On Fri, Jul 18, 2003 at 11:42:25AM -0700, Deborah Harrell wrote: > --- Erik Reuter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Deborah Harrell wrote: > > > > > Wind Power : A commentary from Bill Hammack's public radio program > > > > > New turbines are so efficient that wind energy costs about the > > > same as coal, natural gas or nuclear. > > > > This statement is oversimplifying the issue to a huge degree. I've > > gone into detail on the issues involved in calculating costs in > > previous posts, so I won't repeat it here... > > Yes; as a non-mathemetician, I have a really hard time trying to > follow the equations you guys toss around, so when I find an article > that pretty much comes to the same conclusions but says it in > words/images which I can grasp immediately, I post it for the other > non-numbers folk I assume are out there...(hey, I can't be the only > one!) :)
Hmm, judging from your statement here, I'm not sure that *I* was clear. I meant that, by any practical interpretation, his statement, "New turbines are so efficient that wind energy costs about the same as coal, natural gas or nuclear." is WRONG. Wind energy, even with new turbines, cannot be generated and sold for the same cost as coal generated energy. > <grin> Again, I immediately understood: you can't tell the wind to > blow on-command! (That was a visual) And yet he called that "steady". When it is just the opposite. > I think what he was trying to do was show why wind can't supply a > large part of the US' energy needs, starting with what *does* work, > then giving the "bad news." I agree. But the problem is that his first major claim was wrong. He could have, and should have, opened with something like, "wind power has been decreasing in price per kWh (give a cost here in, say, 1993 and now in 2003) and with recently developed turbine technology is approaching the cost of coal power per kWh (give cost here) in certain special circumstances." -- "Erik Reuter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.erikreuter.net/ _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
