• Wind power- is it worth all the hype

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    Alternate energy is the new investment mantra for power generation, but is this all just a rosy picture? The biggest problem with wind energy is the unavailability of wind on all parts of the globe. Coal the current source of 50% all energy produced for the country, along with natural gas making up about 21%, and nuclear power comprises about 20%. Hydro and oil each contribute a bit as well, while traditional renewable – wind, solar, biomass and geothermal – ring in at only 3% combined. A billionaire oilman has been hitting the airwaves, pitching a plan to use wind to replace all the natural gas that’s used to produce electricity, then using that saved natural gas to fuel cars. To make sure enough power is available when the wind isn’t blowing, backup generators would be needed this causes, that could mean maintaining those natural gas plants that cause harm to the environment. In case of emergency a wiser idea would be implementing even more novel ideas like systems in Europe that use excess wind electricity to pump water uphill when the wind is blowing, then release it through hydro dams when the wind stops.


    The EIA estimates that by 2015, wind energy will cost 7 cents per kilowatt-hour to produce, just a half-cent more than coal or natural gas. The EIA says if strict greenhouse gas restrictions become law, renewables might go from 3% percent of the nation’s electricity mix to around 25%. Coal, meanwhile, would likely go from more than half to less than a quarter.
    Via

    Posted in Topics:Alternative Energy, Tags: , on July 26, 2008