JackEllis

Natural Gas & Wind Power - The Pickens Plan

Mr. Pickens has not done his homework on this topic. Natural gas is used for power generation mostly during the daytime periods, which is precisely when wind output is at its lowest levels. Instead of displacing natural gas, those 4,000 MW of wind turbines will displace mostly coal-fired generation. See www.ercot.com/meetings....

As for matching renewable energy sources with demand in time and space, it's possible now, but it is not cheap. Storage facilities, if you can find places to put them that will not run into fierce public opposition, cost significantly more than wind turbines.

I'm all for reducing our addiction to imported oil and I believe market solutions are the only way to accomplish this goal, but there's no silver bullet and I think the public has to feel a bit more pain before public opposition to some very sensible alternatives finally abates.