Re: The cost of wind power

On Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:41:20 +0200, qqq_qqq <q@xxx> wrote:

In 2008 the investment in wind power is around 11 billion euros for
which 142 Giga Kwh electricity is generated. This means that wind energy
is delivered for 7 cents per kwh to European customers. The data is
provided here:

http://www.ewea.org/index.php?id=180

Investments in wind energy come partially from the public and private
sectors, the price of 7 c/kwh may seem higher then conventional energy
generation, but I consider it to be worth the investment and do not
think it is a disaster stated here:

http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/story.html?id=1479461

Add an appropriate (Tragedy of the Commons) tarrif to CO2 emissions
and wind power will be wayyy cheaper that the alternatives..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons

I expect that fossil fuels are going to cost humanity at least a
dollar per kWh in order to mitigate CO2 effects (sea level
increases).. It may be that there is no upper cost limit of CO2
emissions, if it results in Extinction Level Event. (E.L.E.
probability getting higher every day we do little or nothing.)

Denmark is very small country(not a good example).. Larger countries
like the US can use a grid to distribute the production base over a
much wider geographical area eliminating much of the backup capacity..
Add in some smart grid technology..

For example: A fair number of households already have large
thermal/electric storage device equivalent to a 10-15kWh battery, it's
called an Electric Water Heater. Add a mixing valve, some
electronics, and it would be perfect a near perfect for match wind
power. I.E. Heat up water to higher then normal temps(180F) when
excess wind power is available.

Note: Mixing valve regulates temp down to safe levels (120F @ 2-3x the
volume) for typical household user.

Lastly, I would keep the Natural Gas fueled power plants, (cheap to
build, easy to maintain, and quick to spin up as needed), as a backup
and close those fueled by only coal or oil.
.

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