We just returned from a road trip to Phoenix (we live in Kentucky).
I was shocked at just how many wind generators we saw in Texas. If they are moving towards depending on that they are about to be in a world of hurt.
West of Amarillo in the “Most Conservative Part” of Texas massive formations of wind turbines.
What gives?
I guess “Conservative” means cutting business deals with cronies.
Just think about the lifetime of those wind machines. Maybe 30 years, possibly 40. More likely 20 - 25. Conventional fossil and nuclear plants (as well as the B-52 bomber) all use “life extension programs” to prolong their economic life. But everything reaches the end of the road eventually when parts are no longer available or fundamental material limits are reached (think fatigue). I doubt that wind machines will be suitable for life extension, either.
Then what happens to those hundreds of thousands of machines? Abandoned in place, most likely, decrepit, falling apart. The companies that built them didn’t have to post any surety bonds to remove the junk and restore the sites at the end-of-life. The nation will have MILLIONS of these obsolete, inoperative pieces of garbage from sea to shining sea. Unfortunately, our seas won’t shine any more because they will be covered in offshore wind turbines.