The American Wind Energy Association is refuting the findings of a recent study published by Bentek Energy that claimed the carbon cut by the wind energy sector was either minimal or too expensive.
The United States wind group dismissed the results of the recently published Wind Power Paradox study which said that carbon reductions from wind farms in the region have too minimal an effect to be considered relevant and at too great a cost to consumers.
The wind group said that Bentek Energy’s report had used a method that took very small snapshots of the power grid in both time and geographic space, overlooking a large share of the emissions savings produced by wind energy. It also gave no credit to the fact that wind energy in California and the Pacific Northwest achieved emissions reductions by reducing the need for coal imported from other states, understated the actual emissions benefit of wind in those regions.
The AWEA countered the study with data from the United States Department of Energy which showed the opposite results than Bentek Energy’s conclusions.
It cited the first report’s claim that wind energy had not reduced carbon dioxide emissions in Colorado and Texas which was directly contradicted by the government data.
The D.O.E. data showed that wind and other renewables’ share of Texas’ energy mix increased from 1.3 percent in 2005 to 4.4 percent in 2008. Carbon dioxide emissions from the electric sector declined by 3.3 percent during that period, even though the use of electricity increased by 2 percent.
The D.O.E. data also indicated that renewable generation grew from providing 2.5 percent of
Colorado’s electricity in 2007 to 6.1 percent in 2008, which was matched by a 4.4 percent decrease of carbon dioxide emissions in power plants from 2007 to 2008.
It indicated that wind energy accounts for nearly all of Colorado’s renewable generation, which meant that
the increasing use of wind energy was directly responsible for the decline in emissions.
The AWEA also cited the Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study, which was conducted by the government and grid-operators in the United States. This study showed that obtaining 20 percent of electricity from wind energy can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent relative to the baseline electricity mix while obtaining 30 percent power from wind would increase the reduction of emissions by 37 percent.
It also noted that the chief executive of Bentek Energy Porter Bennett was also the chairman and director of IPAMS’ natural gas committee and a member of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association.
