The Problem With Wind Energy in the Northwest

This was a bad week for wind energy in the Northwest, but before I discuss this, let's step back for a few minutes.

There is a lot of interest in renewable energy in the Pacific Northwest that could supplement our hydropower.   

With our northern latitude and extensive clouds for much of the year, solar energy can only make a small contribution.   

To illustrate, here is the annual solar energy map for the U.S.  Western Oregon and Washington have poor solar resources.  Better in eastern Oregon and the Columbia Basin.  But even in these areas, there is very little resource from November through February.

The wind energy situation in the Northwest is better, but not particularly good.   Consider the map of annual wind energy resources in the U.S. (below).   The windy High Plains of the U.S. have terrific potential, but the western U.S., away from the coast, has very modest wind energy, at best.  Only the coastal waters from central Oregon to central CA have good wind potential.

Here in Washington State, the only decent non-coastal area for wind energy is the eastern slopes of the Cascades (see map below).   That is why nearly all of the wind turbines are there.  Constructing wind turbines offshore is very expensive and has significant environmental problems.

But there is a problem.   For much of the year, these turbines generate little power.

Consider the Bonneville Power Authority (BPA) statistics for the past week.   The total energy demand is the red line, and hydro generation is blue.

Wind energy (green) has been very small most of the week, except on one day (November 18) when a frontal system moved through.  The output from one nuclear plant (purple) has been constant and generally much higher.

The truth is that wind generation in our region is only really significant from late spring to late summer, when strong westerly flow descends the eastern slopes of the Cascades.

To see this, consider the winds at Ellensburg, surrounded by wind turbines on several sides.  Good winds from April into the middle of August.  But consistently slower (and often very weak) the remainder of the year.

In short, our region needs to maximize our hydro resources and invest in next-generation nuclear (fission) plants, which are inherently safe.

With rapidly increasing demand for electricity, expected to roughly double by mid-century (see NW Power Council estimate below),  without new generation capacity, there is a near certainty of blackouts, particularly during cold periods.