Would the intermittent nature of wind energy significantly increase regional electricity prices or disrupt power grid operations?
A project the size of Cape Wind would not likely have this effect. Here’s why: Wind turbines only generate electricity when the wind blows within certain speed ranges, so intermittency is a characteristic of wind energy. Other power sources are also intermittent to varying degrees, including solar energy and some hydropower facilities, and all power plants are subject to planned and unplanned shutdowns. A number of studies have been conducted in recent years to determine whether wind plants need to be backed up with significant amounts of “dispatchable” generation (generators that can produce power on demand), which could make grid operation more complex and expensive. Analyses from California, Minnesota, New York, and Colorado indicate that the intermittency of wind imposes some additional operating costs on electric power systems, but that these costs are modest (roughly 0.2 to 0.5 cents per kilowatt-hour) in areas where wind represents less than 20 percent of total generation. Click
The wind is one of the best sources of inexhaustible energy. Wind energy has many benefits that make it
finds more and more widespread use and gains more and more public support. However, one of the downsides is precisely the variability of power over time. Unfortunately, the production of electricity depends on the strength of the wind, which a person cannot influence. And this, I think, in the future may lead to an increase in electricity prices. Once I wondered what could affect the price of electricity and whether it is possible to find lower costs on electricity bills. There was a lot of information on this topic on the Internet. And on one of the forums, I was advised https://www.simplyswitch.com/energy/guides/fix-energy-prices/ to study this issue even better. As a result, I can say that all the information studied made me think about changing the energy supplier. Closer to the heating season, I will select the most profitable contract for myself.
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