[ RadSafe ] World's Biggest Wind Park -Capacity Factor vs. Nuclear

[Stewart Farber]

      Hi,
      An interesting note and link [below my signature], regarding a proposed 1,500 MW[e] windmill complex in Norway for an alternate energy, non-fossil, non-nuclear power generation source. As announced, the Norwegians will be investing $2.4 billion [US]. The article states that they hope to realize 13.14 terawatt hours of generation per year. 

      This hoped for generation from this windfarm, supposedly the largest in the world,  would yield a capacity factor of 32% if they meet their target vs. nuclear plants realizing capacity factors on average of well over 80%. Even at 80% capacity assumed for a nuclear plant, the capacity of windmills to equal the output  would have to be 2.5 times higher [at a minimum] . 

      Thus an installed capacity of this windmill complex at 1,500 MW[e] would equal the actual output per year of a 600 MW[e] nuclear plant [at 80% capacity]. This important point about capacity factors  of one option [wind] being so much less than nuclear has to be considered in judging alternatives vs. an economic comparison for construction and whether the costs of overall operations of one vs. the other [including the staff and rad protection activities for nuclear] makes continued operation of installed nuclear capacity and the construction of new capacity a wise and justifiable investment for a society.

      Stewart Farber, MSPH [Air Pollution Control]
      farbersa at optonline.net
      ==================
      Norway Firm Plans World's Biggest Wind Park
      http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/35223/story.htm

     
       
     

     
      OSLO - A Norwegian firm has applied for a concession for the world's biggest wind power development off western Norway with total capacity of 1,500 megawatts produced by hundreds of turbines, it said on Monday.  
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