Utilities Give Away Power as Sun Floods Grid

[Yavin4]

The 15 mile-per-hour winds that buffeted northern Germany on July 24 caused the nation’s 21,600 windmills to generate so much power that utilities such as EON AG and RWE AG (RWE) had to pay consumers to take it off the grid. Rather than an anomaly, the event marked the 31st hour this year when power companies lost money on their electricity in the intraday market because of a torrent of supply from wind and solar parks. The phenomenon was unheard of five years ago.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-29/utilities-giving-away-power-as-wind-sun-flood-european-grid.html

[fasttense]

1. In other words, Germany had so much electricity they didn't know what to do with it all.

Now, that's a problem the US should have.

[mdmc]

2. ..

[greytdemocrat]

3. Don't forget

Wind power is evil since it kills birdies. :eyes:

[oxymoron]

5. So you're saying they don't kill birds?

Or that killing birds is insignificant?

[greytdemocrat]

6. What I'm saying

Is that everytime wind power is brought up you get the PETA nuts and others that bring up bird kills.

If you want wind power there is a side affect at least till the birds get used to the generator locations.

[RegieRocker]

8. Many more birds are killed by vehicles than would ever be killed

by wind turbins. When something is stationary they will learn to avoid, at least the smart ones will. Consider it part of natural selection.
:)

[GoCubsGo]

7. Wind turbines kill bats, too.

By the tens of thousands.

[RegieRocker]

9. Proof?

[XemaSab]

14. .

http://seagullsteve.blogspot.com/2009/09/high-fives-for-low-lives.html

[Yavin4]

10. Better They Die of Toxic Fumes from Dirty Energy? n/t

[Gman]

13. Out of probably a few billion bats.

[sunflowerseed]

4. Kick

[Yavin4]

11. This Is Why The Koch Bros. Are So Active in Politics

Their fortune is in dirty energy.

[RickFromMN]

12. What if all German houses had electric cars capable of doing load balancing?

I don't think electric cars are set up to do load balancing yet; please correct me if I'm wrong.
I assume the grid would also have to be set up.

The idea is electric cars can communicate with the grid, learning when to charge slowly,
and when to upload power to the grid if the electric car has unneeded power.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle-to-grid

[ellie]

15. Oh no! Won't someone think of the

poor utility companies?

:sarcasm: