Letters to the Editor: Yes, green power is possible ... no, it isn't
Yes, green power is definitely possible
Eldon R. Kramer, who outs himself as proprietor of a right-wing blog, opines that a worldwide grid to distribute solar energy is "pure fantasy."
He quotes one Francis Menton, who he believes "has a knowledge unmatched in this area," in support.
More: My Take: The fantasy of a worldwide electrical grid and the end of fossil fuels
Menton says "simple arithmetic shows that without massive energy storage no amount of building of wind and solar generators can make much difference in fossil fuel use ..." And he says, "Adequate energy storage devices ... do not exist as a technical matter, let alone at a remotely reasonable cost."
Of course Merton is right about the latter point, which I have made repeatedly. But the whole point of a worldwide grid, as I have noted in my columns, is to virtually eliminate the need for storage.
Merton either does not know about the possibility of a worldwide grid, or chooses not to mention it since it destroys the usual anti-green diatribes against renewable energy.
And the worldwide grid is not just possible. It is already under construction, as I will discuss in my next column.
Paul F. deLespinasse
Corvallis, Oregon
No, all-green power isn't possible
I see in last Thursday’s paper and Tuesday's paper that Paul F. deLespinasse is spouting off again about his worldwide “super grid.” Today he was kind enough to include a link he felt supports his point of view. And I agree, everyone should read that link, though I doubt most people who don’t work in the electric generation business would completely understand it. What was made abundantly clear was that large grids waste billions of dollars in lost power and how a simple mistake on one grid can take down several grids like dominos.
More: Paul deLespinasse: Technology still way ahead of political capacity
More: Letter: New, green technology better than you think
I was working for Southern California Edison in 2011 when the western U.S. grid suffered its biggest failure. A tech in Arizona pulled out an alarm card while doing a preventative maintenance routine, and tripped the high voltage line that connects Southern California with Arizona, which immediately tripped off 2,200 megawatts of the San Onofre Nuclear Generators, which was followed by other power plants that couldn’t pick up the missing power fast enough and they tripped off. It was a long day.
Just having wind and solar on your grid as a power source means you have to have twice as much reliable power you can call on when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow. Reliable power means fossil fuel-powered plants. Nuclear plants run at full power every day, all day. They are base load; gas and fuel oil plants are constantly being ramped up and down as the demand for power changes.
Paul went on to say we need to completely replace carbon fuels. Say good-bye to plastics, and half of the stuff in our world today. Raise your hand if you’ve ever had your electric rate decreased. You get the picture. DTE has already said their rates are going up every year for years to come as they transition to green power.
Just how is Michigan going to generate enough power to power the 2 million vehicles Gov. Whitmer wants Michiganders to buy in the next few years?
Randy Boettjer
Holland
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Letters to the Editor: Yes, green power is possible ... no, it isn't
