Gimme a Fifth

July 08, 2008

Wind could be a fifth of the electrical mix by 2030. In a stunning piece of news, the Dallas Morning News reports that wind is cheaper than coal or nuclear, making a fifth even more likely.  But they also report that the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is considering downscaling plans to add transmission capacity for wind because, well, it's fickle.  And it tends to die down when it's needed most, in the hottest part of the day; both true limitations of wind.

If you could buffer wind production, though, store it for when it's needed, wind begins to rise above its limitations.  Vehicle-to-Grid (or V2G) is a concept that delivers a neat little workaround. Imagine plugging in at work, recharging at fraction of the cost of gasoline, and cheaper yet than the price you'll fetch when you sell your buffered energy back to the grid at peak demand that afternoon.  Smart metering lets you sell to a stop limit that ensures you have enough juice to get home, where you recharge again at cheaper night rates.

You'll drive on the cheap even though you're a high roller on the spot power market.

To PUC Charman Barry Smitherman: don't discount wind's ability to deliver its fifth, or more.  Build the powerlines on the bet that buffering options and other creative solutions will emerge that dramatically expand what we can do with wind.

Photo: Peter Kurdulija on flickr