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What incredible about it? What would be incredible is if they came up with a way to store that energy, other than that its just another huge turbine on a post. Maine is littered with them.
Speaking as a guy with unique insights into energy generation, transmission, and distribution, I'd be all for more renewables.
The problem is the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow. Here's a solar project in eastern ND and a couple wind projects in eastern ND*. Look at 30 days back and see all the "zero output" days (no sun or wind). Yes, there are days in ND where the wind doesn't blow strong enough to generate energy. Surprising, I know.
The final, significant, hurdle to make to going fully renewable is 24/7/365 reliable supply.
We need battery technology to catch up to the generation improvements from wind and solar so we can catch it all, store it, then use it on sunless, calm days.
For now we need something to cover baseline loads on sunless, calm days. And that is fossil (coal, gas) or nuclear.
*PS -- Mr. Obama's Clean Power Plan does not give any credit to ND for those wind farms because they were installed pre-2012. So because they were in before 2012 they aren't stopping coal from being burned?
I'm not a regulator. I have to deal with the decisions of regulators and try to make them work for people who need the lights on.
Just so long as they don't absorb all the sunlight and either blot out the Sun or kill all the grass.Speaking as a guy with unique insights into energy generation, transmission, and distribution, I'd be all for more renewables.
The problem is the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow. Here's a solar project in eastern ND and a couple wind projects in eastern ND*. Look at 30 days back and see all the "zero output" days (no sun or wind). Yes, there are days in ND where the wind doesn't blow strong enough to generate energy. Surprising, I know.
The final, significant, hurdle to make to going fully renewable is 24/7/365 reliable supply.
We need battery technology to catch up to the generation improvements from wind and solar so we can catch it all, store it, then use it on sunless, calm days.
For now we need something to cover baseline loads on sunless, calm days. And that is fossil (coal, gas) or nuclear.
*PS -- Mr. Obama's Clean Power Plan does not give any credit to ND for those wind farms because they were installed pre-2012. So because they were in before 2012 they aren't stopping coal from being burned?