FLBear5630 said:
We do agree. 8 wind turbines can power a small town on the Plains. That is in an area with a 13 mph avg wind speed. But you need storage for the power, as it is not an on demand asset. Consistent with surge use.
Florida P&L runs turbines in the Plains sells the power to a broker and it is used in Denver. The cash goes to FL to power gas because we do not have the wind to do it. It is a little piece of a big puzzle. It will never be stand alone. Just like oil and LNG will not go away. i have no issue exploring alt forms but not as the answer like the green new deal. it will be a spot treatment.
The Canary Islands are a great example of where they make a ton of sense. On one of the islands, they're using surplus wind power to first desalinate sea water, then pump the water up to a volcanic crater a few thousand feet up in the mountains, where it then becomes "stored energy." When drinking or agricultural water is needed, they release the water from the crate where it powers electric generators. Apple TV did a show on it several years back - "El HIerro - Visionaries at the End of the World."
the island's port is quite small and there's like only one aging diesel tanker in the world small enough to dock there. So it's a major port overhaul just for diesel deliveries, or a big wind/hydro power project. Seems to be coming along (although there are critics....). Seems to make a ton of sense. Probably could have some utility in California, but frankly their political leadership doesn't seem to be terribly interest in actually solving problems.