Pacific Northwest Hydro and Wind Systems Create Excess Electricity Supply
July 10th, 2008Nope, it’s not a typo.
Gigantic hydrogen, compressed air or flywheel “batteries” could be built for times like this… If the U.S. Government’s war funding could be re-purposed for a couple of days. * chortle * Yeah right.
Dams running low? Wind not blowing? Flip the switch on the “battery” when you need it.
Via: The Oregonian:
The Northwest is awash in electric power this spring.
Rivers are swollen. Columbia River dams are running full bore. Wind farm blades are spinning.
That should be good news for the Northwest, where hydropower is cheap and wind is a leader in renewable energy. And it should be good news for California, a huge electricity consumer that often sucks up Oregon’s springtime surplus.
But a doubling of wind-power supplies and an unusually concentrated surge in water levels have challenged this season’s power operations like never before.
“You throw a spiky late runoff into the equation, and a little extra wind, and it definitely gets interesting,” said Kieran Connolly, a power manager for Bonneville Power Administration.
The result: wasted power generation, excessive spill through the dams and a sometimes frenzied juggling of dam and transmission schedules.
High water levels benefit power supplies and migrating fish, but the levels in recent weeks have been too much of a good thing.
Oregon and Washington can’t use all the electricity that’s available. And southbound transmission lines that are at capacity can’t take the extra power California consumers otherwise would eagerly devour.
In some cases, power producers are paying customers to take electricity off their hands.
Operators of the Columbia-Snake River dams say there’s enough give-and-take in the system to handle large fluctuations in water flow and wind generation. But pressures have steadily increased, and they’ll intensify as more and more wind power comes into play.
I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing this become some sort of national program. Being a sweaty fat dude, I have become rather fond of my air conditioning. (Hey, gimme a break. I live in a smallish apartment and don’t run the thing when I’m not here.) If I could have it without contributing to greenhouse gas problems, that would make my day. 🙂
Hah! What would the Enron traders do in such a situation? Snort. Chuckle. Guffaw.
@Loveandlight wow. I did not place you as a dude. Just didn’t. I am a small sweaty chick that perspires mightly on my work clothes ever since I stopped using antiperspirant. HAH. I do bathe before going to the office though.