Gone With the Wind
The world is experiencing an energy crisis now, is wind power the way to go?
Date: 5/29/22
Authors: Nikolas Traavik Nesheim, Adrian Ånnestad
Energy in EU
It has long been a goal in the EU to phase out parts of fossil energy production in favor of climate-neutral alternatives. Primarily, environmental issues and climate agreements have been the driving force behind this. Lately, it is geopolitical condtitions that facilitate the debate on alternative energy sources. It is clear to countries that are dependent on Russian gas, such as Germany, that change should take place as soon as possible for geopolitical reasons.
Alternative Energy Sources
When discussing alternatives to fossil energy production, it is especially wind power and nuclear power that are relevant in Northern Europe. There are negative aspects of both wind and nuclear power. For wind, local destruction of nature and wildlife is particularly emphasized, unpredictability in actually produceded energy (production depends on how strong the wind is - this means that countries with wind power must compensate with alternative sources during periods of low production). There is also weak resource utilization in relation to other energy sources, this is illustrated by the graph below.
Source: www.energytransition.org
How to solve the energy challenges in the EU?
Germany now has sky-high electricity prices, which is due to both the increasing dependence on coal and gas and also the system costs of wind power production.
The current energy crisis cannot be solved by relying on wind power, which requires huge investments and has a low EROI (Energy Return on Investment) compared to other energy sources. Europe must invest in and increase gas and nuclear power if predictable, independent energy production is to be ensured.
Wind power production is a bit like driving a sailboat. You get nowhere when it is windless, nor does it go very fast when you have wind in the sails.
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