Wind Turbines - The Argument Against

Wind Turbines - the case against Wind Energy. The following facts have been extracted from several anti Wind Farm Web Sites. I should point out that none of these sites are against renewable energy, quite the reverse, they support sensible proposals based on true facts. These sites put forward the argument that the public is being duped by half-truths and statistics, which have no real foundation. And if all that doesn't work then financial inducements are a final weapon to convince a poorly informed public that they really would like a wind turbine or two in their backyard.

Everybody accepts that electric power is the foundation of a modern economy and sets the standard of living. The supply of electricity must be in sufficient quantity for all our needs and uninterrupted all year round. We all take for granted that the supply will be there when we want it with unwavering reliability. The consumer is not concerned with the complex technicalities and disciplined co-operation of the network of power stations required to reach, and maintain, that expectation.

The first scientific argument is that Wind Turbines don't produce the amount of electricity that they are supposed to. This was put forward first by J A Halkema. He is an authority on energy and is highly respected the world over. He purports that the information supplied to the public about the characteristics and capabilities of these machines is misleading and that the renewables companies withhold vital information if it doesn't support a positive aspect for their investment.

His argument is based on an accepted scientific formula that calculates the kinetic energy of the wind. It is that kinetic energy that moves the blades of the turbine and that rotation creates the electricity:

E = f.mspec.v3

E is the kinetic energy produced, f is a calculating factor, mspec is the specific mass (weight) of air, and v is the velocity of the moving air (wind) cubed (to the power of 3)

The specific mass of air is low, 1.18k/m3 or thereabouts. The velocity of wind is also fairly small and more importantly infinitely variable and unpredictable. As it is scientifically impossible to predict the power that drives the turbine then it must be impossible to predict the number of kilowatts produced at any instance and thus impossible to predict the kilowatt hours for any period of time. It will always be guesswork. Without exception, J A Halkema argues, this behaviour of the kinetic energy of wind makes this source of renewable energy extremely unreliable. Because of the 'power of 3' in the formula, a sudden change in wind speed from that required to produce maximum power to half of that speed will reduce the power output of the turbine to 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2, or 1/8 (12.5%) of its expected yield. This sudden reduction in supply makes grid management extremely difficult.

Wind turbines are dependant on the wind and can only create electricity between certain margins. A turbine will be at maximum capacity when the wind is at near gale force, or 8 on the Beaufort Scale. Above that speed the turbine blades are pitched to free wheel to avoid overloading and damage to the turbine and provides no power to the grid. Below 4 on the Beaufort Scale (moderate breeze) the blades are probably not turning fast enough to produce any useful electricity. At the lower margin the turbine is only producing about 4% of its intended capacity and at the higher margin 100%. What we need is somewhere in Hinstock where the wind is a constant Beaufort 8 for 24/7 - but I don't think that location exists here, or anywhere on Earth.

E.On Energie is a German company considered to be the largest producer of hydroelectric power and since 2004 the leading operator of biomass power stations. Germany is the world leader in the production of wind power; at the end of 2004 they had an installed capacity from wind turbines of 16,400 megawatt connected to the German grid. They have gathered together volumes of data covering the operation of their wind turbines and came to the following conclusions. Firstly wind energy will only be able to replace traditional power stations to a limited extent. They concluded that traditional power stations with a capacity of at least 90% of the installed wind energy capacity needed to be permanently on line to guarantee power supplies at all times. Secondly wind power feed in to the grid can only be forecast to a limited degree and cannot be predicted at all which results in reserve capacity being utilised to a far greater degree than previous and at times left these reserves perilously low. Variations were between 0.2% and 38% of the Grid's daily peak load. Wind power also needs a sizable grid infrastructure with a considerable network of high voltage overhead cables across the land to connect the Wind Farms to the National Grid.

We shouldn't forget the feed-in remunerations received by the renewable companies for supplying wind power to the grid, E.On Energie is happy to publish that it received in excess of one billion Euros in 2004. By 2020 the capacity in Germany is expected to increase threefold at least. If I was embarking on a career at this time I know where I would be looking for a placement.

Thus the argument against is not to slate wind turbine applications, they are ideal where no heavy yield is expected or reliability is not particularly an issue or where no serious risks ensue should the wind turbine fail. But they are not a blanket solution to the World's energy problem and they never will be.

The Ringmaster