Miniscule saving of CO2 emission
Sussex Express|Dr John Etherington Llanhowell, Pembrokeshire|March 1, 2007
The UK grid does not have this huge resource "elsewhere" as we are an islanded electrical network. As wind grows toward government's targets, we would need either a ludicrous and vulnerable enlargement of our tiny connection to Europe or further investment in thermal generating capacity to support 'compulsory' windpower for a miniscule saving of CO2 emission.
The UK grid does not have this huge resource "elsewhere" as we are an islanded electrical network. As wind grows toward government's targets, we would need either a ludicrous and vulnerable enlargement of our tiny connection to Europe or further investment in thermal generating capacity to support 'compulsory' windpower for a miniscule saving of CO2 emission.
David Harvey claims that the myth of intermittent wind energy is dispelled by a report from the UK Energy Research Centre (Letters, February 22).
The UKERC report published in March 2006, was prepared by a team of academics at Imperial College. It did indeed conclude that intermittency of windpower could be coped with if it did not provide too much of our supply, but it also said: - " Wind generation does mean that the output of fossil fuel-plant needs to be adjusted more frequently, to cope with fluctuations in output. Some power stations will be operated below their maximum output to facilitate this, and extra system balancing reserves will be needed."
This academic report is now superseded by two reports from the working …
David Harvey claims that the myth of intermittent wind energy is dispelled by a report from the UK Energy Research Centre (Letters, February 22).
The UKERC report published in March 2006, was prepared by a team of academics at Imperial College. It did indeed conclude that intermittency of windpower could be coped with if it did not provide too much of our supply, but it also said: - " Wind generation does mean that the output of fossil fuel-plant needs to be adjusted more frequently, to cope with fluctuations in output. Some power stations will be operated below their maximum output to facilitate this, and extra system balancing reserves will be needed."
This academic report is now superseded by two reports from the working engineers on the coordinating body of the European transmission system (UCTE). The first report on a November 4 power failure which disconnected 15 million customers from the Balkans to Portugal and the second was an examination of the requirements for integrating windpower.
The report on the power failure (January 2007) included the finding that "The negative role of wind generation performance on November 4 was evident. Due to uncontrolled behaviour of wind generation it was not possible to maintain a sufficient power exchange balance in some German control areas..." The report on integration of windpower (15 January 2007) contains warning after warning related to intermittency, for example: - "The variable contributions from wind power must be balanced almost completely with other back-up generation capacity located elsewhere."
The UK grid does not have this huge resource "elsewhere" as we are an islanded electrical network. As wind grows toward government's targets, we would need either a ludicrous and vulnerable enlargement of our tiny connection to Europe or further investment in thermal generating capacity to support 'compulsory' windpower for a miniscule saving of CO2 emission.
Don't let Glyndebourne pave the way for the South Downs.