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> How about when the sun don't shine and the wind don't blow? A rarity. Happens for a few hours a year, which can easily be passed with short-term storage. >

by lucumo 3y ago

> How about when the sun don't shine and the wind don't blow? A rarity. Happens for a few hours a year, which can easily be passed with short-term storage. > With too much supply renewables make no money and other producers have to make all their money in the winter months. Renewables will have to recoup their investments in the winter, yes. Since it's predictable, it's not a big deal to have seasonality. Make a lot of money in winter to tide you over for the summer. Many industries work like that.

ftth_finland 3y ago
> A rarity. Happens for a few hours a year, which can easily be passed with short-term storage. It's rather more than a rarity and for periods much longer than a few hours. Case in point: "European Wind Turbines at a Standstill Amid an Ongoing “Wind Drought” ... But as of recently, barely even a breeze has made its way through the through the winter air. ... "Britain is in the middle of a wind drought — and the timing couldn't have been worse. For several days now, the U.K. and western Europe have been calm, with barely a breeze," Thomas Moore writes for Sky News. ... Wind speeds in the U.K. have been rather slow recently, and this is impacting the country's ability to utilize wind energy. According to Yale Environment 360, the phrase "wind drought" is exactly what it sounds like — it refers to an extended period of time that an area lacks wind, or experiences slower-than-usual wind speeds. In 2021, wind speeds were 15 percent slower than in previous years, making for one of the least windy periods in the U.K. in nearly 60 years." https://www.greenmatters.com/news/wind-drought https://www.greenmatters.com/news/wind-drought > Renewables will have to recoup their investments in the winter How is solar going to recoup its investment when it produces no power during the winter months?
- ceejayoz 3y ago
  A 15% reduction in wind isn't the same as "wind don't blow"; it's "we'll need to build out some extra capacity as a buffer". > How is solar going to recoup its investment when it produces no power during the winter months? No one's building solar farms above the Arctic Circle.

by lucumo 3y ago

ftth_finland 3y ago

> A rarity. Happens for a few hours a year, which can easily be passed with short-term storage. It's rather more than a rarity and for periods much longer than a few hours. Case in point: "European Wind Turbines at a Standstill Amid an Ongoing “Wind Drought” ... But as of recently, barely even a breeze has made its way through the through the winter air. ... "Britain is in the middle of a wind drought — and the timing couldn't have been worse. For several days now, the U.K. and western Europe have been calm, with barely a breeze," Thomas Moore writes for Sky News. ... Wind speeds in the U.K. have been rather slow recently, and this is impacting the country's ability to utilize wind energy. According to Yale Environment 360, the phrase "wind drought" is exactly what it sounds like — it refers to an extended period of time that an area lacks wind, or experiences slower-than-usual wind speeds. In 2021, wind speeds were 15 percent slower than in previous years, making for one of the least windy periods in the U.K. in nearly 60 years." https://www.greenmatters.com/news/wind-drought https://www.greenmatters.com/news/wind-drought > Renewables will have to recoup their investments in the winter How is solar going to recoup its investment when it produces no power during the winter months?

ceejayoz 3y ago
A 15% reduction in wind isn't the same as "wind don't blow"; it's "we'll need to build out some extra capacity as a buffer". > How is solar going to recoup its investment when it produces no power during the winter months? No one's building solar farms above the Arctic Circle.