[Orcnet] Wind power and gas turbines

[Keith Lofstrom]

I was reading somewhere that many utilities are accomodating
unpredictable wind power output with standby natural gas turbine 
generators to fill in when the wind isn't blowing.  Coal and
nuclear power don't turn on as fast as wind can appear and
disappear, while smaller gas turbines can come up to speed
in less than a minute.

This is allegedly the case in Europe.  Spain and Germany are
building gas turbine plants to match the power levels of the
extensive windmill farms they are building, and building new
gas pipes to Gazprom in Russia.  T. Boone Pickens is promoting
windmills - and also makes billions selling natural gas.

I don't know how much this is the case for the windmills here in
Oregon.  I suspect the Bradwood Landing gas terminal is partly
an accomodation to wind power.  As I understand it, the hydro
dams can accomodate some of the difference, but the dams on the
Columbia are mostly "running river" dams, with computer models
driving water releases from reservoirs in Canada days before
the bolus runs through the lower Columbia dams.  Hydro helps
power providers accomodate predictable usage variation, but
perhaps not erratic changes in the wind.  Maybe someone can
enlighten me about actual practice. 

Windmills might make a lot more sense with a globally-connected 
international power grid smoothing out regional variations.
Perhaps someday we will figure out how to do that, politically
and technically.  Until then, some of the windmill projects may
be expensive showpieces, touted by gas suppliers and distracting
us from more practical conservation and load shifting projects.

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com         Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs