Wind Power

Stg2Suby · Dec 9, 2018

Starting this discussion for anything to do with wind power generation, see also the Solar Power thread as it has a bit of discussion on wind.

The big issue with wind seems to be the overall low and variable power output. For reference the AESO (Alberta Electric System Operator) webpage shows the current generation across the grid http://ets.aeso.ca/ets_web/ip/Market/Reports/CSDReportServlet. The wind MC Maximum Capability is 1445MW and seems to range anywhere from near zero to mid 800MW on any given day.

I've heard the business case for wind farm output typically assumes a 30% overall average of nameplate output. Wish the AESO site had a report that showed history of wind output over time but I don't see anything.

Any HTML gurus on here? There must be a way to take the wind generation MW and dump the value somewhere on a regular time interval.

RGM · Dec 9, 2018

Blackspring Ridge (BSR1)*

300

296

One wind farm seems to be doing OK

Stg2Suby · Dec 9, 2018

Yes must be good conditions, right now 1180MW generation from the windfarms, that's the most I've seen yet.

Stg2Suby · Dec 9, 2018

And not surprisingly Crowsnest Pass weather is showing winds 36kmh gusting to 50, so its blowing hard down there

Stg2Suby · Dec 10, 2018

Finally found monthly reports on the wind generation forecast vs actuals

52weekbreak · Dec 10, 2018

Actually doesn't seem bad.

Stg2Suby · Dec 10, 2018

Yes better production than I first thought, maybe averaged around 500-600MW for November, tough to tell with the chart bouncing up and down from 0 to 1200MW. You can see why the system operator doesn't like them, have fun trying to control the grid between 59.9 and 60.1Hz with the wind generation trying to knock it all over the place.

edit - I realize thats not a perfect analogy with respect to frequency control on the grid. To put it another way, with the wind generation swinging from 0-1200MW it means they have to have other machines online that can offset these power swings from the wind turbines.

retiredpop · Dec 11, 2018

Removed. Fake news!

team dirt · Dec 11, 2018

600 mw is 6% of our daily average demand. Not going to cut it boys. That’s a lot of windmills to make 6%.

X-it · Dec 11, 2018

Usually late fall and early winter get windy conditions. Big fix Alaska is an interesting show to watch, they went into a small village to fix their diesel plants. I notice one of the plants was a 100mw plant. So six of those units would produce a consistant 600mw. And not cost billions!! Just thousands. And not one dead bird as well.

https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/100-mw-generator.html

Stg2Suby · Dec 24, 2018

Wind was doing pretty good last 2 weeks, over 1000MW typically and one time nearly hit 1400MW. But today it's down to a record low of 3MW.

I also see there are 5 new wind projects approved under the governments REP Renewable Energy Project. This is from the Alberta government website:

TransAlta Corporation (Alberta-based) will build the 207-megawatt Windrise project, southwest of Fort MacLeod.
EDF Renewables Canada Inc. (subsidiary of France-based company) will build the 202-megawatt Cypress Wind Power project near Medicine Hat in partnership with the Kainai First Nation.
Capstone Infrastructure Corporation (Ontario-based) will build the 48-megawatt Buffalo Atlee wind farms near Brooks in partnership with the Sawridge First Nation.
Potentia Renewables Inc. (Ontario-based) will build the 113-megawatt Stirling Wind project near Lethbridge in partnership with the Paul First Nation, as well as Calgary-based Greengate Power Corporation.
Potentia Renewables Inc. will build two phases of the Jenner Wind Project near Brooks, for a total of 193 megawatts.

Attaching an image of that November wind summary so you don't have to open the PDF.

I think its useful because it shows that wind power does work but its a pretty crappy form of generation going up and down at random.

X-it · Dec 24, 2018

team dirt said:
600 mw is 6% of our daily average demand. Not going to cut it boys. That’s a lot of windmills to make 6%.

901 windmills to be exact, the cost must be hidden so people do not revolt.

sledn · Dec 24, 2018

X-it said:
901 windmills to be exact, the cost must be hidden so people do not revolt.

12 MW total wind energy production in all of Alberta now- Carbon Tax money paying for it all. Complete waste of money.

Stg2Suby · Dec 24, 2018

I'm still trying to get my head around the economics. One one hand the bid prices for the wind projects sound great at 3.8c per kwh, and the govt site says they are "privately funded and bringing investment to Alberta". But then they say "supported by reinvesting a portion of carbon revenues from large industrial emitters".

X-it · Dec 24, 2018

2 million dollars per mw of name plate value + god knows how much to run the grid lines to these white elephants. Absolutely ludicrous. And in 20 years they are a pile of F-en junk. More taxpayer dollars to clean up.

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