July 9, 2019 by Vincent Xia

The wake from one wind turbine makes the turbines behind it less efficient. It’s similar to the way a speedboat is slowed by the choppy water caused by the boat in front. Vincent Xia reports on how scientists at Stanford University have been testing ways of fine-tuning the alignment of turbine arrays to reduce turbulence and increase output. The biggest wins (a 47% increase) are at low wind speeds, when turbines can otherwise stop altogether. At … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Renewables Tagged With: baseload, electricity, Intermittency, TransAlta Renewables, wind, wind farm

May 28, 2019 by Vincent Xia

There is a maximum speed at which solar capacity can expand. You know you’ve passed it when insufficient storage means solar curtailment, or selling the daytime excess means curtailment of other clean energy generators. As solar grows, so too will this problem. Vincent Xia, at the Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford University, reports on a new Stanford study which says emissions predictions are not taking this into account, thus … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Energy, Renewables Tagged With: carbon, curtailment, electricity, emissions, grids, Intermittency, solar, wind