Climate Denial Crock of the Week

4 Responses to “Graph of the Day”

1. omnologos Says:

   
   January 18, 2011 at 4:52 pm

   Presumably next question is….how much of the capacity is available when, and on average?

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   • greenman3610 Says:

     
     January 18, 2011 at 5:46 pm

     the newer sites are averaging between 35 and 45 percent.
     see
     http://www.20percentwind.org/report/Chapter2_Wind_Turbine_Technology.pdf
     page 27
     overall, cost per kwh is now cheaper than new coal – way cheaper than new nuclear.

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   • BlueRock Says:

     
     January 18, 2011 at 8:10 pm

     > …how much of the capacity is available when, and on average?

     All of the capacity is available all of the time – or close enough because the reliability and up-time of wind turbines is near-100%.

     If you mean, “what is the capacity factor of wind turbines”, that depends on the site. One wind farm in Scotland has hit 58% over the course of a year – but most wind farms are in the range 25 – 45% and newer, larger, more advanced turbines are constantly pushing that up.

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2. omnologos Says:

   
   January 18, 2011 at 9:16 pm

   Thank you both. Personally, I am more of a fan of high-altitude wind power (eg Kitegen) as less invasive and more reliable. Let’s see how it pans out.

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