Will wind and solar hammer hydro in Washington State?
By
David Wojick
|
October 21st, 2024
All around America there is an avalanche of proposed wind and solar projects. The idea is to replace fossil fueled electric power which is the dominant source in most places. Some States even have laws to this effect.
Setting aside that this is an impossible goal it is interesting, even amusing, to see how this avalanche might play out in Washington State. The majority of their power comes from hydro but wind and solar are poised to wipe that out as well. This is an objective losing its way!
I became aware of the avalanche a few years ago when PJM, the nation’s biggest power system operator, announced that it was swamped by wind and solar connection requests. The combined MW of the application queue actually exceeded PJM’s peak demand.
This seemed unbelievable at the time but it is now clear that this fiasco is nationwide. People are applying to build more generating capacity than can possibly be used. That is certainly enough to knock off most of the existing generation.
https://www.cfact.org/2024/10/21/will-wind-and-solar-hammer-hydro-in-washington-state/
