Wind farms outperforming coal in South Australia
It’s good to see stories about wind and solar doing so well compared with fossil fuels.
Originally shared by CleanTechnica
Originally published on RenewEconomy. Last month in South Australia, the state’s wind farms accounted for 49 per cent of all electricity demand, a useful contribution given the closure of the last coal fired generator. But in NSW the wind also blew at…
http://cleantechnica.com/2016/06/09/nsw-wind-farms-deliver-record-output-last-month/
The article didn’t put much emphasise on the fact the weather was extaordinary for that whole time and without that extreme weather event the wind farms would have been pretty ordinary. Imagine a weather event where sunlight becomes extreme causing increases to solar power production. There would be an article about how solar power is awesome.
Warwick Williams
The other variable not mentioned is electricity demand. Coal is the swing producer and must adjust to the variability of both wind/solar/hydro (increased rainfall) and demand, including the application of efficiency technologies. One would expect coal to continue dropping relative to the substitution/availability of other sources and improving energy efficiency.
While not strictly about solar or wind, related good news is that Sweden Will be 100% Powered by renewable, clean energy no later than 2040. How’s that for wonderful news.
That is good Michael A Koontz
With regards to the other points about extremes of weather affecting the energy output of wind and solar, you still need a base minimum to be able to produce enough energy to eclipse coal. As more capacity comes online we should start to hear more frequent stories like this.
Alan Stainer The article was praising wind generation for the level of production and just mentioned the weather event that boosted that production to that level. Maybe the point I am trying to make is this:
While cleaner energy is good we need to keep it in perspective. Imagine if the extreme weather event resulted in far less wind than normal instead of far more. Wind power would have ran at a loss actually costing electricity to run.
This is why I am cynical of articles like this.
You are correct that the article talk about a extreme outlier at this point of time in Australias energy production. But Alan is 100% correct, as the base output for clean and renewable energy continues to rise it Will one day eclipse fossil fuel in Australia too, and it Will manage to do that without the help of extreme weather. So stories and moments like this is a positive note of what Will one day soon be our global everyday.
The planet has about 10 more years before the global oil reserve begins to deplete at an annual rate of 2 to 3 percent. That is assuming the price stays below $100. Above $100, global oil demand collapses. The G-20 nations have reduced their collective oil demand by 5 million bpd over the past 10 years due to a shift to other sources, while the 20 EM nations have been growing their oil demand. The EM nations comprise 87% of the Human population, and are the least able to cope with higher prices. The shift from Fossil Energy to renewable sources needs to accelerate rapidly. I made the shift to an EV early to avoid the rush and Florida Power & Light, my local utility, is already 20% renewable power.