NO...Because it is intermittent, wind can not be relied upon for use in the on- demand part of the power supply. The wind might die just when you need it. Therefore, if it is in the base supply, and the wind dies, the on-demand stuff such as gas turbine supply can kick in to make up the deficit.
The wind generators spread through the Pyrenees in Spain cover such a large geographical area, that I would assume that there would be a fairly constant average production. This, IMO, would work well in the base power production, and would obviate any need to try to engineer storage solutions. Any storage mechanism I have ever seen was quite wasteful of power. They only were of use because they made use of 'waste power' during times of low use. If the swings in power consumption can be minimized, and the use of on-demand power optimized, there would be little need for storage. For the home producer of wind power, then some form of storage would be needed, or use of the grid as a large 'battery', since one would be dependent upon a single wind generator. For when the wind dies, one would need the storage backup or an alternate source of power, such as a biodiesel fueled generator. Derek Derek Derek > intermittent power by its very nature cannot be used for base. > Wind can displace gas turbine power because the gas turbine can quickly fill > the gap if the wind drops. > Kirk > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, May 19, 2003 4:16 AM > To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com > Subject: Re: [biofuel] Wind Power -- a European Success Story > > > My understnding is that in most places in the world they use the cheapest > form > of electricity in the base. Then, as demand increases, they add more > expensive > forms. So...they have a large base of hydro and coal. As demand increases in > the summer, they might add gas turbine generated electricity to meet this > peak > demand. My feeling on wind power is that you would never need to worry about > storage. Just feed it into the base use of electricity. Try to build it up > to a > relatively large percentage of total use. However, you wouldn't try to make > it > 100%. Maybe 80% of peak use, covering the valleys. Then, supplement with > biodiesel fired generators, or some other source, for the final 20% or so. > No > need for storage, and all demands are met with renewables. > > Where my in-laws live in Spain, they are attaining approvimately 20% of the > region's electrical demand from wind generation. Another percentage comes > from > burning straw/hay in a power plant. The remainder of need on top of this > comes > from various non-renewable sources, which hopefully will be diminished. > > Derek > > On Sat, 17 May 2003 12:20 am, Bryan Brah wrote: > > > As Hakan has said storage of wind generated electricity will be the > > > hardest problem to solve if we are to rely on it for our power needs. > > > > actually, any environmentally derived power has this problem, potentially. > > > > specifically, the amount of power cannot be shifted to meet demand > > arbitrarily. > > > > so, we can either store the power, over provision, or change our > lifestyles to > > match the available power.... not mutually exclusive ofcourse. personally > I > > think we need to do all three. :-) > > > > storing power is actually relatively easy. batteries are fine but lossy > and > > environmentally troublesome, but they work. energy density is a serious > > problem here... I beileve (from memory) that zinc is a reasonable material > > for storage of electrical power. > > > > better from my pov is PV decomp of water then use the Sabtier Reaction > > (reverse water gas) to make methane from H2 + CO2 over Pt hotwire or > Alumina > > > supported catalyst. - or just store the H2 - though this has other > problems. > > > > when you want to use the power pass the methane or H2 through a fuel cell, > > keeping the reaction products for the charging cycle... :-) liquid fuel > self > > presurising battery! > > > > > > -- > > Dr Paul van den Bergen > > Centre for Advanced Internet Architectures > > caia.swin.edu.au > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > IM:bulwynkl2002 > > "And some run up hill and down dale, knapping the chucky stones > > to pieces wi' hammers, like so many road makers run daft. > > They say it is to see how the world was made." > > Sir Walter Scott, St. Ronan's Well 1824 > > > > > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > > > Biofuels list archives: > > > http://archive.nnytech.net/ > > > > Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. > > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > > > > > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuels list archives: > http://archive.nnytech.net/ > > Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > > --- > Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.476 / Virus Database: 273 - Release Date: 4/24/2003 > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuels list archives: > http://archive.nnytech.net/ > > Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > ------------------------ Yahoo! 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