been conclusively determined, taking into account all the factors.”

Part I yesterday questioned the analysis and robustness of Joseph Cullen’s study, “Measuring the Environmental Benefits of Wind-Generated Electricity”. [1] Part II completes the commentary on this paper, covering:

• Questionable data, which seriously inhibits any analysis of wind performance
• Interstate trade in electricity, an often overlooked, but important, consideration in understanding impacts on emissions
• A summary of the acknowledged shortcomings of this paper
• Questionable opinions/claims made

Questionable Data

The level of emissions savings provided by wind plants has never been conclusively determined, taking into account all the factors. Further, there is no published accurate, minute-by-minute, actual fuel consumption or emissions by individual plant, especially for systems with notable levels of wind present.…