New Report Questions Wind Farm Output

A new report based on research over a two-year period concludes that metered wind farms in the United Kingdom consistently generated less energy than wind proponents claim is typical.  Researchers determined the average output from wind was 24.08% of rated capacity between November 2008 and December 2010, which they say contradicts the assertion commonly made by the wind industry that wind turbines will generate on average 30% of their rated capacity over a year. In addition, the study found that at each of the four highest peak demand periods in 2010 wind output was low and that wind generation was below 20% of capacity for more than half the period of the study, which was sponsored by a leading wild lands conservation group in the U.K. Read more...