Introduction
Near Artajona, Northern Spain: a small row of
windmills.
David Pimentel reckons that wind power could be expanded in the
United States to produce the equivalent of 230 big
power stations, which would take up approximately
8 million hectares. My untutored guess is this may well be a considerable
under-estimate, as windmills are developed, enlarged in capacity, and
may be mounted ever higher in order to reach more powerful winds, or ganged
more than one to a pillar, or built out to sea. Whether such development
would affect weather conditions, I do not yet know enough to guess.
The
return of the windmills
the
increasing return of the age of the windmill
“Last year, enough wind energy came online in the United States
to power roughly a half million homes. Next year, that number is expected
to climb by another 100,000.”
—
“For the past five years, it's grown by about 30 percent a year
worldwide. In Denmark, it now accounts for some 15 percent of all energy
use.
The figure quoted for Denmark is an error, one commonly made. The figure
should read, “15% of electricity production”, which is about
5% of Denmark’s energy inputs.
the
wind in spain
“Spain, one of the windiest countries in Europe, currently gains
around 3 percent of its electricity from wind power and is the second
largest European producer of this form of energy and the third largest
in the world.
“It expects its current installed generation capacity of 4,100
megawatts from wind power to increase to 8,900 megawatts by 2010.”
the
advance and advance of wind power in spain
“[...] momentarily wind power contributed 8,375 mega watts to
the nation's power consumption of 31,033.
“Nuclear power, the second largest contributor, added 6,797
mega watts, while coal-fired electric generation came third with 5,081,
the statement said.
—
Over the course of last year wind power contributed nine per cent of
the nation's requirement while coal-fired power stations put in 24 per
cent and nuclear power 22 per cent.”
Here
is more on Spanish wind power and photovoltaics.
There is also a short film.
Denmark is the most advanced nation in wind power development and manufacture:
“It is true that Denmark has placed itself in a leading position
with regard to the utilisation of wind energy, but until now this has
certainly occurred at great cost to nature and with considerable public
subsidy" (Jyllands Posten, 2004)
“Despite windy conditions, only 20-24% (LF, ie load factor) of
the potential annual output of West Danish wind turbines has actually
been achieved over the last five years but this is higher than the 15%
calculated for Germany over the same period.” In
fact, most of the Danish output is being exported. Therefore, the reality
is that Denmark is subsidising electricity that it then exports.
—
“In contrast, its attempts to assimilate large amounts of wind
power into the domestic system have so far proved disappointing, with
little reduction in carbon emissions because of the need for backup
to protect the integrity of its grid (Sandøe, 2003a). The reality
is that despite West Denmark's massive carpet of wind turbines, the
region's carbon emissions have recently been rising (Bruun, 2005). Most
of its large exports of wind power simply displace 'green' hydro electricity
produced in Norway and/or Sweden, helping to replenish reservoirs only
in dry periods or when power is cheap. This led a former Chairman of
Eltra to ask: ["Is it environmentally friendly to produce electricity
with wind turbines if there is no-one who can use it? And is it environmentally
friendly to burn natural gas in decentralised heat and power plants
while dumping the over-production of Danish wind electricity in Norway,
where it possibly leads to water being diverted away from the water
turbines?"] (Kongstad, 2001). Processes involved in the manufacture,
excavation and/or installation of access roads, massive concrete foundations,
turbine components, pylons, and associated equipment also militate against
the emission-saving benefits claimed for mega wind power.”
However, wind
technology is more flexible than other land-use technologies:
“[...] a farmer in Iowa who gives up a tenth of a hectare (a
quarter of an acre) of land to a turbine might earn $10,000 a year from
it (about 3% of the value of the electricity it produces). Planted with
maize, the same land would yield a mere $300-worth of bioethanol.
“Moreover, wind farms can be built piecemeal, unlike most power
stations. A half-finished coal-fired or nuclear power plant is a useless
waste of money, but a half-finished wind farm is simply a wind farm
half the size originally intended - and one that has been providing
revenue since the first turbine was completed.”
A
supergrid organised with intelligence should drive up the usable wind
element in generation.
Wind
power FAQs 
Denmark
- one of the most frightening and naive reports I’ve seen
Why? Because thirty-seven years of determined effort
by Denmark is showing so little real advance towards fossil fuel independence.
Denmark is a small wealthy community of 5 ½
million. It has done more than most countries to remove the wasteful and
dangerous dependence on filthy fossil fuels. Here
is the real-world result:
“Still, the Danes’ accomplishments are startling. Remember
that in 1973 Denmark was 99% dependent on foreign oil? Today they produce
enough energy to cover all their own needs and sell the extra to other
countries, the only European nation to do so. And their energy conservation
programs have been so successful that over the last 30 years, even with
extensive modernization and a 7% increase in population, their annual
energy use has remained basically the same.”
In other words, after more than 30 years of seeking
independence, Danish dependence on fossil fuels has not changed!
“In 2007 the Danes set further goals for the country: They hope
to be able to provide 75% of all their energy consumption from wind
farms by 2025 - less than two decades from now [...]”
In fact, Denmark cannot even use the wind power they
are presently generating because it is not sufficiently reliable. The
Danes are selling the surplus of their (subsidised) wind power to Sweden
at below cost.
Here is a list of Danish actions to get free of filthy
fossil fuels:
- Strict energy-efficiency standards were placed on all buildings.
- Gas and automobiles were heavily taxed (Today new cars are taxed
at more than 105% of the cost of the car.)
- "District heating systems" were implemented throughout
the country, reusing normally wasted heat produced by power plants by
piping it directly into homes. Today more than 60% of Danish homes are
heated this way.
- The government invested heavily in clean and renewable energy systems,
especially wind power. Today 21% of Denmark’s energy production
comes from wind farms. On top of that, they lead the world in wind-power
technology - another product to export. The industry has created more
than 20,000 jobs.
- Rebate campaigns helped people buy more energy-efficient - and therefore
more expensive - home appliances. Today more than 95% of new appliances
bought in Denmark have an "A" efficiency rating. ("A"
is the best; "G" is the worst.)
- They started drilling for - and finding - more oil and natural gas
within their own waters in the North Sea. (Showing that no plan is perfect,
these efforts have long been opposed by environmentalists.)
- In 2005 the government committed $1 billion to develop and integrate
better solar, tidal, and fuel-cell technology.
No, 20% of Danish energy does not come from
wind power. Only 5% comes from wind power. It is 20% of electricity production that comes from wind power in Denmark. As usual, the ‘reporters’
are innumerate and easily fooled.
Despite the hype in the article, in the meanwhile,
with its small population Denmark has become a net oil producer.
“Since 1997, Denmark has been self-sufficient as regards energy.
It is estimated that production exceeded consumption by approx. 45%
in 2000. The Danish Energy Agency estimates that Denmark will be self-sufficient
in energy until 2005.” [Quoted from mex.dk]
In other words, Danish energy independence is both
short-term and dependent on- their home grown oil industry.
[Link via limbic]
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