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When the Wall Street Journal praises wind power for
lowering electricity prices, you know we’ve reached a
benchmark in renewable energy.
A recent report from Bernstein Research, cited by a startled
Journal blog post, concludes that in Texas, wind power clean
energy may actually lower prices at certain times of day, by
obviating the need to switch on costly natural-gas fired
generators.
This is not a story about lowering emissions, per se. As the
Bernstein report explains, wind turbines, combined with
nuclear and coal generators, should create enough
electricity for the state at “hours of relatively low
demand,” e.g. at night and during the winter, when the winds
blow stronger, and demand is weaker.
Clean energy natural gas provides nearly 50% of Texans’
electricity, but that power is mostly “on the margin,”
meaning it is turned on when all other sources of power are
at full capacity.
From an environmental standpoint, it would of course be more
attractive if clean energy wind could take the place of coal
not gas, as coal is vastly more polluting than gas, in terms
of both CO2 and particulate matter and other pollutants.
Texas is the country’s largest generator of clean energy
wind power – by far – with over 8000 mWs of capacity,
providing about 3.6% of the state’s electricity in 2008. The
latest Electric Power Monthly shows clean energy renewables
share of generation in the Lone Star State jumped 30% from
April of 2008 to April of 2009, with most of that from wind
power.
Not everything is going well with Texas clean energy wind
power, however: due to rising costs, Austin’s clean energy
award-winning renewable electricity program has had trouble
selling all of its capacity this year. Some
environmentalists blame Austin Energy for deliberately
hiking the cost of wind power clean energy to sell more coal
and gas generated electricity, but the utility says costs
have risen — in part due to increased demand for clean
power.
B.C. Upham http://www.matternetwork.com/2009/8/wind-power-texas-actually-lowering.cfm |
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Renewable Energy: Wind Power in Texas Actually Lowering Electricity Prices 
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