Wind Power Production Record Set in Colorado

[Raven_tiger 5]

http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/08/wind-power-production-record-set-colorado/

A new US wind power record was set on April 15, as Colorado winds produced nearly 57 percent of the electricity flowing through Xcel Energy’s transmission lines. Reaching the mark demonstrates that it is indeed possible for U.S. utilities to integrate a lot more in the way of intermittent wind, solar and other renewable power generation into transmission grids and distribution lines.

The record was set in pre-dawn hours. With the dawn Xcel’s coal and natural gas-fired power plants began increasing output, which lowered wind power’s contribution nearer its 2012 average of 17%, CNN Money reported. With some 1.4 million customers, Xcel is Colorado’s biggest electric utility.

Setting a U.S. wind power production record

Long reliant on large-scale fossil fuel-fired power plants that are difficult to power up and down, U.S. utilities, in general, have been reluctant to integrate high percentages of intermittent wind and solar power into their transmission and distribution systems. That’s changing, as advances in technology, state renewable power mandates and government subsidies prod them to incorporate more clean, renewable power sources into their systems.

A majority of U.S. state governments have enacted clean/renewable energy mandates. Colorado has one of the most ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) in the nation. It requires that state power providers source 30 percent of the electricity they sell to customers from renewable sources by 2020.

Xcel Energy attributed the new U.S. wind power record to advances in technology, according to CNN Money’s report. Xcel invested in new wind and weather forecasting, wind turbine operating and smart grid automation systems that enable it to incorporate higher percentages of wind and solar power generation into its transmission and distribution grid.

The net result is a networked power generation and distribution system that relies on a mix of fuel resources, one within which wind power is playing a growing role. “The wind is a free fuel resource,” Xcel trading analyst Drake Bartlett told CNN Money. “We want to try to take that as much as possible.”

Incorporating more wind, renewable power into U.S. grids

Xcel’s wind power record demonstrates how the combination of technological advances and government incentives and support is reducing the cost of renewable energy and making it technologically and economically practical for U.S. electric utilities to incorporate higher percentages of clean, renewable power into their transmission and distribution systems.

“It certainly can be replicated, as long as you have a robust, diverse grid,” CNN Money quoted Elizabeth Salerno, head of data and analysis at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). “Other folks have some catching up to do.”

The renewable energy resources available in the US varies state by state. Colorado’s a windy state with a lot of sunshine. It’s not the windiest, however. Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas all have stronger winds, according to the US Dept. of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) national wind resources map, CNN Money points out in its report.

The benefits of integrating greater amounts of wind, solar and other clean, renewable energy resources into electricity transmission and distribution systems are numerous and varied. Prominent among them is job creation and economic stimulus. Then there’s the even longer term and unaccounted for benefits and reduced taxpayer liabilities of reducing the carbon and greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation associated with burning fossil fuels to generate electricity.

[arnaldoabru 11]

The Fox "News" crowd won't like this

[AUloggerhead 2,356]

http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/08/wind-power-production-record-set-colorado/

A new US wind power record was set on April 15, as Colorado winds produced nearly 57 percent of the electricity flowing through Xcel Energy’s transmission lines. Reaching the mark demonstrates that it is indeed possible for U.S. utilities to integrate a lot more in the way of intermittent wind, solar and other renewable power generation into transmission grids and distribution lines.

The record was set in pre-dawn hours. With the dawn Xcel’s coal and natural gas-fired power plants began increasing output, which lowered wind power’s contribution nearer its 2012 average of 17%, CNN Money reported. With some 1.4 million customers, Xcel is Colorado’s biggest electric utility.

Setting a U.S. wind power production record

Long reliant on large-scale fossil fuel-fired power plants that are difficult to power up and down, U.S. utilities, in general, have been reluctant to integrate high percentages of intermittent wind and solar power into their transmission and distribution systems. That’s changing, as advances in technology, state renewable power mandates and government subsidies prod them to incorporate more clean, renewable power sources into their systems.

A majority of U.S. state governments have enacted clean/renewable energy mandates. Colorado has one of the most ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) in the nation. It requires that state power providers source 30 percent of the electricity they sell to customers from renewable sources by 2020.

Xcel Energy attributed the new U.S. wind power record to advances in technology, according to CNN Money’s report. Xcel invested in new wind and weather forecasting, wind turbine operating and smart grid automation systems that enable it to incorporate higher percentages of wind and solar power generation into its transmission and distribution grid.

The net result is a networked power generation and distribution system that relies on a mix of fuel resources, one within which wind power is playing a growing role. “The wind is a free fuel resource,” Xcel trading analyst Drake Bartlett told CNN Money. “We want to try to take that as much as possible.”

Incorporating more wind, renewable power into U.S. grids

Xcel’s wind power record demonstrates how the combination of technological advances and government incentives and support is reducing the cost of renewable energy and making it technologically and economically practical for U.S. electric utilities to incorporate higher percentages of clean, renewable power into their transmission and distribution systems.

“It certainly can be replicated, as long as you have a robust, diverse grid,” CNN Money quoted Elizabeth Salerno, head of data and analysis at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). “Other folks have some catching up to do.”

The renewable energy resources available in the US varies state by state. Colorado’s a windy state with a lot of sunshine. It’s not the windiest, however. Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas all have stronger winds, according to the US Dept. of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) national wind resources map, CNN Money points out in its report.

The benefits of integrating greater amounts of wind, solar and other clean, renewable energy resources into electricity transmission and distribution systems are numerous and varied. Prominent among them is job creation and economic stimulus. Then there’s the even longer term and unaccounted for benefits and reduced taxpayer liabilities of reducing the carbon and greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation associated with burning fossil fuels to generate electricity.

The article is (purposefully) vague as to over what time period this "record" was set: one 24-hr period? one 60-min period? one 60-second period? one second?

It does say it was set in the pre-dawn time period before the coal & natural gas power plants fired up. So, wind power produced 57% of CO's pre-dawn electrical demand -- before the general population woke up for the work day. Yay wind power!

[80Tiger 906]

If I lived in Colorado I would expect a great reduction in my power bill.

[TitanTiger 20,708]

Out of curiosity, how subsidized by the gov't was this wind energy? Because I'm all for renewable, clean energy sources. But they need to be able to stand on their own two feet in the foreseeable future. The last thing we need is the next generation's ethanol boondoggle.

[CCTAU 3,369]

Out of curiosity, how subsidized by the gov't was this wind energy? Because I'm all for renewable, clean energy sources. But they need to be able to stand on their own two feet in the foreseeable future. The last thing we need is the next generation's ethanol boondoggle.

Exactly. It doesn't matter if you run 100% through the lines if that 100% is not totally funding the cost of using wind power. And doing it on a consistent basis. NO COUNTRY in the world has EVER shown a postitive result with wind power WITHOUT government funding.

[UK Tiger 0]

Read an article stating that the Wind Power industry employs about 75,000 people nationwide with 37,000 jobs "at risk" if the Gov't subsidy is not extended. However, the Gov't subsidy is about 1.6B. That is over $40K per year per job saved. Is this what we (via the Gov't) be investing? Until the Gov't starts spending money wisely, we should support reducing the amout of money going to the Gov't. This will make them prioritze what is being spent just like we do in our every day lives. It is easy to spend other peoples money - don't make it easy for them.

[Raven_tiger 5]

Out of curiosity, how subsidized by the gov't was this wind energy? Because I'm all for renewable, clean energy sources. But they need to be able to stand on their own two feet in the foreseeable future. The last thing we need is the next generation's ethanol boondoggle.

Why should they be any different than the coal, oil and nuclear industries?

[TitanTiger 20,708]

I don't know that they should. So let's reduce their subsidies down to the level of coal:

The folks at the Institute for Energy Research used the Energy Department data to calculate a subsidy per unit of electricity produced. Per megawatt hour, natural gas, oil and coal received 64 cents, hydropower 82 cents, nuclear $3.14, wind $56.29 and solar a whopping $775.64.

So for every tax dollar that goes to coal, oil and natural gas, wind gets $88 and solar $1,212. After all the hype and dollars, in 2010 wind and solar combined for 2.3% of electric generation—2.3% for wind and 0% and a rounding error for solar. Renewables contributed 10.3% overall, though 6.2% is hydro. Some "investment."

Zooming out for all energy, the Congressional Research Service did its own analysis of tax incentives last year. It found that in 2009 fossil fuels accounted for 78% of U.S. energy production but received only 12.6% of tax incentives. Renewables accounted for 11% of energy production but received 77% of the tax subsidies—and that understates the figure because it leaves out direct spending.

By the way, these subsidy comparisons don't consider that the coal, oil, and natural gas industries paid more than $10 billion of taxes in 2009. Wind and solar are net drains on the Treasury.

http://online.wsj.co...=googlenews_wsj