Hydro, wind and solar all fail when weather doesn’t cooperate
Tom KirkmanIndependent Project Manager
When it doesn’t rain enough and there is a drought, electricity supply from hydro power is reduced.
When the wind doesn’t blow, electricity supply from wind turbines is reduced.
When the sun doesn’t shine at night, electricity supply from solar power panels is reduced.
It’s almost as if there is some kind of repeating pattern in electricity supply disruption from “renewable” energy, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
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“Disruptions to electricity supply in southwestern China could see manufacturers invest in cooler and less hydropower-dependent provinces in the future, but this summer’s heatwave is unlikely to make them relocate outright, analysts said.
… Manufacturing hubs along the Yangtze River are restricting power consumption in multiple industries to accommodate demand, while the government has called for more coal-fired power as reservoirs used by hydropower suppliers run low in the drought conditions.
If disruptions become more regular, manufacturers may channel future investment for factories towards cooler and more coal-reliant coastal regions, despite higher operating costs and the central government’s long-term goal of stimulating western provincial economies, experts said.
● … Hydropower accounts for 80 per cent of power generation in Sichuan and that coal-fired power “appears insufficient to make up for the shortfall”.
● Chinese Vice-Premier Han Zheng this week called for more coal use as hydropower supply is threatened by drought. …”