The realism he proposes includes respect for power and its limits sensitivity to unintended consequences aversion to claims of exceptionalism skepticism of easy solutions, especially those involving force and a conviction that the books will have to balance. Bacevich, uniquely respected across the political spectrum, offers a historical perspective on the illusions that have governed American policy since 1945. If the nation is to solve its predicament, it will need the revival of a distinctly American approach: the neglected tradition of realism.Īndrew J. These pressing problems threaten all of us, Republicans and Democrats. involvement in endless wars, driven by a deep infatuation with military power, has been a catastrophe for the body politic. The Limits of Power identifies a profound triple crisis facing America: the economy, in remarkable disarray, can no longer be fixed by relying on expansion abroad the government, transformed by an imperial presidency, is a democracy in form only U.S. At 10% wind penetration, the CO2 emissions reduction due to wind is approximately 45g CO2 equivalent/kWh, or about 9% of total.From an acclaimed conservative historian and former military officer, a bracing call for a pragmatic confrontation with the nation's problems The Limits of Power identifies a profound triple crisis facing America: the economy, in remarkable disarray, can no longer be fixed by relying on expansion abroad the government, transformed by an imperial presidency, is a democracy From an acclaimed conservative historian and former military officer, a bracing call for a pragmatic confrontation with the nation's problems Given these constraints, this study concludes that a more practical upper limit for wind penetration is 10%. Very high wind penetrations are not achievable in practice due to the increased need for power storage, the decrease in grid reliability, and the increased operating costs. Using wind to reduce CO2 to this level costs $150 per metric ton (i.e. At this level the CO2 emissions reduction is 90g of CO2 equivalent/kWh, or about 18% of total emissions from electricity generation.
The analysis reported in this study indicates that 20% would be the extreme upper limit for wind penetration. A conservative grid operator can achieve CO2 emissions reduction via increased wind power of approximately 18g of CO2 equivalent/kWh, or about 3.6% of total emissions from electricity generation. The extent to which CO2 emissions can be reduced by using wind power ultimately depends on the specific characteristics of an existing power grid and the amount of additional wind-induced variability risk the grid operator will tolerate. Since backup power in most cases comes from fossil fuel generators, this effectively limits the carbon-reducing potential of new wind capacity.
The need for this backup capacity significantly increases the cost of producing power from wind.
#Limits of apower install
To address this variability, power supply companies must install backup capacity, which kicks in when demand exceeds supply from the wind turbines failure to do so will adversely affect grid reliability. Wind blows at speeds that vary considerably, leading to wide variations in power output at different times and in different locations. The low CO2 emissions estimates are only possible at low levels of installed wind capacity, and even then they typically ignore the large proportion of associated emissions that come from the need for backup power sources (“spinning reserves”). This very wide range is explained by differences in what was included in each analysis, and the proportion of electricity generated by wind. This study seeks to evaluate these claims.Įxisting estimates of the life-cycle emissions from wind turbines range from 5 to 100 grams of CO2 equivalent per kilowatt hour of electricity produced. Environmentalists advocate wind power as one of the main alternatives to fossil fuels, claiming that it is both cost effective and low in carbon emissions.
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