The Great Wind Farm Robbery Revisited

The wind turbine industry gets ever more greedy with its claims for curtailment/constraint payments. Turbine operators are claiming huge sums of money just in order to shut down. 
( The Scotsman HERE ) ( Telegraph HERE )

Luckily for us, wind turbines are so pathetically incapable of actually generating on a reliable basis that the need for curtailment payments are relatively rare. 

Take this scatter graph from the National Grid Winter Consultation 2011 ( HERE )

Each dot represents an individual wind farm output (y-axis) against actual demand (x-axis) The line National Grid have drawn shows where curtailment payments may have to be made. Inevitably these are at times when turbine output is high but demand is low. In other words the turbine power is being generated when it is not needed. Yet they still have the nerve to claim huge curtailment payments.

This scatter graph also confirms two other shocking truths about wind power. The majority of the time the output is actually well below the capacity factor. It is only the occasional high wind occurrence that bigs up the capacity factor to the (still derisory) value of 20-25%. 

Also it confirms the rather obvious flaw in wind power in that there is absolutely no correlation between wind turbine output and demand. Look to the right hand end of the x-axis and you will see plenty of evidence of turbine output being well below 10% while demand was near maximum.

But still, there are occasions when for operational reasons, during periods of low demand and high wind that the grid needs to get turbines to shut down. When these occasions happen the turbine owners go into a feeding frenzy. They demand and get payments many times the value of the electricity the could have produced - just to shut down.

While other generation technologies can also get curtailment payments, they all seem to have more of a sense of moral responsibility than the massively subsidised wind turbine cartel.

These shockingly greedy payments demanded by the wind turbine operators are at least open to inspection.

But the REF (Renewable Energy Foundation - HERE) have discovered that as well as these outrageous payments there are a set of secretive extra payments made to turbine operators which are actually even more extravagant. ( SEE THIS REF LINK ) also (Power Engineering Magazine HERE).

Even so, all these payments get dwarfed by the massive ROC subsidy turbine operators receive. But these greedy claims for yet more cash are perhaps a clearer indication of the predatory and ruthless motives that drive the wind turbine gravy train.

Morally there is no reason a massively subsidised wind turbine should get even a sniff of a constraint payment. Bearing in mind how much of the time they have to rely on other generation to pick up the shortfall caused by their intermittency the occassional call to shut down should go unrewarded.

My original piece on the Great Wind Farm Robbery is HERE

Wind Farm Conquistadors

The Globalisation swindle that is wind energy has really plumbed the depths of depravity in Mexico. A new breed of Spanish Conquistadors have arrived. Like their forebears they have set out to rob the indigenous people of their land.

We may think we have it bad in England, where greedy multinationals hire celebrity lawyers at £20,000 a day to twist the truth and buy their own "justice".

But in Mexico, the wind companies trick the native population out of their land rights. They then get their thugs in to clear out those who won't leave.

If the locals stand up to the intimidation then they resort to death threats and beatings.

Most of these wind companies I should add, are European. Mainly Spanish.

Find that difficult to believe? Thinking old Billo might been at the cider too much today?

Well, my grubby little Englander: I have some links for you: (there are many more)
Oaxaca death threats to human rights defenders
Oaxaca possible conflict regarding wind energy projects
Wind parks take over indigenous lands

And then there is this one particularly - a call for objections by Amnesty International. Please use the link to raise a complaint if you can. The Campesinos need support.

Community threatened by wind farm staff

In Oaxaca Mexico,  there are about 14 different native groups. Collectively they are known as Campesinos. These poor and often illiterate native peoples put great store in typical traditional values. Things like: Your Word being your Bond.

For the wind energy corporate lawyers it was like taking candy from a baby.

Oaxaca is one of the poorest regions in Mexico. Here are some stats:

        * 34.5% of houses do not have running water;
        * 54.4% do not have plumbing;
        * 12.7% do not have electricity;
        * Only 37.8% of houses have all three of these basic services;
        * 40% of houses have dirt floors.

But don't go looking to any wind company for social improvement. They are too busy making huge profits. They don't even pay their bills.

To these globalised corporate monsters, the complaining Campesinos are just irritating Mexican Nimby's.

Campesinos can be ignored, and if they cannot be ignored they can be derided and treated with contempt. If they still continue to object then they can be beaten up - or worse.

Read this very important 2008 Paper (pdf) : Wind Conflicts In The Isthmus Of Tehuantepec by Sergio Oceransky.  It is Here and Here

If you are not appalled and disgusted by the attitude and comments from the company bosses that Sergio has recorded, then God help you.

But you can only swindle people for so long before it all boils over.

Recently a demostration and picket line of Campesino men, women and children was rammed by a bus carrying construction workers and security guards.

Twenty protestors were injured, some seriously. The outraged Campesinos returned the violence and an innocent construction worker was shot in the face and killed.

One killed 20 injured Mexican wind protest

When you get injustice, there are always those willing to push things further
(Read This Blood Curdling Blog Post Here)

Meanwhile the real villains, the people who should be held to account are 4000 miles away in Madrid counting their money.

This ugly world wide abuse is driven by governmental stupidity and plain old corporate greed. All this is fuelled by the ridiculous subsidies attached to this ineffectual energy source. (Yes - even in poverty stricken Oaxaca)

This abuse will continue until those in authority actually do something to stop it. It does not matter whether this abuse is happening in Oaxaca, Dorset or Ontario.

It must be addressed.