From The GWPF and Dr. Benny Peiser:
The European Commission is to order Britain to end wind farm subsidies. Officials have told ministers that the current level of state support for renewable energy sources must be phased out by the end of the decade. Taxpayer support for solar energy must also be cut, the commission will say. –James Kirkup and Bruno Waterfield, The Daily Telegraph, 3 January 2014
Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey say that the melting of the Pine Island Glacier ice shelf in Antarctica has suddenly slowed right down in the last few years, confirming earlier research which suggested that the shelf’s melt does not result from human-driven global warming. Dr Pierre Dutrieux of the BAS states bluntly: “We found ocean melting of the glacier was the lowest ever recorded, and less than half of that observed in 2010. This enormous, and unexpected, variability contradicts the widespread view that a simple and steady ocean warming in the region is eroding the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.” –Lewis Page, The Register, 3 January 2014
Fifty-two scientists and tourists rescued from a trapped vessel in the Antarctic still can’t get home. On Thursday, a helicopter flew the stranded passengers off the icepack in groups of 10 and 12. Their ship had been trapped in the ice for more than 10 days. Now, they’re stuck again, this time because the Chinese icebreaker that sent the helicopter fears it could get stuck as well. —CBN News, 3 January 2014
Yet another vessel has been trapped by global warming sea ice! The Xue Long icebreaker has sent out a distress call. Prof Turney tweets he is gutted by the news. I guess he can’t believe that climate warming could trap so many ships in sea ice. His communication manager just announced all the sea ice is caused by global warming. –Pierre Gosselin, No Tricks Zone, 3 January 2014
Climate experts say that global warming is melting sea ice faster than expected, which is why the poles currently have the most sea ice ever measured for the date. –Steve Goddard, Real Science, 2 January 2014
The Central England Temperature numbers for 2013 are now issued. Last year was the second coldest since 1996, second only to 2010, one of the coldest years of the last century. It has not been as low as this since 1990. –Paul Homewood, Not A Lot Of People Know That, 3 January 2014
If the IPCC reports were accepted for exactly what they are – exaggerated science with a large dollop of politics – this would be the end of the matter. Unfortunately, various bodies actively encourage us to believe the reports are entirely scientific, accurate and completely authoritative on all climate matters, this despite the IPCC’s charter and the political interference. –John McLean, The Age, 3 January 2014
With his gray beard, thick glasses, gentle laugh, and disarmingly soft voice, Richard Lindzen comes across as nothing short of grandfatherly. Granted, Lindzen is no shrinking violet. A pioneering climate scientist with decades at Harvard and MIT, Lindzen sees his discipline as being deeply compromised by political pressure, data fudging, out-and-out guesswork, and wholly unwarranted alarmism. In a shot across the bow of what many insist is indisputable scientific truth, Lindzen characterizes global warming as “small and … nothing to be alarmed about.” –Ethan Epstein, Weekly Standard, 13 January 2014
The public would hardly be aware of the statements made by all of the above if it wasn’t for the mainstream media. Journalists are supposed to be sceptical about all claims on all matters but that scepticism is usually absent when dealing with climate issues. Whatever the cause, journalists appear unwilling to question claims, unwilling to ask for the data so they might verify the findings and unwilling to follow-up predictions to see if they were correct. The silence on all these matters tacitly and falsely implies that the IPCC’s view is correct and it’s an authority on all climate issues. –John McLean, The Age, 3 January 2014
As more and more years pass with no return to the warming typical of the end of the 20th century, more and more people of the 21st century are waking up to the reality that CO2 never was the Great Climate Boogeyman it has been claimed to be.
Finally we’re starting to see stories of even politicians (usually a pretty slow lot) catching on to the futility of panic-stricken and economically idiotic carbon strangulation policies.
Seems the EU is trying to have it both ways. Poor Europeans.
@philjourdan given the current relationship between the EU and HMG, it seems more likely they’re trying reverse psychology…
CET: Sadly the “pause” is still not understood in the MSM.
The number of articles that say this year was the fouthh warmes on record… as though that means temperatrues are still going up?
We need journalists to have training on the use of escalators. Eventually they reach the next floor.
Prof Turney’s “communication manager just announced all the sea ice is caused by global warming”
Did he make this announcement from Colorado where they just legalized recreational use of marijuana?
I am totally stunned – I never thought I would see the day when something sane and sensible came out of the European Commission.
I am at a loss to understand this new EU view and I am sure that the political class will be dismayed if, and it’s a very big if, this is put into practice. Personally, I do not think CO2 is a greenhouse gas although better educated minds than mine disagree. I was always struck by the ice core evidence (Vostock, I believe) that showed the rise in CO2 lagged rise in temp. and the time lag was 800yrs. 800yrs ago was the height of the MWP so if the ice cores are correct, we should see CO2 levels rising. Currently govts. are using the CO2 scare to enable new taxes and subsidies. This benefits the rich who have the land to erect the monstrous windmills and receive subsidy from my power bill. It certainly does not assist the poor or even the middle class who just pay through the nose. (Sorry – English expression which roughly means being ripped off). When I was young or youngish, I scoffed at conspiracy theory but having grown old and cynical, I am more inclined that to the view that those who have, rig markets so they can have more. This is why I question the intent of the EU. I do not think this proposal will come to pass. There are just too many snouts in the trough of ‘renewables’. We shall see.
Meanwhile, more power to your elbow, Anthony. Just keep this stuff coming. I believe enough people will eventually wake up to see reality. I only regret that I suspect it will not be in my lifetime.
Given the number of British politicians with vested interests in the renewables industry, I am willing to bet this will be one instruction from the EU Her Majesty’s Government will be willing to ignore.
By the end of the decade huh? That’s a long way away. Easily enough time for their destructive world government plans to have achieved fruition.
It seems a token gesture to play for time in case the temperatures don’t rise.
The EU is owned by the architects of the scam, the central bankers. They don’t ever give up and there’s always an angle.
Is this true or am I in Colorado?
Lots of people backing slowly away from the consensus, so in the near future they will be able to deny they were ever really in that camp. Meanwhile the die hards are still manning (or is that personing) the Alamo and firing off inane statements like that from Turney, above; my money is firmly on the Mexicans!
didn’t know the EU had the authority to tell countries what they could and could not tax or subsidize.
To me that’s as troubling as the subsidization itself.
“Climate experts say that global warming is melting sea ice faster than expected, which is why the poles currently have the most sea ice ever measured for the date. –Steve Goddard, Real Science, 2 January 2014”
I assume that the above statement is meant to be sarcastic, because it otherwise makes no sense to me at all.
dmacleo says:
January 3, 2014 at 9:22 am
“didn’t know the EU had the authority to tell countries what they could and could not tax or subsidize.
To me that’s as troubling as the subsidization itself.”
The EU has the authority to kill people.
(Lisbon treaty)
Peter Miller says:
January 3, 2014 at 8:23 am
I am totally stunned – I never thought I would see the day when something sane and sensible came out of the European Commission.
Me too. What the …. is that all about. The UK gov have said al along that it was the EU that demanded it including the closure of 2 coal powered generators in 2012 and more in 2015.
WTF?
CD (@CD153) says:
January 3, 2014 at 9:22 am
“Climate experts say that global warming is melting sea ice faster than expected, which is why the poles currently have the most sea ice ever measured for the date. –Steve Goddard, Real Science, 2 January 2014″
I assume that the above statement is meant to be sarcastic, because it otherwise makes no sense to me at all.
NO! Steven spends his time (and a lot of it) pointing to the stupidity of climate science and it’s proponents.
We need journalists to have training on the use of escalators.
M Courtney says:
January 3, 2014 at 8:19 am
It is not that they don’t know… MSM often blocked people with other views, or remove their comments. So it is much more worrying than being ignorant.
The EU mentions removing subsidies only for solar and on-shore wind by the end of the decade, by which time subsidies for the huge planned off-shore wind farms will be the real killers for UK taxpayers.
Peter Miller 8.23: Don’t applaud too soon, Sabretruthtiger @ 8.57 is right, “there is always an angle”. This EU move seems to contradict the “renewables directive” which requires, for the UK, 15% of ALL energy use to be from renewable resources by 2020. If confined to Electricity Generation this is about 30%. If the feed in tariffs are held to be “subsidies” how are the grossly uneconomic “renewables” to be sustained? Catch 22 – the only obvious answer is a carbon tax on fossil fuels raising their prices above the economic price of wind and solar. The EU has always wanted a carbon tax but has been thwarted previously. This is the backdoor entry – in all meanings of the phrase.
No matter, Timothy Wirth has a ready back up answer and goal as needed, and he’s not the only one with this general pollution mantra as fill-in-the-blanks mentality if global warming turns out wrong or anything short of an obvious ice age.
dmacleo says:
January 3, 2014 at 9:22 am
There are two possibilities:
1) the EU has already claimed that power, but not exercised it under the principal of subsidiarity, in which they lay claim to an area of legislative authority but allow member states to continue to generate their own legislation in limited parts of it.
2) The EU is making a grab for a new tranche of legislative powers. Under the various treaties that have created the EU, once the EU legislates in a particular arena, it assumes the sole prerogative over that area of law. The subsidiarity condition is then often brought into effect, but behind the scenes the EU’s civil service attempts to encourage member states toward a harmonised set of laws, occasionally issuing statements and “guidelines” toward the goal they want. Eventually the EU issues directives to complete that process of harmonisation, after which that area of law is off-limits to the national legislatures – the only legislation they can create in that area is to implement EU directives. That’s assuming the EU doesn’t simply create regulatory directives, which bypass the legislative process entirely.
In either case, it’s likely that the EU will assume some level of control over the regulation and subsidy of power generation following this announcement. Either they’ll just issue a directive, or they’ll “guide” the member states to a common position on the topic. Part of that process is overriding the efforts of the member states in that area – often quite brutally, and often in ways that allow it to look like the good guy to EU-sceptics. Then, over the course of a few years, it will implement its own version of the thing it just removed on an EU-wide basis.
As a small business person, our energy bills are crippling. We are also charged 20% VAT on those bills, plus a Climate Change levy. We are seriously having to consider whether we can afford to remain in business. If prices continue to soar, we will have to sell up.
To overseas readers, yes it is truly shocking that we are now at a stage where the EU dictates everything our government does, and our quisling politicians willingly comply. Britain is a hollow shell of a democracy.
@ tomkcook says: January 3, 2014 at 8:11 am
My comment was mostly sarcastic, and woefully too short. The EU is dealing with a conflict here. They cannot allow subsidies as that is akin to a tariff against other countries. But I am sure they would love to get rid of evil fossil fuels. So what to do? In this case, the pure role of government feeding on itself won out over the need to promote a subsidiary agenda – climate change. The effect is that indeed, the UK is screwed. Damned if they do, and damned if they do not.
Ending subsidies?
How about the taxes that funded those subsidies? Oh, silly me … they need those taxes to keep their subjects trained and under control; being a ruler is such a demanding job … noblesse oblige and all the rest of that garbage.
And the poor souls they keep under their control? How can they afford electricity from windmills? They’ll need all the cash they can get just to afford food which is so expensive because of food to gas programs.
caz jones
if you were to install solar panels at your company as an alternative energy supply would you get the feed in tariff subsidy? A large store near us has done that and I calculate they will pick up around £30000 a year from the taxpayer.
tonyb
TonyB
As we are in a conservation area, it is unlikely. Nor would I want to. Feed-in tariffs mean someone else has to pick up the bill at the end of the day, either the taxpayer or other consumers who have the cost added to their bills. The whole system is immoral.
The wind farm story intrigued me given what’s going on with SDG&E. http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/wind/sdge-montana-wind-company-in-flap-over-eagles.html IF utilities are going to walk away from renewable contracts, what’s next?
The annual mean anomalies Hadley Centre Central England Temperature (HadCET) dataset shows a decline of some 0.7°C from 2003 to 2013 (red line, 10-year running mean).
2006 was the warmest year on record for the HadCET database.
This figure was 0.6°C from 2003 to 2012, a 0.1°C decline in 1 year!
The mean, minimum and maximum datasets are updated monthly.
These daily and monthly temperatures are representative of a roughly triangular area of the United Kingdom enclosed by Lancashire, London and Bristol. The monthly series, which begins in 1659, is the longest available instrumental record of temperature in the world. The daily series begins in 1772.
See http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadcet/
Caz Jones says:
January 3, 2014 at 9:56 am
Yes, and think of this: here in Spain they gave lots of people subsidies installing solar power, and now reversed the scheme. You now have to pay taxes over the energy you generate… A catch 22.
I seem to have a comment stuck in moderation.
Now if only we could get the governor of Kansas to get with the program.
Since there might be at least a small chance that the destruction of the world’s economy from CAGW hysteria will be bad for us, we should quit being hysterical. Based purely on the precautionary principle mind you (and saving a small child).
Several items in Newsbytes that pleased me. The EU directive sounds sensible since it is becoming increasingly obvious that large numbers of Europeans are disenchanted by climate policies that make their power dearer particularly for winter warming. Europe has been experiencing long and severe winters and some 30000 Britons are reported in fuel poverty. Eventually, sooner rather than later, a backlash against the green madness may even lead to Briton leaving the EU, possibly precipitating other countries pulling out. The Eurocrats fear such a move since they would be unemployed and powerless. I think the edict is far too late to stop the gradual disintegration of the EU. I can’t imagine living in a sovereign country where many laws are made by unelected foreigners. David Cameron is merely a conduit for Brussels.
The second piece of good news is the John McLean column in the Age. The Age is Melbourne’s version of the British Guardian. Extreme left wing with never a bad word about the UN or anything associated with it. The Age can be guaranteed to run stories damaging to conservatives and prevent stories damaging to leftist causes. Ridiculing the Abbott government, deserved or not is an art form at the Age. Raising Gillard to sainthood regardless of failures was a regular feature. So to allow McLean to write the truth about the IPCC is quite something. No doubt the editor will be flooded with complaints by his very few readers who have yet to hear about expanding ice or the lack of warming for 17 years. The Age is part of Fairfax that has seen it’s share price drop by two thirds to 64 cents over recent years.
If UK wind and solar subsidies are cut then they won’t be competitive on price. But before celebrations break out, don’t forget that Osbourne introduced a carbon tax that hits gas and coal generation, which can be raised to make them as ridiculously expensive and wind and solar. This will, of course, see a wholesale departure of manufacturing industry elsewhere but then they seem to be too stupid to see this. Ironic that one of the governments big things is to get manufacturing industry to grow. I always assume that politicians with Politics-Philosophy-Economics degrees skipped the economics lectures.
The USA recent decision to allow wind farms to kill eagles in the name of CO2 is a horrendous step backwards for conservation. I hope wind eventually gets the same negative acceptance here as it is getting in the UK.
It’s like Evan Sayet the comic talks about saying that they are not stupid because if it was just stupidity once in awhile they’d be right …maybe every so often. But they are wrong virtually 100% of the time in every area they present as scientific fact. The worse part is the lengths they go to and the depths the sink to in order to promote the cause. Science, honesty and integrity be damned.
“Ethan Epstein, Weekly Standard, 13 January 2014”
Anthony, crystal ball abilities?
Happy New Year.
Andres Valencia says:
January 3, 2014 at 10:13 am
////////////////
And Winter ( defined as Dec to March) CET temperatures, as from 2000 have fallen by almost 1.5degC. But the MSM seem not willing to report on that, or put this to our DECC Ministers when interviewed.
There is no such thing as global warming, or global climate change. Climate is and always has been a local/regional affair, not a global phenomena (save other than being in an ice age or in an inter glacial period).
Presently, it is getting cold in the upper mid latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, especially in winter. Whether that trend will continue, who knows. But it is certainly newsworthy.
archonix says:
January 3, 2014 at 9:40 am
**************************************
with my limited knowledge of their inner workings option 2 sounds very possible.
always thought people were idiots for agreeing to the EU but thats just my opinion.
dmacleo says:
January 3, 2014 at 3:43 pm
“with my limited knowledge of their inner workings option 2 sounds very possible.
always thought people were idiots for agreeing to the EU but thats just my opinion.”
They are. The state media don’t explain the power structure of the EU. The population is kept in the dark, and believes voting has a meaning. In the member states, pseudo controversies about irrelevant details are cooked up in the state media to create the illusion of a political debate. I am always amazed about what I don’t miss by not using the German state media I am forced to pay for. From time to time I look at google news Germany frontpage to see what I don’t miss.
If the EU commission indeed prohibits the British Sector from further subsidation of wind and solar, I wonder what they command in the Germanic Sector. We currently pay 24 bn EUR a year to the owners of Wind and Solar contraptions to make them happy.
Pity they won’t end all the other “farm subsidies” besides wind.
I found the story It is not the EU it is the ten of the top European utility companies http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0SO8xe4l8dSaRwAyBhXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzMzd2bjlxBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDNARjb2xvA2dxMQR2dGlkA1NNRTM0Nl8x/SIG=13j4p7jec/EXP=1388841016/**http%3a//www.world-nuclear-news.org/EE-Utilities_call_for_end_of_renewable_subsidies-1410134.html
Others have hinted, in my experience when there is an EU directive like this there is always an alterior motive. As Old’un says, subsidies for off-shore generation (And who stands to gain? MH’s Govn’t and the Royal Family of course) to be unaffected/increased and too as diogenese2 says, the EU wants a carbon tax (As if there weren’t enough taxes on engergy as it is. We can see more winter deaths in the comming decades). The whole EU is bankrupt.
The UK has just opened the immigration floodgates to Romania and Bulgaria, that’s not going to be too good for the British taxpayer.
“Gerry says:
January 3, 2014 at 12:45 pm”
Go get yourself a copy of the last episode of the last series of Top Gear. They fill The Mall, in London, with vehicles all made in England. Soon, like snow, to be a thing of the past.
Much of the British steel industry is owned by or has been, or will soon be, exported to India, Tata Steel. Guess who has finacial links to Tata? The IPCC chair, Pachouri.
Jaguar/LandRover have been owned by Tata Motors since 2008.
Anyone notice a trend here?
Perhaps not. If the reduction begins now, on a sliding scale, that will bankrupt most renewables firms right away, and drive investors elsewhere. In essence, most are marginal Ponzi schemes, feeding the new money into illusory profits.
It’s a lot like a dictatorship. If the Big Man is known to be fatally ill, the rats have 2 choices: scoop what they can an flee, or immediately engage in the bloodletting life-or-death (literally) competition to replace Him. Similarly, if the open subsidies spigot is shutting down, the players will try to destroy each other, or cash out ASAP.
How can the EU tell Britain what to do? I thought Britain didn’t ‘t join the EU?
Here in Pennsylvania last week: 6 windmills, only 1 was slowly spinning in the wind. And it’s bitter cold when electric demand should be high.
David L
Britain did indeed join the EEC in 1973 and signed the Lisbon Treaty of the EU in 2004. It is a member.
It didn’t join the Euro currency.
Andres Valencia says:
January 3, 2014 at 10:13 am
The annual mean anomalies Hadley Centre Central England Temperature (HadCET) dataset shows a decline of some 0.7°C from 2003 to 2013
Furthermore, the annual trend is negative all the way back to 1988 (25 years)
David L:
At January 4, 2014 at 4:24 am you say
You may be interested to know it is very probable that the slowly spinning turbine was taking electricity FROM the grid.
Wind turbines only operate to generate power when the wind is strong enough but not too strong. However, a turbine cannot stop rotating for long times because that causes distortion of components (as a result of creep) and loss of lubricant from the bottom of turbine bearings (squeezed out by the weight of the turbine). Thus, a turbine has to be rotated at intervals or it will suffer damage when it is restarted.
This necessary imposed rotation of a turbine is obtained by using the generator as a motor powered by electricity taken from the grid.
If the wind were sufficient to operate the turbines then all 6 turbines would have been operating. The fact that only one was rotating – and was slowly rotating – strongly suggests that it was being turned and was using power from the grid to turn it.
Richard
Wind energy: sh*t happens. Have a look:
http://www.t-online.de/wirtschaft/energie/versorgerwechsel/id_67254014/rotor-abgerissen-mega-windrad-enercon-e-126-hat-fuer-schrecken-gesorgt.html
David L says:
January 4, 2014 at 4:22 am
How can the EU tell Britain what to do? I thought Britain didn’t ‘t join the EU?
David, the British joined what they thought was a trading zone, the European Economic Community (EEC). That has now morphed in the European Union (EU) which was the intention all along. It was supposed to be a United States of Europe to rival the USA. We were lied to then and we continue to be lied to. The European dream has become a nightmare with a very real threat to the future peace of Europe.
Non Nomen says:
January 4, 2014 at 7:45 am
From Google Translate – No other editing of the article linked above:
But it is actually (not quite as) worse than you think!
All wind turbine s worldwide have a global average of 21-23% availability factor: On average, over the year, they will only generate 22% of their nameplate rating. Now, of course, “at (uncertain) times” for “(uncertain and unpredictable) lengths of time” , they WILL generate all of their nameplate power (before suddenly cutting out to zero power when the windspeed gets too high!), so ALL of their support infrastructure (electric high voltage cables, transformers, control circuits, switchgear, cross-country interconnection cables, etc) HAVE to be sized for, designed for, and purchased and built for that (very seldom-achieved) full capacity. It’s like forcing a Tour de France bike racer to use a bike tire rated for 5x his weight, and 5x times his maximum speed, because “a bicycle can carry” 5x his body weight if it were used as a cargo vehicle in Senegal by a vender selling anvils and railroad ties.
Regardless, at any given point in time, 4 out of 5 slowly turning windmills are NOT generating their assumed nameplate load, but most of the time, “almost all of them” are generating a “little bit” of “part of their capacity” and are not actually using electricity from the grid. They are not generating useful, reliable power though.
They are ALL, every one of them, at all times, generating MONEY to the politicians’ friends and co-sponsors and fund raisers who ARE using the CAGW religion to take money from the taxpayers and rate payers to build and subsidize windmills for the politicians’ and academia’s profits, power, and influence!
Caz Jones says:
January 4, 2014 at 8:11 am
“We were lied to then and we continue to be lied to. The European dream has become a nightmare with a very real threat to the future peace of Europe.”
————————–
AH SO, …… thus it appears that Obamacare is little more than recent British history “repeating itself” here in the US of A.
The times they are a-changing…It is estimated, that since 1990 more laws were made in UK Parliament than from 1688(Bill of Rights) until 1990. And that is not because jurisdiction has become so difficult: 80% of these laws since 1990 were made because the Brussels Kommissars told the british Parliament they had to. No more lightbulbs but “energy-saving” mercury-bombs, And most ridiculous, a comforter-chain decree consisting of 52 pages. Happy Babyfaces all over Europe!
If Britian actual ends the wind and solar subsides, they’re going to have a huge number of unused rusted wind turbines cluttering the landscape (just as the USA does), along with a bunch of abandoned solar facilities. These things aren’t anywhere near close to being practical or competitive, and are a gross waste of taxpayer funds. But then I’m preachin’ to the choir here of course. :0)
I had an interesting encounter recently as a guest lecturer. A question was asked why we shouldn’t have all future energy supplied by wind turbines.
I asked the young lady to assume she worked the summer to buy a car. “A salesman showed you one and explained in glowing terms that it would run for free. Upon arriving home you read the operating manual to discover that you could only drive it two days out of the week. And to complicate things you couldn’t plan on the day or even the hour you could drive it…how would you feel?”
She wrinkled up her nose and in a college sophomore tone said, “…that sucks.”
RACookPE1978:
Thankyou for your reply to me at January 4, 2014 at 9:03 am.
Yes, I agree all you say.
The underlying problem is that the power of the wind increases as the cube of the wind speed. Hence, when a turbine is operating at near its maximal wind speed any gusts can provide blade acceleration which is too rapid for it to be countered by blade feathering. Modern wind turbines are big and the tips of their blades must not move faster than the speed of sound or the resulting instability would cause catastrophic failure.
As you say, assemblies of wind turbines are subsidy farms.
Wind turbines are expensive, polluting and environmentally damaging bird-swatters that only produce electricity some of the time and all of the time they produce NO electricity useful to an electricity grid.
For those who have not seen it, this explains why
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/papers/reprint/courtney_2006_lecture.pdf
Richard
Richard
I know that in your part of the world there are a number of solar farm applications. We have one covering 50 acres being proposed close to us.
We both know how dull and dismal the weather here has been the last few weeks (not unusual in winter) and the idea that solar power has any place in a country such as ours makes the idea of wind turbines look (almost) sane.
tonyb
Oh, but it is even worse than you think!
Granted, at zero – 2 knots, wind turbines must not only go “off-grid (they cannot generate power at all) but must (randomly) take power from the grid to drive their gears and shafts to lubricate the bearings, keep their torque shafts and generator shafts from bowing and bending so they “can” be run when the wind picks … But, most often, they are unable to generate power at all when the wind is “below threshhold” of 6-8 knots. (Nautical miles per hour.) As gusts of regularly vary 4-10 knots close to the ground, realistically, they generate very little below 10 knots.
then, as the wind increases between 8 – 30 knots, they generate more and more power – as you pointed out, power increases as the cube of wind speed. However, the wind never increases steadily, but randomly as the storm cells pass by: some close to the tower, some several kilometers away. So the grid sees an ever-increasing-but-increasingly-varied power output from the EVERY wind farm that CANNOT be predicted nor controlled!
Up to a point. At maximum design winds, the area of wind farms IS putting out maximum power! Then, suddenly, just when the wind farm system IS generating their maximum output, that ENTIRE wind farm output will drop to ZERO because every wind turbine simultaneously has reached its speed limit and MUST stop and unload its blades immediately to prevent over-speed failures.
Now, perversely opposite to the case before the storm front, when the increasing winds gradually increased power irregularly but lowly as various turbines get ever-higher and higher winds, that high speed DROPS OFF turbine immediately and suddenly: sixteen or twenty five 6 MegaWatt wind turbines all suddenly all drop to zero in one second. Then, because the wind turbine controllers are automatically controlled and automatically re-synchronized, as that high-speed gust goes by, all twenty five (or only 6 or 10 of the 25) come back on because wind is back below the speed limit. The next gust comes by, and those 6 trip back off. Maybe. Or maybe not. Or maybe all 25 will cycle back on. And stay on. Or maybe not.
Hey! You are the grid operator responsible for the stability of the electric system that millions rely on for their lives and jobs. You tell us! 8<)
Oh, but it is even worse than you think. Sudden area-wide high speeds and great gust variations over wide areas are characteristic of cold fronts coming through an entire region with a massive area of high pressure cold air air behind the front. SO, when the system doesn't need the power (because temperatures have NOT yet dropped during the front's passage), the wind turbines are regionally generating their maximum, but may overload and trip off that maximum as well. Then, in the cold weather behind the storm front, when the electric power IS needed the most, the wind turbines are back rotating slowly and uselessly at idle in the calm but very cold high pressure air.
“Rhys Jaggar says:
January 4, 2014 at 6:09 am”
It is true Britain did join the EEC (Or Common Market) in 1973, but the Heath Govn’t did not have a mandate to do that. So, entry into the EEC was completely undemocratic. Now, Britain is subject to EU laws and regulations that have no madate from British voters. Fortunately, the pound was retained and the Euro was rejected by the British people.
tonyb:
As you say to me at January 4, 2014 at 11:41 am
Yes, all that is true, and it is not only applications here in Cornwall.
I know you come down here sometimes. If you are on the road from Helston to Falmouth then stop and walk up the drive of Edgecombe Methodist Church (it is big so you can’t miss it) then look from the front of the Church. You will see over the hedge on the far side of the road and view an immense solar farm.
This illustrates another problem with stopping the insanity of solar arrays in our country. Many people oppose windfarms because of the appearance and noise of the turbines. But most of those opponents do not know the real problems of wind power (as e.g. explained in this thread by RACookPE1978).
Solar arrays are less easily seen than windfarms and are silent. So, marshaling opposition to the more problematic solar arrays is more difficult than for windfarms.
Richard
PS This morning I shall be at Mawnan Smith and not Edgecombe.
There may be hope for you Brits, to wit:
Britain’s version of Tea Party rocks political system across the pond
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/01/04/britain-version-tea-party-rocks-political-system-across-pond/?intcmp=latestnews