Most wind generating turbines have to be turned down/off with wind speeds above about 40kts average, or 50kts gust. They're basically designed to work between about 10mph and 40mph. It's not unusual to see average wind generation for short periods of time up around 40% of demand - the problem is sustaining that level come wind, rain, hail, or shine.
As is true with almost all renewables, they could/can generate 100%+ of demand when operating in their ideal conditions. The trouble is, ideal conditions tend not to coincide with demand (solar generation is best on hot sunny days, whilst peak demand is on cold, dark wintery evenings. So you really need to find a way to store the excess energy you can produce in the good times, to use in the bad times when you really need it.
That's what is so good about fossil fuels - the energy has already been captured and stored in a relatively easy to use form. Generating the leccy with a turbine is only one part of the equation when replacing fossil - you still need a way to store it. At the moment that means batteries, and when the cost of adding those to the energy mix is included, suddenly wind/solar start to look much less attractive.
So either huge expensive battery farms, or huge expensive nuclear are required to ensure stability of supply. And that nettle has not been grasped.
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Topic: Power Generation (Read 3139 times)