{"id":303923,"date":"2024-02-23T12:18:44","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T11:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=303923"},"modified":"2024-02-23T12:18:47","modified_gmt":"2024-02-23T11:18:47","slug":"wind-power-ripoff-ontario-2024-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=303923","title":{"rendered":"Wind Power Ripoff Ontario 2024\u00a0Update"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From Science Matters<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0Ron Clutz<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Parker Gallant explains the cash flow and the grid decay in his blog article Industrial Wind Turbines demonstrate their Unreliable and Intermittent Nature From 2% to 80% of Capacity  <\/strong><\/a>H\/T John Ray.  Excerpts in italics with my bolds and added images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IWTs Generating 1.8% of their Capacity than jumping to 80.4% only a few days later<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yesterday, February 9th<\/sup>, 2024,<\/strong> those IWT spread throughout Ontario were impressive generating 94,605 MWh<\/a> <\/strong>or about what 3.1 million average households<\/strong> would consume in a day<\/strong> suggesting they are the panacea to stop climate change!  Mere days before on February 3rd<\/sup> <\/strong>and the first seven hours on February 4th<\/sup> they generated only 2,673 MWh<\/a> <\/strong>which was 1.8% of their capacity in those 31 hours.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the expression goes; they continually demonstrate their \u201ctraditional\u00a0yo yo\u201d tendencies<\/strong>\u00a0as the following\u00a0screenshot<\/a>\u00a0from IESO February 5th<\/sup>\u00a0to the 10th<\/sup>\u00a0<\/strong>demonstrates. They are the \u201cgreen\u201d in the chart which basically shows their intermittent and unreliable nature whereas the dark blue is natural gas which has the ability to ramp up and down as demand changes and to keep our grid from failing and causing blackouts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wind in green, NatGas in dark blue, Hydro in light blue, Nuclear in orange<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So, the question one should ask, was the power delivered by
those IWT on the 9th<\/sup>\u00a0of February needed here in the province?\u00a0<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As it turns out 65.8%<\/strong> of the IWT generation or 62,259 MW<\/strong> were not really needed as IESO\u2019s intertie data<\/a> (net-exports) shows it went to our neighbours in Quebec, New York and Michigan<\/strong> and the average sale price<\/strong> over the 24 hours was $19.42\/MWh<\/strong> and well below what we Ontario ratepayers\/taxpayers<\/strong> paid for it.  If we assume it was all surplus IWT generation those net-exports, we paid<\/strong> those contracted parties $135\/MWh<\/strong> for; suggests the total cost of what was sold to our neighbours came to $8,404,965<\/strong> but the price we were paid by our neighbours<\/strong> was an average of only that $19.42\/MWh. Using the latter average price received over the 24 hours means we earned only $1,227,774!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The net result is we Ontario ratepayers\/taxpayers have to eat the loss of $7,177,218 for just that one day\u2019s IWT generation.<\/strong>  The foregoing is not the exception<\/strong> particularly when Ontario\u2019s peak demand is relatively low as it was yesterday reaching only 17,057 MW at hour 19.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the foregoing reasons, we should wonder why the Ontario Minister of Energy is instructing IESO to extend the IWT contracts when their 20-year terms are up<\/strong> as they do nothing but increase our electricity costs.  Those costs will be exacerbated by the addition of BESS (battery energy storage systems)<\/strong> as the latter will simply add another costly layer in an attempt to keep our grid reliable!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The IESO  current Contracted Generation List associated with BESS (battery energy storage systems) suggests they are expecting to contract for 1,140 MW!  BESS are able to provide their rated capacity for four hours<\/strong> meaning the 1,140 MW could provide 4,560 MW before needing to be recharged<\/strong>. It is humorous the megawatts those BESS units may be able to provide is only slightly more then the IWT provided during their peak generation hour yesterday. Today (Feb. 19) at Hour 9 those IWT only generated 316 MW!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point we should wonder if<\/strong> the batteries to be utilized by those BESS contracted generators will include CATL batteries, manufactured in China and now banned in the USA<\/strong> as pointed out in a recent article. If so, Canada could be in trouble with its neighbour, the USA<\/strong>, who have security concerns about CATL batteries.<\/strong> That may have a negative impact on our intertie connections with US States<\/strong>, amusingly, where much of our surplus IWT generation went to yesterday!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, what tangled webs we weave!<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Footnote More Grid Corrosion from Wind and Solar<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Not mentioned above is a slow deterioration of baseload electricity because of renewables  <\/del>unreliables.  Gail Tverberg explains in the background post below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, I have come to the rather astounding conclusion that even\u00a0if wind turbines and solar PV could be built at zero cost, it would not make sense<\/strong>\u00a0to continue to add them to the electric grid in the absence of very much better and cheaper electricity storage than we have today. There are too many costs outside building the devices themselves. It is these\u00a0secondary costs that are problematic. Also,<\/strong>\u00a0the presence of\u00a0intermittent electricity disrupts competitive prices, leading to electricity prices that are far too low for other electricity providers<\/strong>, including those providing electricity using nuclear or natural gas. The tiny contribution of wind and solar to grid electricity\u00a0cannot make up for the loss of more traditional electricity sources due to low prices.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Climateers Tilting at Windmills Updated<\/a><\/blockquote>