Comments on: PUC Deals Big Blow To Wind Generators

By: Zippo

Zippo — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 08:05:01 +0000

Hey, what was the name of that big name company that stepped away from wind here in Idaho a short while back?

By: Rod in SE Boise

Rod in SE Boise — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 06:13:43 +0000

It would be hard to convince me that wind and solar are NOT cheaper power sources than hydro, coal, or natural gas.

This also proves, once again, that the PUC exists to enhance the profits of the utilities it should be regulating. It’s hard to be anything but an anarchist when the deck is stacked so unfairly against the consumer.

By: Yar B

Yar B — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 17:44:26 +0000

It wasn’t actually good for Idaho Power. Solar and Wind aren’t firm, meaning you can’t rely on always having sun and wind to supply the power. So Idaho Power and the other companies had to provide backup generators for the power they were buying. Add into this that corporations were using this as an income generators and were taking advantage of the Purpa, and you’ve got a whole lot of lost revenue. Factor in the cost of the backup generators and it’s worse.

By: Gordon

Gordon — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 09:54:12 +0000

Not really good for anybody, Idaho Power keeps building plants and buying power from others, and will need even more if we get a dry year or five, or if all the houses now vacant and businesses now closed come back into use as the recession winds down and the mortgage writers start playing fair. By downsizing the allowable wind projects to the point that they’re not financially viable, Idaho Power limits itself to buying excess power from the Wyoming coal-fired plants and whatever else is available. It’s not just a matter of “green,” it also is a matter of availability. Unless the doom-sayers are right and the world ends, we can be pretty certain that wind and sunshine will continue to be available much of the time, pretty much forever. Coal takes a long time to dig up, prepare and haul, and useable supplies of it and natural gas are limited, no matter how big they are. Granted, both are renewable resources, but since it takes millions of years to make them, that’s not a very practical consideration.
If we use water, wind and solar as they’re available, and leave coal and natural gas for backup supplies in case of a dark, windless stretch, that should be a sustainable combination.

By: nan emouse

nan emouse — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 02:51:58 +0000

Good for ratepayers. Bad for rent seekers. Good for Idaho Power. Bad for the Obama green revolution.