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Texas Has Enough Sun and Wind To Quit Coal, Rice Researchers Say (houstonchronicle.com)
According to new research from Rice University, Texas has enough natural patterns of wind and sun to operate without coal. "Scientists found that between wind energy from West Texas and the Gulf Coast, and solar energy across the state, Texas could meet a significant portion of its electricity demand from renewable power without extensive battery storage," reports Houston Chronicle. "The reason: These sources generate power at different times of day, meaning that coordinating them could replace production from coal-fired plants." From the report: Texas is the largest producer of wind energy in the United States, generating about 18 percent of its electricity from wind. Most of the state's wind turbines are located in West Texas, where the wind blows the strongest at night and in the early spring, when demand is low. The resource, however, can be complemented by turbines on the Gulf Coast, where wind produces the most electricity on late afternoons in the summer, when power demand is the highest. Solar energy, a small, but rapidly growing segment of the state's energy mix, also has the advantage of generating power when it is needed most -- hot, sunny summer afternoons.
In the summer, Gulf Coast wind generation could overtake West Texas wind capacity from about 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. when sea breezes kick in, Rice research showed. From about 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., solar power average capacity also could exceed wind generation in West Texas, which increases as evening turns to night. In the winter, winds in West Texas strengthen and generation increases, dropping off about 9 a.m., when solar energy begins to ramp up. "It's all a matter of timing," said Dan Woodfin, senior director of system operations at the state's grid manager, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Weather, however, remains unpredictable. Texas would still need battery storage and natural gas-fired power plants to fill in gaps when, for example, winds might slacken earlier than expected.
In the summer, Gulf Coast wind generation could overtake West Texas wind capacity from about 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. when sea breezes kick in, Rice research showed. From about 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., solar power average capacity also could exceed wind generation in West Texas, which increases as evening turns to night. In the winter, winds in West Texas strengthen and generation increases, dropping off about 9 a.m., when solar energy begins to ramp up. "It's all a matter of timing," said Dan Woodfin, senior director of system operations at the state's grid manager, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Weather, however, remains unpredictable. Texas would still need battery storage and natural gas-fired power plants to fill in gaps when, for example, winds might slacken earlier than expected.
> the Gulf Coast tends to see tropical systems of varying strength from time to time.
> Unlikely wind turbines will be running during the storms
Worse than that, the power of wind is proportional to the the velocity CUBED. That means wind turbines are great where you have steady, sustained wind.
Suppose you build a turbine to start generating power with a 10mph wind. Obviously that has implications for the design, how sturdy vs "lightweight" you make it, if you want the power of a 10mph breeze to both spin it (overcoming inertia, friction, etc) and have extra power you can draw off as electricity.
When a 100mph tropical storm / hurricane comes to the coast, the turbine will have to withstand 1,000 times as power as it's designed to spin with. A stronger hurricane would require withstanding over 4,000 times as much power.
It's entirely likely they'd be not working because they'd be strewn across the beach in many pieces.
Because there's no such thing as batteries.
Unlikely wind turbines will be running during the storms and, if damaged, will need repair before resuming operation
I'm not aware of any infrastructure that holds up well to storms.
Seriously? All of them except wind and solar do well in storms.
"Those that start by burning books, will end by burning men."
production of renewables does not pollute?
Manufacturing can be clean or dirty, depending on how you do it but it's 100% pollution free after that.
Fossil fuels also go through a manufacturing process which can be clean or dirty and it's 100% polluting after that.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
Here's the airspeed indicator of a very popular plane, one I studied thoroughly, the Cessna 172:
https://fsxtimes.files.wordpre...
The stall speed (minimum speed Vni) of the 172 is listed at 48 or 53 (flaps up or down). The Vr, minimum speed for level flight, is 55.
The green arc, extending to 129, is the normal operating range. 129 is Vno, the Maximum structural cruising speed.
The yellow arc is speeds that must only be hit in smooth air, and with great caution. "Maximum structur cruising speed"" means this in this range, above 129, turbulence can break the aircraft apart.
So the airspeed at which the aircraft may break is 2 1/2 times it's minimum speed. Hurricanes are 150MPH - a heck of a lot more than 2.5 times the 10mph sea breeze! (Hurricanes are turbulent, btw).
The red line is the Velocity Never Exceed, Vne. At 158 structural failure of the aircraft is to be expected.
So you want to make an analogy to prop-driven planes? They are destroyed at three times their minimum operating airspeed.
If you want to stick to the prop plane analogy, that suggests that a turbine designed for 10MPH would have structural failure at 30MPH. Still like that analogy?
Seriously? All of them except wind and solar do well in storms.
Just ask all the folks over in Puerto Rico who are STILL without electricity/potable water/food/etc how well "all of then" held up against a hurricane. I live in south Texas fairly close to the gulf and having grown up in the mid west, NOTHING scares me as much as the thought of another hurricane. Nothing stands up well against them.
There's no pollution in the disposal after its life expectancy?
Well they are all made out of super recyclable materials, so it's another manufacturing cycle.
What is the thermodynamic efficiency of renewables, 100%? If not 100%, can the byproducts of its use be used for something else
Yes, light and wind (which are results of the laws of physics) are 100% efficient. The energy we harvest from these renewable energy sources are a sliver of what Earth gets from our star, Sol. That which is not collected is reflected (helping reduce the impact of excess CO2) or blows by and continues acting as part of Earth's global weather system.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.