[ RadSafe ] RE: Wind power

[Flood, John]

-----Original Message-----
From: Neill Stanford [mailto:stanford at stanforddosimetry.com] 
Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2006 9:19 AM

>it is a great feeling to have the security of three different sources. 
>I think that is really what is needed. Put the solar panels in the 
>desert, put the windmills on the ocean bluffs and use them to augment,
>not replace, the large capacity "traditional" sources.

Direct hit on the target, Neill.

That's the way the grid system works - a mix of generation types used to
meet varying parts of demand based on each generation method's best
application. So nuclear meets the base load, coal/oil comes on line to
meet demand as it increases above base load, peaking is met using
gas-fired turbines, hydro, and its variant, pumped storage.  Wind is
factored in where available.

Solar is a special case. Since output is uncertain, it has limited use,
but it suffers from more severe shortcomings.  Manufacturing solar
panels for electricity production is an ugly process - the chemistry of
the manufacturing process involves some very nasty wastes, making solar
less environmentally friendly than most people think.  And manufacturing
the panels still requires essentially the same amount of electricity as
the panels will produce in their useful lifetime.  So making solar a
significant part of the grid cannot work, unless there is some
substantial improvement in solar output versus manufacturing needs.  It
is unquestionably the best solution for power in remote locations, but
it is not ready at the moment to be a meaningful player in a national
system.

The basic facts remain unchanged by any new technology: power production
has to meet electricity demand that changes during the day, and that
makes the scheduling of power production a controlling feature of the
production system.  Power that is produced without consuming a fuel
cannot be scheduled with sufficient reliability to meet schedule needs.
That limits wind, solar, and hydro to being supplemental production.

Bob Flood