PJ Media

1. Installed capacity or even average output cannot be directly compared to traditional electric generation. Without significant ability to store electricity generated by ‘alternative’ sources the comparisons are apples and oranges.

2. It doesn’t matter if the panels were free. The installation costs alone will never be recovered.

3. So what you are saying is we should race China in dumping money down a rat hole.

4. It is “fastest growing” because the government is quite adept at dumping large amounts of money down a rat hole. Without government there is no “fastest growing”.

From an engineering point of view “alternative energy” is plain stupid. It is unreliable at all time scales (from seconds to weeks). The use of ‘average’ or ‘capacity’ by promoters of this nonsense hides the fact that the ability to schedule power at all time scales is of utmost importance.

To understand the importance of time consider this. The average respiratory rate for adults is 12-18 breaths per minute. For the sake of argument assume 15 breaths per minute which works out to 21,600 breaths per day. No one would suggest that if you used your 21,600 breaths in 23 hours that it would be okay to not breath for the 24th hour. The promoters of the ‘alternative energy’ sources routinely ignore when power is generated as if it wasn’t important.

This is why ‘average’ power is useless. It is apples to oranges to compare traditional generation with ‘alternatives’ as their outputs over time are not even remotely similar.

The same holds true for ‘capacity’. A traditional generator can generate its nameplate capacity 24 hours a day 7 days a week 52 weeks a year. The output from wind ‘averages’ only 30% of its nameplate capacity. For solar, even in the desert of Arizona, generates less than one sixth its nameplate capacity.