Wind Power Systems in the United Kingdom

¶ … bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/Nature/8127177.stm

Wind has the potential of reforming UK's electricity requirements. According to a study presented by Poyry analysis, the wind power systems in the UK can be revamped significantly by 2030 without hampering the national grid or causing any energy shortages. The electric charges would be decided by the customer usage rather than wind speed. A study conducted over the National Grid, Centrica incorporated around 2.5 million weather reports recorded hourly which recorded the wind speeds in the different parts of the UK. According to the "Renewable Obligations Certificates," the study came to the conclusion that strong winds could lower electricity costs significantly. They are capable of overloading a wind turbine which are hardly ever used more that 33% of their potential. According to the situation forecasted for 2030, around 40% of the operational energy will come from renewable sources. The study stated that manageable levels of wind would allow their development to be secure yet affordable. While Dr. Phil Hare (a Poyry analyst) did believe that cheap green power is a myth, the results from the study emphasized how the use of wind power would not imply a heavy expenditure on gas or coal-based power plants to back up their progress.

Article - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/business/energy-environment/28storage.html?_r=2

The growing use of wind farms has brought forth the problem of synchronizing the power supply with the periods of peak energy needs. Hawaii has been facing the problem of importing or exporting power to the companies nearby, which is a problem with regards to its aim of having 70% of its demands met by renewable sources. Storage batteries have been decided as the most efficient solution. They would allow harnessing energy at some of the windiest locations in Hawaii. A 30-megawatt wind farm is being planned in association with the Texas-based company, Xtreme Power. A 15-megawatt battery will be installed and controlled by computers to overcome fluctuations while having its frequency regulated at 60 cycles per second. This is capable of maintaining 10 megawatt-hours of energy to deliver power in peak periods. The expenses are estimated in the range of $130 million. There have been other projects going on in the country which utilize storage batteries. The Beacon Power project near Albany with 200 flywheels of a ton each, two projects run by PSEG Global in New Jersey and the Texas-based four-megawatt battery system project completed by the American Electric Power and MidAmerican Energy Holdings are some related endeavors.

Article - http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/science/01/26/eco.energy.grid/index.html