[Paleopsych] Wind Power Falls Under $0.01/kwh

[Steve]

1 cent may have been a bit optimistic,
but I gather that a lot of turbines are
being put up because they are competitive
with gas.  Bigger units mounted higher
are making the difference.  

Wind is intermittent, but fine-grained
installations of other sources including
gas turbines, biodiesel, and pumped storage
can help handle the variations.  

By fine-grained I mean having a number of 
relatively small units that can be brought on 
line quickly to handle the fluctuating load.
Right now a lot of energy is wasted providing
"spinning reserves" because the big plants
take a long time to come up.

If you have ever driven north from the airport
in San Francisco in the afternoon you
have driven through an area where every
afternoon a 30mph wind blows from
the ocean to the bay- just in time for the
peak usage hours.

Overall, I think the solution will be emergent
rather than dictated or legislated.

Steve Hovland
www.stevehovland.net