boomer

You obviously don't have the slightest clue what you are talking about!

Consider the following scenario...

Eastenders is about to finish, and two million households are about to turn on their kettles for a brew. Do you:

1. Wait for the windmills to spin up on the next tail-end of a hurricane
2. Open the valves on a PS system and release a gigawatt or so of power to the grid within seconds to solve the short term problem.

Also, can you tell us exactly what your professional speciality is?

mb

^Qwerty^

It's not too late, or at least we could avoid making the situation worse than it already is.

paulr

Of course i know what i'm talking about. It doesn't take a genuis to see the huge failing of wind energy, ie when there is no wind, and the fact that its contribution can vary between 2 and 20% of energy supply. That means when its 2%, we need other sources that can be turned on pretty quickly.
Also, take away the subsidies and it is uneconomic in todays market.

But, given the fact fossil fuels are running out, wind energy will become cheaper, and there is an emphasis on green energy, it has a future (as part of a bigger picture).

paulr

I do also declare an interest. I work in the offshore wind energy sector.

^Qwerty^

I'd agree with you on that, I just get wound up by people who seem to think, and there are a lot of them, that if you build enough windmills, it's perfectly okay to shut down and demolish our other means of generation, which is what is happening now, driven by EU targets on emissions.

It would be great to see a break through on hydro/tidal generation, as living on the Humber, the amount of energy flowing in and out each and everyday, and will continue to do so unless the moon stops orbiting the earth, is surely the most untapped resource we have.

neil-h

Assuming someone comes up with a means of energy storage that doesn't involve flooding most of Wales/Scotland (now there's a thought).

boomer

Today was NOT a record day for wind energy.

Only ZERO POINT SEVEN PERCENT (0.7 %) of the UK energy supply is coming from wind power (see http://www.bmreports.com/bsp/bsp_home.htm).

Well done guys, trebles all round

mb
p.s. It is a good job that Winter is not on its way

Chip

Which of course will not happen.

paulr

2% last night when i left work.

Oh dear.