> Amazingly, few if any of them are ever turning even when its windy (and
> it usually is in those hilly/mountainous areas). Somebody is eating a
> lot of purchase/installation dollars to no purpose and I suspect it's NY
> and PA tax payers.
Here in Iowa, they are churning all the time. Rarely, do you ever see
one sitting still unless the wind has totally died down.
But, to your observation, there are several factors that contribute to
idle wind turbines:
1. Nuclear power. Those generating plants run best at a high load.
There are times when they can provide most, if not all, of the power
needs for a given region. Excess generating capability is not welcome
from other sources unless the long-distance distribution (and sales)
is in place.
2. Old coal plants. These older coal-fired plants cannot be quickly
cycled, so it's best to keep them running at a consistent level. They
are built for high-demand as primary generating facilities. If you try
to vary things too much, you'll get hydrogen explosions.
3. Wind sheer. It turns out that not all locations make good places to
put wind turbines. You can get up to a 90 degree variance in wind
direction from bottom of rotor tip to top of rotor tip. When the
variance is too great, the wind turbine will shut down.
4. Weather prediction. The idea is to produce 100% of the electricity
needed for the predicted load at any given point in the day. For every
wind turbine that comes on line, that amount of generation has to be
reduced from other sources. A five MPH variance in wind speed can
bring an entire generating plant on or off line.
Why, then, is it working here in the midwest?
1. Less Nuclear power.
2. The old coal plants have been or are being converted over to
natural gas and/or redesigned for peak load generation where they only
come on line when needed and for short periods of time. They can be
cycled up and down easily and quickly. In Iowa, we have smaller plants
in regions near the wind farms that are used to balance the power
generating capacity based on local conditions. So, as the wind dies,
the natural gas plant generates more power.
3. Without much other than corn and beans, wind sheer in the midwest
is minimized as the directional and speed shift as you cross the
boundary layer is less.
4. Weather prediction is easier in the midwest because we have fewer
local influencers, such as bodies of water, hills, mountains, cities,
etc. Also, the way the frontal boundaries and storm systems move
through is more predictable.
--
Ken Norton
ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.zone-10.com
--
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/
|