MAY 21

the recent report by the DoE contained a number of interesting statistics, not the least of which referenced the amount of water we could save by switching to power generation technologies (like wind) that don't require so much of it. http://cleantechnica.com/2008/...ave-water/

but it should be pointed out that those 667 turbines will produce a little less power (intermittently, and only at max capacity) than a single Westinghouse nuclear reactor.

Not saying that wind is not an important part of the solution, but so is nuclear.

This will be interesting when it is up and running. Looking at the AWEA web site it looks like there is currently 5300 MW of wind in Ercot with another 1900 currently under construction (excluding Mesa Energy). When the Mesa project is done it will bring the total to ~11,000 MW of wind generation. Total off peak load last night in Ercot bottomed out at ~30,000 MW. This number is more realistically 25,000 MW when the Comanche Peak and South Texas nuclear stations are subtracted from load (must run generators). The graphs for wind generation have absolutely zero correlation to price. One might actually argue that there is a negative correlation to price (as was the case during the first week in August of 2006 when the grid nationwide was stressed, prices in the major load centers were over $1000/MWh and wind generation was less than 15% nameplate). I have to think that wind capacity in excess of 40% of total off peak load and 18% of on peak load will make it very difficult for the RTO to keep ACE under control and it will definitely exacerbate volatility. I really wish that when the rules for wind were written that the subsidy would have been based on the LMP vs simply MWh produced. This way a developer would have benefited financially by placing wind generation in areas where it is actually needed (the same can be said for solar). A good example of this is yesterday in southern Jersey. Two LMPs that are less than 10 miles apart had an average price spread over 12 hours of over $2000/MWh. The state subsidies for solar or wind are the exact same for both of these points but locating the wind or solar generation in one verses the other would have made a significant difference. If the state had a subsidy that was based on LMP vs MWh generated, the net difference in locating 1 MW at one point verses the other would have been $24,500 over 12 hours. Seems to me if you can create rules to promote a technology and deploy that technology in a way that has a benefit to the grid that it should be pursued…

I've driven across the Texas panhandle many times over the last 20 years and have always wondered why wind wasn't more utilized there. This sounds like a very promising project. It certainly will not solve our problems but it will be a sustainable source of energy for decades to come.

Oil is going crazy. We need Boone Pickens wind farm yesterday. I wrote about it at
www.theinvestingspeculator.com

I'm from the Texas Panhandle. It is windy and flat. You can raise cattle or crops, and you can have a wind farm and cattle. It's perfect for this. Nuclear can be very useful, but it should be used where there isn't tons of wind. As long as tornadoes don't knock them all down, this will be a significant source of energy for a long time.

Since the sun shine most of the time in this part of the country why not attatch solar panels on those wind generators and have that source of electricity tied into the electrical output line of the wind turbines which would add additional electrical generation for each wind turbine. Also, if the wind was not blowing, which is very rare in the area, the solar panels would continue to deliver electrical energy to the power grid.

A wind project can be installed in 12 months, and the modularity of wind turbines allows utilities to rapidly match changing load projections. Utility deployment of advanced wind generating systems is planned to be facilitated through tax credits.
Here is a link that might be useful:lincenergy.us/

wow rly? Lawl at your face.

Really Mr. Christensen, I find this offensive. You should take offense and not comment meanly again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

My family currently owns about 175 acres of land in Grimes Co. Texas and would like to learn more about using this land for a wind farm. Any information that you could share on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

Brian K. Mason