Can Windpower replace Nuclear Power? Is Nuclear Pwr Green 2

T. Boone Pickens must think so, investing $10 BILLION into world's biggest windfarm in Texas. USA called "Persian Gulf of Wind" with 2/3 of USA electricity provideable by winds of Dakotas alone. Other 1/3 provideable by Texas' winds. Germany phasing out nuclear power (most Americans unaware of this) since they lead world in windpower with ~21,000 megawatts of windpower, adding over 1000 megawatts windpower yearly at increasing rate, + buying up mucho planet's solar power production & technology. Average nuclear plant: 1000 megawatts. Dangers: steam explosions (Chernobyl April 26, 1986 over 300,000 dead prematurely from cancer & other diseases, & numbers still growing) or daily leaks,ventings.

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[VANVALIS]

This person on the video needs to learn about how power is traded and how power is generated. Wind does not work the same way Nuke or Hydro does. Wind throws off the entire equation. It is not as easy as it looks on paper. Sometimes the wind does not blow. You can't just divert power from one place to another over vast distance. We cannot store power. Therefore your entire argument is based on false assumptions. Please do some research on how the power industry works before spouting off!

[conradmillermd]

@VANVALIS There may be economic intricacies of trading power, but the actuality of creating electricity from wind is the next big thing. USA leads world right now with about 35,000 megawatts of wind installed. 2009 we installed 10,000 megawatts equal to 3 nuclear plants' generating power, erected in one year. In the 8 yrs it will take to (maybe) complete construction of 2 nuclear plants in Ga we could produce equivalent of 24 nuclear plants, no waste, no cancer. Wind doesn't blow, solar?

[DrBuzz0]

despite what he may tell you about Germany, they're actually building coal fired power plants as fast as they can. They build wind turbines too, but those are so pitifully low-energy and expensive, they're just for show.

Germany has several multi-gigawatt coal burners that are being upgraded and have a 40+ year planned service life. They are building some of the largest coal power plants on earth in Germany. About a dozen current construction or enlargement projects.

[conradmillermd]

Not completely accurate. Esp re wind, Germany leads world in total wind capacity. Then there are countries like Denmark, with 25% of its electricity provided by wind. However, tho most Americans probably are unaware: USA now is leading world in amount of annual deployment of new wind megawattage. And soon, within next 2-3 years, USA WILL lead the world in wind power capacity. China will be amping up their wind power capability, so watch for them over this decade. Wind & solar can power USA

[yedrellow]

Not only that, but the things would have to be replaced every 20 years or so; most of the costs associated with these things will be replacement.

[dennisd0tc0m]

Also nukes can be mated to water electrolyzing stations and remain operational 24/7 and power the grid, while producing hydrogen with the leftover wattage.

[hinske11]

@BigBarney462

That is peak power. In my country I have NEVER seen that much power come out of any of our wind farms, most i have ever seen is 85% once. They average probably around 10% of that number.

[HiTekVagabond]

Hogwash. They don't have to be replaced ever 20 years. What parts have to be replaced? The steel towers? no. The re-enforced concrete base? no. The nicelle? no. The generator? no. We have generators in dams that have been running for 100 years. All moving things need maintenance, but not replacement. I don't get your baseless statement.

Nuclear power plants on the other hand need to be replaced every 40-50 years due to the radioactivity having made the concrete and steel brittle.

[HiTekVagabond]

Wind power can work if you use geographic diversity. The wind does not stop everywhere.  The more wind turbines, the more redundancy, the more reliable the wind energy source is.

[dennisd0tc0m]

Wind power is good. I like it. I think we should use it. Wind power needs a conventional backup. Wind doesn't blow at a consistent speed consistently. What's worse is that the days which electricity is at its highest demand are also the hot days where the air is still. As much as you dislike nuclear power, it's well suited for backing up solar and wind, as it isn't as dirty upon starts/stops.

[belgianafro]

Wind power AND solar power for main electricity production are just like bioethanol for car fuel: it makes no sense when considered carefully. It costs too much in proportion to the output it produces, no developed nation can actually build enough of them to power their entire electrical grid, and most importantly: solar and wind power are extremely INTERMITTENT electricity sources, meaning they experience either great amounts of downtime or don't frequently operate at heightened capacity.