Renewable Energy: the question of capacity 

This report from Ed Hoskins contains a lot of data and analysis, and rather than try to explain it we’ll link to it and show the conclusion. Suffice to say it does not paint a rosy picture of the renewable energy obsession gripping many countries at present. Note the huge difference between capacity and actual output.

Accordingly it can be seen that Solar energy can cost about 63 times as much as Gas Fired generation for the amount of power it is capable of generating but Offshore Windpower is about 45 times as much. Whereas Onshore Windpower is more effective at only about 16 times as much for the power it can generate.

When the weather dependent Renewables across Europe are assessed in combination, their capital cost effectiveness is about 30 times more than conventional Gas Fired electricity generation. These comparative ratios still do not account for the inevitable intermittency and non-dispatchability inherent in the poor performance of Renewables.

If the objectives of using Renewables were not confused with “saving the planet” from the output of Man-made CO2, their actual cost in-effectiveness and inherent unreliability would have always ruled them out of any consideration as means of electricity generation for a developed economy.

Full report: Renewable Energy: the question of capacity | edmhdotme