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This quote they've taken from the NYT is breathtakingly stupid:
Yet Sweden's gleaming wind park is entering service at a time when wind energy is coming under sharper scrutiny, not just from hostile neighbors, who complain that the towers are a blot on the landscape, but from energy experts who question its reliability as a source of power. For starters, the wind does not blow all the time. When it does, it does not necessarily do so during periods of high demand for electricity. That makes wind a shaky replacement for more dependable, if polluting, energy sources like oil, coal and natural gas. Moreover, to capture the best breezes, wind farms are often built far from where the demand for electricity is highest. The power they generate must then be carried over long distances on high-voltage lines, which in Germany and other countries are strained and prone to breakdowns.
For starters, the wind does not blow all the time. When it does, it does not necessarily do so during periods of high demand for electricity. That makes wind a shaky replacement for more dependable, if polluting, energy sources like oil, coal and natural gas. Moreover, to capture the best breezes, wind farms are often built far from where the demand for electricity is highest. The power they generate must then be carried over long distances on high-voltage lines, which in Germany and other countries are strained and prone to breakdowns.
So wind power requires a bit more investment in the energy grid. Big deal. I seem to remember a few news items here showing that wind power actually led to lower energy prices and that with a better developed grid, could cover most of the energy demand.
Anyway, is there anything uglier than a coal-fired or nuclear power station?
Sweden Turns to a Promising Power Source, With Flaws - New York Times
Of course, Sweden does not need to build wind parks to get wind power. It could simply buy more surplus wind power from Denmark, which it uses, as does Norway, to pump underground water into elevated reservoirs. The water is later released during periods of peak electric demand to drive hydroelectric stations.In this way, hydro acts as a form of storage for wind energy -- addressing one of wind power's biggest shortcomings. Sweden's strength in hydro makes it a good candidate for greater development of wind power, according to analysts.
Of course, Sweden does not need to build wind parks to get wind power. It could simply buy more surplus wind power from Denmark, which it uses, as does Norway, to pump underground water into elevated reservoirs. The water is later released during periods of peak electric demand to drive hydroelectric stations.
In this way, hydro acts as a form of storage for wind energy -- addressing one of wind power's biggest shortcomings. Sweden's strength in hydro makes it a good candidate for greater development of wind power, according to analysts.
And being dependent on high-voltage lines is no news for a country with lots and lots of hydro in a sparsely populated area, i.e. the northern half of Sweden. Sweden's finest (and perhaps only) collaborative, leftist e-newspaper Synapze.se
The Great Battery of Kimberley "The future is already here -- it's just not very evenly distributed" William Gibson
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