Expanding the Electricity Grid May Be a Mistake

Perhaps T. Boone Pickens was onto something. Al writes "An article in Technology Review argues that plans to string new high-voltage lines across the US to bring wind power from the midsection of the country to the coasts, could be an expensive mistake. What's needed instead are improved local and regional electricity transmission, the development of an efficient and adaptable smart grid, and the demonstration of technology such as carbon capture and sequestration, which could prove a cheaper way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions than transmitting power from North Dakota to New York City."

Comments

Re:Problem with wind and solar?

[otterpopjunkie]

I could see this having small localized effects when massive hillsides are covered in these things (beyond all the dead birds lying around), but if you can grasp the massive amount of kinetic and potential energy of the earth's weather systems - and the sun beating down on the planet, then suddenly even a few hundred windmills seem insignificant.