Open Challenge....Verifying claims with actual Grid Tie energy production.

[chuckChuck]

Chuck you might want to read up on the western interconnection.
Lots of good data there.
It is the intercomection of the western states and BC and Alberta that share the power grid supplying 80 million people.
Most recent utilization rate for solar is 23% year round or 27% summer and 13% winter on the whole grid.
It appears solar is getting the most new capacity but still produces less than 20% of the net production.
Solar has a great political push IMHO.
When we invest billions in a 13% utilization it needs a lot of political help.

Thanks for the suggestion. Yes lots of good information on their website broken down by state. You can really see the large and growing roles that wind and solar play in some states.

Here is the website:

https://www.wecc.org/Pages/home.aspx https://www.wecc.org/Pages/home.aspx

[chuckChuck]

Great post Farming 101.

Its currently 2:00 am in Tasmania, so no solar if you were wondering why.

Here is a little bit more info on King Island:

Why King Island?

As a remote island community, King Island is not connected to a mainland electricity supply. Electricity on the island was generated entirely from diesel fuel, from the 6 megawatt (MW) power station; serving 12 gigawatt hours (GWh) of annual customer demand and peaking at 2.5 MW.

The King Island Renewable Integration Project (KIREIP) was an initiative of Hydro Tasmania, with the assistance of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to develop a world-leading, hybrid off-grid power system to supply 65% of King Island’s energy needs using renewable energy. The system is capable of 100% renewable operation, the first megawatt class off-grid system with this capability in the world.

King Island has a world-leading hybrid power system that provides reliable and secure electricity supply using a high proportion of renewable energy (65% per annum). When conditions are suitable our hybrid power system delivers 100% of island's power from renewable sources, reducing diesel fuel costs.

The system has, on average, more than 20% per annum of 'diesel-off' or 100% renewable operation, including periods of several continuous days with no use of diesel generation, a world record for a grid of this scale.

KIREIP was awarded the Energy Supply Association of Australia (ESAA) Innovation Award 2013 and the United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Award 2014.

[farming101]

On King Island the chances of a person freezing to death are non existent. Hypothermia sure...
Of interest to me....

They get the majority of their power from renewables.
The diesel component is non-replaceable with present technology.
There are 1600 people on the island.
The project cost 17.65 M AUD https://arena.gov.au/projects/king-island-renewable-energy-integration-project/ https://arena.gov.au/projects/king-island-renewable-energy-integration-project/
The real time readout shows that, in effect, diesel fuel is being used to charge the batteries. This is reasonable because the batteries are an integral part of the system's design. They are needed and cannot be allowed to run down.
When it comes to producing "work worthy" energy nothing is free and there has to be an abundance and uninterrupted supply for a jurisdiction to thrive

[chuckChuck]

What they have also done on King Island is show that renewables can be safely integrated into grid systems and that renewables in some locations can provide the majority of the electricity and at sometimes all of the electricity required.

Agreed, they still require backup. They are in a more favourable climate. The cost is high. But maybe cheaper than laying underwater cables from the mainland?

So can we use renewables in Saskatchewan? Saskpower must think so because they are building several wind farms to do just that.

[shtferbrains]

What they have also done on King Island is show that renewables can be safely integrated into grid systems and that renewables in some locations can provide the majority of the electricity and at sometimes all of the electricity required.

Agreed, they still require backup. They are in a more favourable climate.

So can we use renewables in Saskatchewan? Saskpower must think so because they are building several wind farms to do just that.

You don't think politics is the sole driver on the wind farms?

[chuckChuck]

You will have to ask Sask Power and The Sask Party that question. They are the ones that are building them.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

You don't think politics is the sole driver on the wind farms?

I wish I could find the article now, but can't.
It was by a former worker of the Rostelmash combine factory in Russia. Going through how they were producing record number of combines to meet the bureaucratic quotas imposed on them. How quality, longevity, functionality etc were nearly irrelevant, only numbers in a top down system where politicians impose their will on industry, regardless of cost, or benefit or need or efficiency.
The article went on to explain how in those times the Soviet Union was large importer of grain, in spite of all of the quotas and mandates, and record breaking combine production. Then showed how things changed when the system finally collapsed. How they are now forced to make a quality product with longevity and functionality that has to compete with imported machinery. How few combines they make now, even considering the size difference, yet how much more grain they harvest. Going from an importer to exporter of grain.
Just because government mandates something, doesn't mean it is efficient, viable, sustainable, or even logical. In fact in most cases it is almost certain to be none of the above.

[chuckChuck]

So please explain why Saskpowers Crown Corporation farm rates are cheaper than Alberta's farm rates from a privatized electrical system?

[oneoff]

You will have to ask Sask Power and The Sask Party that question. They are the ones that are building them.

Here's some thoughts mat I believe to be facts.

With perhaps a rare exception...which is not the norm.. no new small scale grid tied wind projects of the size of chucks or even my project size have been grid tired in Sask for some months . Nor they will be in the future. I truly wish I were wrong and that anyone could point future wannabe farmers to try out small scale net metering via a farm setup costing less than 6 digits and within reach of any telehandler in the world.

The fact is that there are no CSA appoved inverters available for sale. PERIOD. Ego no acceptance by inspectors. But there further reasons why...and they rely on practicality; alternatives; economics and common sense.

And again I'd be the happiest person ever proven wrong. So

SECONDLY: The sound facts are that any knowledgeable person who is not first and foremost a salesman/promoter/denier/believer would fully honestly tell you; that barring exceptional circumstances; everyone contemplating small grid tied wind project(with above rare exceptions) would not spend a dime on Grid Tied small scale wind production. And to distract with some densely populated never heard of island with different options is really being that despised salesman.

The fact is that some decades of actual experience (some even in this province; and even by Sask Power maybe at you local curling rink; has already found...................................everyone concerned would be more satisfied in many possible different ways if they were to invest their environmental electrical generation budget (Net Metering Grid Tied) in with some alternate solar etc project.

Please No comments about large scale Wind Farms. None of above applies and any farmer building such a personal project only means they have have deep pockets and certainly most probably didn't properly site it well off their farm location where it would have had a good chance to break even or preferably pay some returns.

[oneoff]

So please explain why Saskpowers Crown Corporation farm rates are cheaper than Alberta's farm rates from a privatized electrical system?

As of the Dec1/2020 effective date of power bills in Sask; the Sask advantage looks to have diverged a further 10%. While a person could be mistaken; it looks like they are also crediting the 10% on the Net Metering output; which also appears as Carbon Tax free; doesn't attract the GST and becomes so confusing that an accountant would have to get used to the billing.

Bottom line is that at only $30 dollars per ton Carbon Tax....to most probably become $170 in a period of only 9 years a lot of people had better change their budgets.

Also giving support and additional meaning to the adage. "It was raised because it could be raised" (or lowered)