Comments on: Deja Vu All Over Again: Congressional Republicans Intent on Nixing Wind, Renewable Energy Growth

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:15:00 +0000

It’s one of the cheapest forms of new electricity, the cheapest in many places.

Some large investment companies and other companies (like Google) are investing big money in it because it is such a good investment.

By: Rene Thoeni

Rene Thoeni — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:19:00 +0000

With other words is the money invested in windpower invested wisely in the US? Or are bloated union contracts and other give away’s choking the life blood out of the industry?

By: Rene Thoeni

Rene Thoeni — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:08:00 +0000

It would be of great value to be informed on how much the KW cost are in the US compared to other countries. That is turn key cost and also cost to maintain after manufacturer warranty has run off.
It seems with more information at hand getting approvals and financial assistance would be easier to come bye.

By: Zachary Shahan

Zachary Shahan — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:22:00 +0000

Well said.

By: Tara[dacktyl] Devlin

Tara[dacktyl] Devlin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:02:00 +0000

Gee! One might almost accuse you of sounding like a Big Oil insider! But, how can that be? Big Oil would NEVER pay people to scour the web, posting positive comments about their filthy, archaic product… right? Except… THEY DO. Rest assured, If the Internet were around in the 80s, Big Tobacco would have its flying monkeys all over the web praising the health benefits of Carbon Monoxide. But let’s be clear. Republicans killed this subsidy because their masters have a vested interest in keeping America hooked on oil. Republicans are the puppets of Big Oil – NOT the People. The GOP would vote to hurl Earth towards the Sun if it meant lining their greed-centered, filthy pockets. These archaic dinosaurs are ALWAYS on the WRONG side of history – BECAUSE THEY ARE PAID TO BE… and they will do anything to try and hold on to the cat-bird seat of power for as long as they possibly can to rape, plunder and steal as much as they possibly can. Howz come we never hear of the Big Oil subsidy being voted away? It isn’t because Big Oil is the energy of the future, that’s for sure! One day, Big Oil will be disdained for the rapacious monster it is and vilified for the damage it has done “ON THE BACKS OF THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER.”

By: Akbweb2

Akbweb2 — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:23:00 +0000

Coal, oil and gas have been so profitable because they’ve received federal subsidies much greater over decades….

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:56:00 +0000

Oh, boy. Low information right-wingers shoot themselves in the wallet.

Even the good ol’ boys in Texas know that if you put a bunch of wind on your grid then your electricity costs go down.

And the conservative Republican governors of Wyoming and Kansas know that wind farms bring jobs and tax revenue to their states. That leasing out land for turbines creates a very nice income for farmers and ranchers.

But the wingers of Leanwee County, Michigan bought the bogus pushed by people like Eric. And they voted to keep their electricity costs high, local tax revenues low, and their citizens standing in the unemployment line….

By: Eric M

Eric M — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:32:00 +0000

So Bob then you agree that the author that you so agree with is quoting old outdated material to try and push you much beloved inefficient wind power
Ill start
OOOOOOH Thou Fount of Misinformation started with this article because Bob says so.

By: Eric M

Eric M — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:12:00 +0000

Well Bob I have had alot of fun here but I leave you with this quote from the wind developers to the MPSC to get their ppa changed in my county in January 2012. ““The developer has concluded it is unable to develop its project in Riga, Palmyra and Ogden townships due to significant opposition to wind generation by the residents of Lenawee County”.They were here almost 4 years and used all of the same talking points that you quote from the AWEA and they lost to “significant opposition” of the almost 100,000 people in Lenawee county.
Thank you for the vocal majority for their voting out these inefficient tax wasting wind turbines.
.

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Eric, you just aren’t able to keep on shoveling the horse poop, can you?

No generation technology runs at 100% nameplate/rated capacity. And percentage of nameplate is irrelevant. The relevant statistic is cost per kWh.

Furthermore new technology wind produces at higher than 30% nameplate.

Now here’s the AWEA claim…

” Our 2011 installations alone provide enough electricity to power almost two million American homes,”

They state that 2011 wind will generate enough power for ~ 2 million homes. Downsizing that claim is your “magic” at work.

You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t whack the next mole you shove up from your burrow. I need to take my chain saw and give my forest some tough love….

By: Eric M

Eric M — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:51:00 +0000

AWEA is always looking for excuses but again when you sell a product that consistently runs at less than 30% of its nameplate capacity then you have to blame someone for your bad product.
Remember its only 2,000,000 homes if you use nameplate capacity but when they only run with a 30% efficiency thats only 60000 homes on a per year average( key word average).

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:04:00 +0000

Due to increased worldwide installation of wind turbines there was a shortage of turbines following 2009 which caused an increase in price and a drop in installation. The Bush Recession didn’t help either.

“The wind sector in America bounced back in 2011 after a tough 2010, installing more than 6,800 megawatts of wind energy.

“We have installed more than a third of all new American electric generation in recent years and are well on our way to providing 20% of America’s electricity by 2030 as projected by the Bush Administration. Our 2011 installations alone provide enough electricity to power almost two million American homes,” says Denise Bode, CEO
of the American Wind Energy Association.”

Source: Clean Technica (http://s.tt/15BcM)

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:50:00 +0000

It’s Sunday morning. Let’s all join in on a rousing singing of “Oh, Thou Fount of Misinformation”….

Solar, 500kW installation on a large roof in a sunny location is now $0.1659/kWh. Not over $0.75/kWh. Even (non-subsidized) residential rooftop in a cloudy climate is less than the number you present.

http://www.solarbuzz.com/facts-and-figures/retail-price-environment/solar-electricity-prices

New nuclear is not $0.03/kWh. It’s at least $0.12/kWh and that number comes from an industry insider who refused to specify which costs were and were not included.

Based on ‘turnkey’ bids given to Ontario, San Antonio and Turkey in the last few years the price is likely around $0.20/kWh. And that does not include federal subsidies.

Solar is now as cheap or cheaper than new nuclear and the price of solar is heading lower.

The price of new nuclear is almost certain to rise as additional safety requirements are put in place following the Fukushimi disaster.

Those EIA numbers are based on 2009 prices. It’s now 2012. And one cannot use the cost of operating a paid off generation plant with new generation.

By: Eric M

Eric M — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:46:00 +0000

Oops I guess again I should have chosen my words more careful “construct” means to
build, make, form, create, design, raise, establish, set up, fashion, shape, engineer, frame, manufacture, put up, assemble, put together, erect, fabricate
I believe that we were both right but there is no turbine that is completely, built, raised, setup, put up, assembled, put together, or erected in the manfacturing facility.
I believe that could also mean to construct but anything to deflect from the fact that even with the PTC the installed capacity in the US has went down significantly since 2009.

By: Eric M

Eric M — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:28:00 +0000

Wind is alot cheaper than solar?
Yes you are correctm according to the US Energy Information Administration in 2010
Solar is $775.64 per mw
Wind is $56.29 per mw
but there are other sources alot cheaper
like
Geothermal is 12.85 per mw
Nuclear is 3.14 per mw
Hydro is 0.82 per mw

Boy compared to those very expensive sources like solar and wind you could fuel 100% of ones driving for almost free.

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:12:00 +0000

Eric, you need to return to your fossil fuel overlords and report your failure.

You’ve given us more than an ample share of teh stupid….

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:10:00 +0000

Where?

Here.

“there was a significant drop in wind generators being constructed in the US”

Constructed = manufactured for most English speakers.

We do import turbines from other countries. Not every turbine installed in the US is made here. And it’s likely that imports will take over more of the market.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-13/china-targets-ge-s-wind-turbines-with-15-5-billion-war-chest.html

By: Eric M

Eric M — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:08:00 +0000

Maybe I should have chosen my words more carfully what I really meant instead of “trivial’ was
fiddling, foolish, frivolous, incidental, inconsequential, inconsiderable, insignificant, little, Mickey Mouse, minor, minute, negligible, nugatory, slight, small, small-fry, trifling, unimportant, I believe that hits the nail on the head about wind energy

By: Eric M

Eric M — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:00:00 +0000

And the chart I quoted was for wind installed so where did I say manufactured. I believe you have to construct them to install them.

By: Bob_Wallace

Bob_Wallace — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:47:00 +0000

The chart is wind Installed.

It is not turbines manufactured.