[TowerTalk] AN tower

[Jim Chaggaris]

"power that is price competitive with conventionally generated power."

I disagree.  As someone who sells electrical power equipment (transformers, switchgear etc..) to the utility and renewable markets (Wind, Solar) for the past 27yrs, the only way wind or solar can be competitive and new farms built is with government subsidies (Production Tax Credits (PTC's)).  On average, wind farms only generate about 30-40% of the time (as opposed to 24/7 for coal/nuclear minus scheduled PM outages), and given the space required compared to coal or nuclear generation, wind energy and solar is not as efficient, or as effective per/MW as conventional power plants. 

As far as wind turbines, each turbine requires 2-3 acres of land per tower/turbine.  Yes, turbine technology has improved with larger turbines (up to 4MW) being installed on land based wind farms, and 6MW+ turbines for off-shore installations.  As a side note, wind turbines require major maintenance (not just an oil change) every 1000hrs of operation.   

Is wind and solar a viable replacement for coal, nuclear or gas generation?  Absolutely not.  It is a panacea that politicians and special interest groups love and have pumped up over the years.  The end result is if there were no PTC's, a lot of these wind farms and solar farms would never have been built.  As the tax credits go away, so do any future wind farm and solar farm development.

Now, back on topic...

73,
Jim N9WW

Jim Chaggaris
President
PowerOne Corp./PowerOne Environmental
2325 Dean St. Suite 200
St. Charles, IL 60175
Phn: 630.443.6500
Cell: 630.669.2241
Fax: 630.443.6505
Website: www.pwrone.com
 
Sent from my iPad Air




> On Jun 21, 2015, at 11:33 AM, Gary - AB9M <glhuber at msn.com> wrote:
> 
> power that is price competitive with conventionally generated power.