2.26.2008

Sí, se puede

Maybe a bit overly optimistic:
The system met both continuous baseload and peakloads round the clock and regardless of weather conditions. During the day of the press conference to announce the results, there was no wind at all in Germany and the country was covered by cloud. Such intermittency of solar and wind, of course, means that bioenergy has to play an important role.

Four biogas plants were used along with three wind parks and 20 PV installations. The current cost of generating electricity from the combined power plant is currently 13 eurocents per kWh, twice as expensive as conventional electricity. But then the price of conventional polluting electricity is rising fast in Germany, as everywhere else.
Price is obviously still and issue. Not so much for the individual consumer as for industry. But there is now a study to point to when the carbonistas tell us it can't be done.