Isn't intermittency a problem with windmills?

Question

A recent report by the UK Energy Research Council was aimed at answering claims that intermittency is a problem. Despite this, the report admits that "Wind generation does mean that the output of fossil fuel-plant needs to be adjusted more frequently, to cope with fluctuations in output. Some power stations will be operated below their maximum output to facilitate this, and extra system balancing reserves will be needed. Efficiency may be reduced as a result."

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has been warned of the intermittency problem. In a 2003 BBC 2 documentary, Dr Dieter Helm, Energy Economist and Fellow in Economics, New College, Oxford, commented on wind power: -

“What we know, is the wind blows sufficient for these windmills to be producing about 35%, perhaps 40% of the time. So the paradox of building windmills is that you have to build a lot of ordinary power stations to back them up and those are going to be almost certainly gas in the short to medium term and that’s what’s required. If you ask the question who’s making sure that there’s enough gas stations out there to back up the windmills the answer is nobody.”

http://www.protectillinoisenvironment.com/intermittentenergy.htm

Answer 1

I heard a thing on the radio this weekend that talked about these new 240 foot high windmills that are supposed to alleviate the intermittent wind problems. The blades alone are each 90 feet long,.. but wow! what an eye-sore these will be.

Answer 2

It sure is.  Windmills are far from as wonderful as they are portrayed.  They also hurt the environment badly.

Answer 3

It really depends on location.  There are plenty of places that have a steady wind.. and plenty that don't... so you'd just have to make sure to pick the right locations unless it's purely supplemental or private...

Edit:  Really not sure how that's any more of an eye sore than an oil tower..

Answer 4

A balance is needed.  Solar is useless at night, but makes sense to use during the air conditioning peak load..

Nuclear should provide the base load, with the other technologies as supplements.

Oil should be conserved as a mobile fuel.

The free market will chose the best technologies.

Answer 5

I don't know if that is true in the UK but I know in places like Oklahoma and West Texas (where there are hundreds of acres of windmills) that it is not a problem since the wind blows constantly...

Hippie, the windmills are also engineered to not look like an eyesore... they are also painted a specific color blue (that you can't really see from far away) to blend with the sky...

Besides I would take the "eyesore" of a windmill over the stench of petroleum anyday (and I am from West Texas)... Besides I have also heard that they are trying to develop technology to put wind farms in the ocean...

Answer 6

There's no perfect system.

That's why you combine all of the different technologies.

Wind, solar, hydro-electric, nuclear, and fossil fuels.

Answer 7

The use of any form of energy, fossil or alternative, must be tweaked and customized to accommodate the operating theater.  

It is better to pursue it regardless of intermittencies because the mere potential of the energy source has an impact long before it is used.

Electrical transmission systems can deal with fluctuations with relative ease and would only be a problem if there were plans to eliminate parts of the power grid already in use.  There are no reasons to not pursue alternative energy sources as long as the yield is positive.

Answer 8

Yes, it is.  That's why wind power should be supplemented with hydroelectric, solar, and nuclear power in order to completely wean us from hydrocarbon fuels.