By RUSTY RIGGS
May 22, 2008 04:00 am The Renewable Energy Portfolio is part of a larger energy package in the Michigan Legislature. It would mandate that electric utilities acquire 10 percent of their power from renewable sources: biomass, solar, wind and others. Although it appears inevitable, let me put forth a little common-sense argument against the REP. Biomass is too expensive based on the simple fact of motor fuel costs. This is a bulky, low-density material spread out all over the landscape. Unless you are thinking of conscript labor and mules to gather it up and haul it to railheads it will never be competitive with Appalachian or western coal. You can judge for yourself the viability of solar in Michigan; there are far better places in the world to employ serious solar energy plans. Wind energy is viable but the REP will make it a burden. People say the big utilities are just trying to protect their excessive profits; the utilities make a good point based on reality. The REP says windmills will be hooked to the electrical grid. But the wind does not blow all the time so when it does blow, the utilities must take the windmill-generated electricity and find a home for it. And when the wind doesn't blow they must find electricity to replace it. Therefore they have to own and maintain, in standby mode, fossil fuel-fired generating capacity which they will jerk around trying to balance the intermittent supply from windmills with the changing demand of their customers. Why not consider an alternative? Instead of hooking windmills to the electrical grid, take electrical load off the grid and hook it to windmills? There are some rather common applications where the nature of wind energy would be adequate for the job: -- Municipal water towers. These are storage tanks that use the height of water to create pressure in the distribution system. They use electric pumps to fill them. Unless those pumps run all the time, wind energy could take care of this. -- There are locations that pay different rates for electricity based on time of day. In some of these, office and apartment buildings install, essentially, ice-making machines. They run these in off-peak times to make ice which they use during peak times for cooling. -- In Michigan there are many fruit processing plants that run cold storage warehouses, perhaps making ice with wind power could be advantageous for them. These are just a couple of ideas that have come into my stupid head. There are far brighter minds out there who could come up with more. The point is can you force alternative energy into the system and create inefficiencies. Or you can take demand that is compatible with alternative energy out of the system and gain efficiencies. It's something to think about before the government drives a square peg into a round hole and calls it a good fit. About the author: Rusty Riggs of Charleviox is a chemical engineer who has worked in industrial construction management and in mining, mineral processing and a coal plant. About the forum: The forum is a periodic column of opinion written by Record-Eagle readers in their areas of interest or expertise. Submissions of 500 words or less may be made by e-mailing letters@record-eagle.com. Please include biographical information and a photo.
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