isnt denmark situated on fairly windy terrain though? and besides, why cant a wind station incorporate some kind of power levelling like that liquid battery that we talked about a while ago? Jason ICQ#: 154998177 MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Darryl McMahon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <Biofuel@sustainablelists.org> Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2006 2:27 PM Subject: [Biofuel] Alberta Wind Cap
> In Ontario and Alberta, how much wind power is too much? > RICHARD BLACKWELL > Wind power has become a key part of Canada's energy mix, with the number > of installed wind turbines growing exponentially in recent months. But > the fact the wind doesn't blow all the time is creating a potential > roadblock that could stall growth in the industry. > Alberta and Ontario, the two provinces with the most wind turbines up > and whirling, face concerns that there are limits on how much power can > be generated from the breeze before their electricity systems are > destabilized. > Alberta recently put a temporary cap on wind generation at 900 megawatts > -- a level it could reach as early as next year -- because of the > uncertainty. And a report in Ontario released last week says that in > some situations more than 5,000 MW of wind power, stable operation of > the power grid could be jeopardized. > Warren Frost, vice-president for operations and reliability at the > Alberta Electric System Operator, said studies done over the past couple > of years showed there can be problems when wind contributes more than > about 10 per cent of the province's electricity -- about 900 MW -- > because of the chance the wind could stop at any time. > Each 100 MW of wind power is enough to supply a city about the size of > Lethbridge, Alta. > If the power "disappears on you when the wind dies, then you've got to > make it up, either through importing from a neighbouring jurisdiction or > by ramping up generators," Mr. Frost said. > But Alberta is limited in its imports, because the provincial power grid > has connections only with British Columbia and Saskatchewan. And > hydroelectric plants with water reservoirs, which can turn on a dime to > start producing power, are limited in the province. > Coal-fired plants and most gas-fired plants take time to get up to > speed, making them less useful as backups when the wind fails. > There can also be a problem, Mr. Frost noted, when the wind picks up and > generates more power than is being demanded -- that potential imbalance > also has to be accounted for. > There are a number of ways to allow wind power to make up a greater > proportion of the electricity supply, but they require more study, Mr. > Frost said. First, he said, the province can develop more sophisticated > ways of forecasting the wind so the power it generates is more > predictable. > The province could also build more plants that can quickly respond if > the wind dies down during a peak period, for example. But building new > gas-powered plants merely to help handle the variability of wind is > certain to raise the ire of environmentalists. > The province could also increase its connections to other jurisdictions, > where it would buy surplus power when needed. Alberta is already looking > at links with some northwestern U.S. states, including Montana. > Over all, Alberta is committed to "adding as much wind as feasible" Mr. > Frost said. > "What we're balancing is the reliability [issue]." Robert Hornung, > president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association, which represents > companies in the wind business, said he prefers to think of Alberta's > 900 MW limit as a "speed bump" rather than a fixed cap. > "We have every confidence they'll be able to go further than that," Mr. > Hornung said, particularly if the industry and regulators put some > effort into wind forecasting over the next year or so. That's crucial, > he said, because "we have projects of many, many more megawatts than 900 > waiting to proceed in Alberta." > In Ontario, the situation is less acute than in Alberta, but the wind > study released last week -- prepared for the industry and regulators -- > shows some similar concerns. > While wind power could be handled by the Ontario grid up to 5,000 MW -- > about 320 MW of wind turbines are currently in operation with another > 960 MW in planning stages -- the situation changes at higher levels, the > study suggests. > Particularly during low demand periods when wind makes up a relatively > high proportion of the power mix, "stable operation of the power system > could be compromised" if backup systems can't be ramped up quickly to > deal with wind fluctuations, the report said. > But Ontario is in a better position than Alberta because it has far more > interconnections with other provinces and states, where it can buy or > sell power. And it also has its wind turbines more geographically > dispersed than Alberta, where most wind farms are in the south of the > province. That means the chance of the wind failing everywhere at the > same time is lower in Ontario. > Don Tench, director of planning and assessments for Ontario's > Independent Electricity > System Operator, said he thinks better wind forecasting is the key to > making the new source of power work effectively. "If we have a few hours > notice of a significant wind change, we can make plans to deal with it," > he said. > > ================= > Makes you wonder what the Danes are doing wrong, as they can have over > 50% of the power being generated on their grid coming from wind, and > their grid has not disintegrated as a result. > > > -- > Darryl McMahon > It's your planet. If you won't look after it, who will? > > The Emperor's New Hydrogen Economy (now in print and eBook) > http://www.econogics.com/TENHE/ > > > _______________________________________________ > Biofuel mailing list > Biofuel@sustainablelists.org > http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 > messages): > http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.13.27/517 - Release Date: 11/3/2006 > > -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. 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