Quoting the article:
"Oswald's report highlights the key issue of load factor, the actual
power generated compared to the theoretical maximum, and how critical
it is to the viability of the wind power industry. In 2006, according
to U.K. government statistics, the average load factor for wind
turbines across the U.K. was 27.4 percent. Thus a typical 2 megawatt
turbine actually produced only 0.54 MW of power on an average day.
The worst performing U.K. turbine had a load factor of just 7
percent. These figures reflect a poor return on investment."
This makes no sense.
Everyone knows that actual power generated is less than nameplate
capacity. (This is true for all electric power generator types,
including even nuclear power, which has the highest ratio of actual
to nameplate.) They know this at the planning and financing phase,
and they know it in more detail when they measure the wind before
installing. If the actual to nameplate ratio is going to generate a
poor return on investment, this will be obvious before the first
dollar is spent. They would not build a wind farm if they knew it was
a poor investment.
Many other technical points in this article are either bogus, or
common knowledge that has been taken into account.
- Jed
