We've recently covered some of the struggles facing industrials wind power generators. Now, the Bonneville Power Administration, the governing body of power generation in the Columbia River Valley, is facing a wind power-related dilemma.
To wit, there's just too much power. As the New York Times puts it,
If the region's grid is carrying high power output from wind generators at a time when the river flow is extremely high, the combination of wind power and hydropower would exceed the demand for electricity, in expected scenarios.Besides the overabundance of power to worry about, there are also grave environmental concerns at play. If too much water flows over hydro power dams on the Columbia, the spillover will ravage protected salmon and other fish species.
The BPA has proposed offering wind power generators that excess hydropower at no cost in return for them to power down. Area coal generators would also see reduced rates on power. However, such a solution would cost the area tens of millions of dollars, perhaps up to $50 million per year as the problem recurs. Another problem with this proposed solution is that wind power generators receive federal tax credits for generating renewable energy, which they would lose and not be reimbursed for.
The real problem here is that the power grid is insufficient to effectively transmit power from areas such as the Columbia River Valley to other areas that need power. The Columbia River is known to regularly overflow whenever there is above average snowfall, which happens (somewhat paradoxically) frequently. Were the power grid upgraded, such an excess of power would be a great boon rather than a problem.
Finally, another confusion added to the mix is that coal power is being seen as an increasingly appealing option. Since the BPA will offer coal plants a reduced rate, it creates an economic incentive for coal power. No matter that coal power generally results in ecological waste (which is the reason why the abundance of hydro power is a problem in the first place).
This problem in the Columbia River Valley is an odd confluence of counter-intuitive problems, but it highlights the overwhelming need for a better energy grid, something like smart grid technology, implemented throughout California and the US.
To learn more about industrial power generation, check out Power and Composite Technologies: www.pactinc.com
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