SEVEN MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT WIND POWER: A Danish Appraisal
Notion 1: It saves fossil fuel
That is true, but don't ask how much. More than one thousand wind turbines in Holland help to save - what do you think? One thousandth part of the country's total domestic fuel consumption. If a new type of car was designed to save one thousandth of its fuel consumption, would that be called economical? Why should wind power be any different? [NB! these figures could be replaced by e.g. West European figures, or those of Denmark, but would lead to the same conclusions]
Notion 2: It reduces the emission of greenhouse-gases.
This is also true, but again don't ask how much. This reduction is even less than the one thousandth given above, because part of our power generation is already free of greenhouse-gases: think of hydro-electric power and nuclear power.
Notion 3: Wind power replaces electrical power stations.
This is incorrect. Each megawatt of wind power must be backed up by a megawatt of conventional power. For several weeks a year a wind farm generates no power, or too little power, because of insufficient wind. But the supply of current should preferably be continuous over this period. Or perhaps not? Should we welcome black-outs? Or California-type situations? And don't let them tell you that wind energy is "stored in the network" and can be used whenever you want it. It is not true.
Notion 4: A half megawatt wind turbine provides electricity for a thousand families.
For a substantial part of the year the wind turbines are idling or generate too little power. During this period these families receive their electricity from the public network just like everyone else. By the way: who are these families? They always remain anonymous and cannot be checked.
Notion 5: Large improvements in wind generation are yet to come.
Regrettably this is incorrect. A modern wind turbine draws 45% of the available energy from the wind. According to theory the maximum is 59%. Improvements by a factor of up to 1.3 are thus possible. This is no match for the disappointing 1/1000th savings, shown above. Moreover, such improvements would not remedy the unreliable generation of power caused by variable winds.
Notion 6: Wind energy is still expensive but it will decrease in price.
Why should it?
Power from wind turbines is about 4 to 6 times more expensive than conventional power. The 1.3 times improvement that might be achieved will not help very much. Moreover, wind farms are moving from land or coastal sites to off-shore locations because of increasing environmental complaints. Off-shore wind farms are far more expensive and yield only slightly better at their improved locations. This will further increase the price of wind power.Notion 7: Denmark is an example for other countries.
This is true, but not in a good sense. Denmark generates more than 10% of its electricity consumption by wind: it is far ahead of other countries.
a) But almost half of this power is instantly exported because it is generated at night or on weekends when the country is not able to consume it. Neighbouring countries import this current reluctantly, and at one fifth of the production cost. If these countries did not do that, the Danish network would be overloaded and black-outs would result.
b) At other times, when wind speeds are low, the Danish grid cannot satisfy the demand for electricity because too many conventional power stations have been pulled down in favour of wind farms. Electricity is then imported at a higher price from the same neighbouring countries that absorbed the Danish overload a few days earlier.
The truth is that the Danish network has become unstable because of its emphasis on wind power. It is only saved by its strong electrical links with the rest of Scandinavia and Germany.