High Temperatures Severely Reduce Wind Power Generation

According to Bloomberg, high temperatures result in reduced winds.

Of course during hot weather, electricity demand for air conditioning soars.

Temperatures are soaring across Texas, and that’s bad news for the state’s wind power generators. 

Wind farms -- which now account for about a fifth of the state’s power mix -- are forecast to generate significantly less electricity this week as the heat builds and keeps turbines from spinning. Wind generation may peak at about 5,900 megawatts on Thursday and 6,900 megawatts Friday, less than two-thirds of what they totaled a week earlier, according to grid manager Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or Ercot.

This will be especially damaging during the night-time hours when there are no alternatives for Georgetown to obtain electricity, except from coal and gas powered generating plants, which will be able to charge a premium price.

Expect this problem to worsen in the future as subsidized wind and solar plants under cut the price of electricity during times of excess electricity generation. Low subsidized prices for electricity for wind and solar will drive the coal and gas generating plants out of business, and when that happens, the electricity price will really increase during periods of low wind and solar electrical generation.

Do not count on stable electricity prices in Georgetown, no matter what politicans tell you.