Extracts from the attached promotional piece. The full report may be purchased from ABS.

For two decades, the capacity factor of wind power measuring the mean energy delivered by wind turbines has been assumed at 35% of the name plate capacity. Yet, the mean realized value for Europe over the last five years is closer to 21% thus making levelized cost 66% higher than previously thought. We document this discrepancy and offer rationalizations, emphasizing the long term variations of wind speeds. We conclude with the consequences of the capacity factor miscalculation and some policy recommendations. Click on the link below to download the full document.

Issued on September 1, 1998 by The Initiative Group and signed by more than 100 German University professors, the Darmstadt Manifesto On the Exploitation of Wind Energy in Germany demands the withdrawal of all direct and indirect subsidies in order to put a stop to the exploitation of wind energy.

The manifesto claims that the exploitation of wind energy promotes the type of technology which is of no significance whatever for the purpose of supplying energy, saving resources and protecting the climate. The money could be put to far more effective use in increasing the efficiency of power stations, in ensuring effective energy consumption and in funding scientific research into fundamental principles in the field of energy.

The Darmstadt Manifesto is directed in particular at politicians, environmental organisations and the media.

The aim is to show that the fuel economy and emissions reduction in the power systems consisting mainly of thermal power plants are not proportional with the electricity production of wind turbines. Participation of thermal power plants in the compensation of fluctuating production of windmills eliminates major part of the expected positive effect of wind energy. A method for calculation of real fuel economy and emissions reduction is described and a calculation example basing on Estonian and Danish data is given.

Editor's Note: A worthwhile read in its entirely (attached pdf file). Selected extracts appear below.

The support of renewable energy sources (RES) is one of the key issues in European energy policy. In order to cope with this challenge, European Transmission System Operators launched a European wide grid study on the integration of wind power, focusing on measures needed to be taken by legislators, regulators, grid operators and grid users, aiming at establishing a harmonised set of rules for the integration of wind power. This set of rules is vital for the secure and reliable operation of the electricity networks in presence of variable generation. The scope of work covers all the technical, operational and market aspects related to the integration of large scale wind power all over Europe. Attention will be later focused on system interaction of various wind turbines types, the effects of their variable power output on the system and their ability to provide system service to enable the stable operation of an electricity grid. The final objective is to obtain the necessary information for the technical and operational measures for risk mitigation and the secure operation of the European electricity grid identified by the steady-state and dynamic investigations on electricity grid models which are established within the study. For this, market and regulatory aspects will be taken into consideration.

This letter (in French) written by former French President Valery Giscard contends that industrial wind energy in France is (1) due only to powerful lobbies, (2)creates no employment in France and (3) produces a small amount of electricity that is not competitive today and will not be competitive in the future. (An English translation is in-progress)

This document prepared by Gamesa contains the specifications for building access roads to service the wind facility as well as the platform areas where each turbine will be sited. Wind developers often cite in their marketing literature that access roads will be 16-feet in width following construction. According to the document, the minimum width of an access road between wind turbines must be 10 meters (33-feet). This width does not include side slopes or additional clearing for culverts.

In this report we discuss some recent studies that have occurred in the United States since our previous work [2, 3]. The key objectives of these studies were to quantify the physical impacts and costs of wind generation on grid operations and the associated costs. Examples of these costs are (a) committing unneeded generation, (b) allocating more load-following capability to account for wind variability, and (c) allocating more regulation capacity. These are referred to as “ancillary service” costs, and are based on the physical system and operating characteristics and procedures. This topic is covered in more detail by Zavadil et al. [4].

This short report discusses the impact of insect debris build-up on turbine blades and the resulting reduction in performance. Questions remain regarding how the blades are cleaned, whether detergents or chemicals are used in cleaning, the source of water to be used during the process, and whether the waste water is treated.