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BPA orders NW wind farms to curtail production

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The Bonneville Power Administration twice ordered Pacific Northwest wind farms to cut production in recent days because it has a surplus of power from hydroelectric dams.

The agency, which manages much of the power grid in the Northwest, confirmed it issued the orders during the early morning hours of Sunday and Monday, when demand is low.

The action rekindles a dispute from last year, when the agency curtailed wind turbines because the water from a large mountain snowpack left the region with more hydropower than the electrical grid could handle.

Michael Milstein, a BPA spokesman, said spring runoff has picked up in the past month or two. "Originally it wasn't looking like that wet of a year, but that has changed," he said.

The agency controls a majority o

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Submitted May 01, 2012 By: mastermariner

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Tiernan Champion Author Chicago Posts:3,455 Points:814,850 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:46:11 PM Ignore Tiernan Report Abuse A SURPLUS of power, eh? Nice.
Eflander Sophomore Author Durham Posts:111 Points:634,995 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:44:25 PM Ignore Eflander Report Abuse This is what happens when you can't distribute power as needed when some areas produce more than they need.
BeaconLite Champion Author Ottawa Posts:1,917 Points:365,275 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:41:50 PM Ignore BeaconLite Report Abuse Now why Pacific Northwest wind farms not comply to BPA ordereds? Why can't BPA sell it's surplus at a cut rate?
SavinOnFuel Champion Author Gary Posts:1,966 Points:1,254,535 Joined:Nov 2007	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:37:41 PM Ignore SavinOnFuel Report Abuse Is it just me or is this ridiculous?
Edpap Champion Author Pennsylvania Posts:4,303 Points:502,155 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:37:28 PM Ignore Edpap Report Abuse Looks like an example of bad planning and even worse management. It really does matter who is in charge...look at what has happenned to America in the last 4 years.
BobbyVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:5,487 Points:1,172,525 Joined:Jul 2009	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:36:23 PM Ignore BobbyVA Report Abuse Why doesn't this Administration get on with hydroelectric dam energy? It must be because Obama has no friends he can help in the field like the solar panel producers that wasted so much of the taxpayers money.
NemoIL Champion Author Illinois Posts:3,000 Points:1,308,245 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:36:04 PM Ignore NemoIL Report Abuse More of the "green" wind farm fraud.
armey Champion Author Oregon Posts:1,296 Points:310,255 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:34:43 PM Ignore armey Report Abuse OK! I have took a tour of that place! [Edited by: armey at 5/1/2012 4:36:14 PM EST]
Chazzy12 Champion Author Massachusetts Posts:2,711 Points:711,710 Joined:Dec 2008	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:34:32 PM Ignore Chazzy12 Report Abuse They can't sell it over the grid? Sound like a ploy to keep electric prices high.
livedream Champion Author Michigan Posts:3,664 Points:751,060 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:32:48 PM Ignore livedream Report Abuse Oh, those silly & shameful BPA officials! I feel sorry for the people of Bonneville!
blazerbob91 Champion Author Milwaukee Posts:6,122 Points:1,879,630 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:31:13 PM Ignore blazerbob91 Report Abuse Thats a new spin.
milespergallon Champion Author Illinois Posts:9,724 Points:1,904,360 Joined:Feb 2007	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:30:58 PM Ignore milespergallon Report Abuse So now we have too much electricity and no where to put it. Stark raving loonies in charge!
humblepie Champion Author Toledo Posts:34,046 Points:2,367,370 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:27:01 PM Ignore humblepie Report Abuse how special..............
PaulaRed All-Star Author Utah Posts:553 Points:484,575 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:25:31 PM Ignore PaulaRed Report Abuse what
gavinON All-Star Author Toronto Posts:562 Points:112,935 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:23:06 PM Ignore gavinON Report Abuse hmm
ChuckGVT Champion Author Vermont Posts:6,678 Points:1,688,450 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:22:14 PM Ignore ChuckGVT Report Abuse Don't need expensive energy that can't be stored.
mikaye Champion Author Cleveland Posts:3,809 Points:860,435 Joined:Jun 2010	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:21:50 PM Ignore mikaye Report Abuse even when power available it is rationed to keep prices high
Indy1 All-Star Author Quad Cities Posts:877 Points:800,575 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:20:08 PM Ignore Indy1 Report Abuse They should tell BPA to suck it up!!!
Alaydown Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:5,093 Points:819,320 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:19:46 PM Ignore Alaydown Report Abuse Climate change caused by man has already been proven false. Climate change has occurred naturally for millions of years and continues to do so even without any claims that man has contributed to it. [Are we headed for an ice age like they claimed in the 70's or what? The planet isn't warming.] There are already emission laws in effect that have reduced and/or eliminated the pollution you refer caused by coal. Plus, clean coal has also eliminated your assertion. [Edited by: Alaydown at 5/1/2012 4:28:34 PM EST]
Aviator_Rob Champion Author New York Posts:3,776 Points:409,565 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:17:21 PM Ignore Aviator_Rob Report Abuse So what, Alaydown, if only 1% of electricity is produced by oil? 50% of it is produced from coal. It simply doesn't need to be that high. Forget about coal being the highest producer of carbon dioxide. If you don't think that contributes to climate change, nothing I say will convince you. Just understand how coal is produced in this country. It's not tunnel mined, like in the old days. It's strip mined because it's more cost effective. Entire mountaintops have been buldozed in West Virginia and Kentucky and all that dirt and rock is just dumped into the rivers and streams that make up the majority of the drinking water in those places. And once that coal is burned to produce electricity, what happens to the ash that contains large amounts of mercury and heavy metals left over? It gets dumped into settling ponds where this sludge leaches into the water supply, making it unfit to drink. And what happens if the settlement pond is poorly constructed? Well, the earthen dam that holds back this foul muck, gives way and millions of tons of this stuff flows downhill. Entire towns have been wiped out when this kind of man-made disaster happened.
PathTrack Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:1,201 Points:134,545 Joined:Jan 2005	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:16:59 PM Ignore PathTrack Report Abuse Figure out a way to store it.
AnObserver Champion Author New Jersey Posts:8,334 Points:2,253,780 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:15:26 PM Ignore AnObserver Report Abuse Too much power???
rd2000 Champion Author Florida Posts:3,551 Points:682,995 Joined:Jul 2007	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:13:40 PM Ignore rd2000 Report Abuse Its about time we had more free power than we need.
paisho6 Veteran Author Oakland Posts:294 Points:37,530 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:13:28 PM Ignore paisho6 Report Abuse OK
freddel Veteran Author Minnesota Posts:398 Points:80,095 Joined:Nov 2011	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:11:41 PM Ignore freddel Report Abuse yes moderize
SUSANCK Champion Author Chicago Posts:3,622 Points:704,555 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:10:33 PM Ignore SUSANCK Report Abuse I do not see a problem.
Aviator_Rob Champion Author New York Posts:3,776 Points:409,565 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:08:01 PM Ignore Aviator_Rob Report Abuse Just want to comment on what Alaydown posted. Wind is not economically feasible in all areas. What this country needs is a modernized electrical grid, not the one we have now that Thomas Edison would recognize if he were alive today. The windiest part of the country is the Midwest from West Texas all the way up to the Dakotas. Unfortunately, it's also the place with the fewest transmission lines. We need an Interstate highway system for our power so that we can transport it from where there's a surplus to where it's needed the most. As it is, one downed tree or a brushfire under some transmission lines is all that it takes to plunge multiple states into a blackout, like what happened in the Norheast, back in 2003.
Digger52 Champion Author Chicago Posts:2,382 Points:843,960 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:07:36 PM Ignore Digger52 Report Abuse OK
bullseye100 Champion Author New Jersey Posts:2,409 Points:579,830 Joined:Aug 2011	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:06:32 PM Ignore bullseye100 Report Abuse I thought I was a fan of wind turbines until I read a report about the California Condors getting killed by them. I know everyone can find something good or bad in anything but I am siding with the birds and the report.
JENNYHK Champion Author Chicago Posts:3,616 Points:708,570 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:06:23 PM Ignore JENNYHK Report Abuse Power to spare, WOW!
Alaydown Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:5,093 Points:819,320 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:06:22 PM Ignore Alaydown Report Abuse I'm sure there will be more posts about wind turbines reducing the demand on oil. Oil is not a competitor of wind turbines. ONLY ONE PERCENT OF ELECTRICITY in the USA is produced by oil. That won't change from using wind turbines. Plus, wind turbines are another passing phase. There are already 14,000 abandoned wind turbines. They are expensive to build, maintain and operate, and they will not replace cheaper energy except under the dictatorial rule of the current party in the White House and Senate. [Edited by: Alaydown at 5/1/2012 4:09:23 PM EST]
Kaiyne Champion Author Chicago Posts:2,314 Points:467,740 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:01:26 PM Ignore Kaiyne Report Abuse No oil used...great.
smenzel Champion Author Seattle Posts:2,035 Points:1,100,930 Joined:Mar 2007	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 3:00:29 PM Ignore smenzel Report Abuse Interesting
Aviator_Rob Champion Author New York Posts:3,776 Points:409,565 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:59:40 PM Ignore Aviator_Rob Report Abuse New wind turines don't kill birds, texasvet. Their blades turn much slower while producing even more power than older turbines. Birds can fly right between them, no problem.
rx7racerca Champion Author Calgary Posts:4,183 Points:1,108,365 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:58:34 PM Ignore rx7racerca Report Abuse Send some of that surplus power to Alberta - we pay ridiculous electricity rates here (the legacy of Enron, which, like California, gamed this market and got the government to deregulate in such a way it lets producers still game the market, even though Enron's long-gone).
Aviator_Rob Champion Author New York Posts:3,776 Points:409,565 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:57:40 PM Ignore Aviator_Rob Report Abuse Why you so sure it took coal to make those wind turbines, livewire300? Natural gas is at it's lowest price in years. Coal is not energy, my friend. It's FUEL. Furnaces that produce aluminum don't use coal to produce heat. They use electricity, which can produced from ANY fuel source. You're statement was like, "All those horses used to haul Model T parts to the assembly line!"
PAborn54 All-Star Author Milwaukee Posts:970 Points:654,775 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:56:44 PM Ignore PAborn54 Report Abuse Proof that wind farms do work. There need to be more of them througout the country.
FOURXFOUR Champion Author Boston Posts:2,446 Points:1,243,205 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:56:18 PM Ignore FOURXFOUR Report Abuse Drill, Baby, Drill................
EmperorsFinest Champion Author Chicago Posts:1,564 Points:340,870 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:56:13 PM Ignore EmperorsFinest Report Abuse Electric must be cheap there.
texasvet Champion Author Texas Posts:3,822 Points:359,750 Joined:Jul 2009	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:56:03 PM Ignore texasvet Report Abuse Save the birds. Tear down a windmill.
Senrac Champion Author Lincoln Posts:1,594 Points:305,635 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:54:04 PM Ignore Senrac Report Abuse useless wind mill
Aviator_Rob Champion Author New York Posts:3,776 Points:409,565 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:52:58 PM Ignore Aviator_Rob Report Abuse Wes972 said, "Another reality of the green dreamers spending tax dollars to use unworkable solutions. Go Obama,another four years and we will really be in trouble paying for this stuff and not being able to utilize it effectively. " So, what's your solution, Wes? Drill, baby, drill? We're gonna need energy from ALL sources to make this country's energy system work. Energy use never goes down. The best you can hope for is it to level off. More babies keep being born and old people are living lonegr than ever. Everyone wants a car and cable TV. These things don't run on happy thoughts and warm feelings.
livewire300 Champion Author South Carolina Posts:3,350 Points:165,260 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:52:47 PM Ignore livewire300 Report Abuse All the COAL it took to make the windmill... Go Figure...
RAKARWOWSKI Champion Author Chicago Posts:3,975 Points:816,050 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:50:40 PM Ignore RAKARWOWSKI Report Abuse Zero pollution.
Number43 Champion Author Lexington Posts:8,672 Points:1,634,110 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:50:04 PM Ignore Number43 Report Abuse You have something there aviatar rob. That is a good idea.
RochBear Champion Author Minnesota Posts:10,449 Points:1,738,915 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:49:42 PM Ignore RochBear Report Abuse it's spring time in that part of the country, and so there is no demand for A/C, nor is there much demand for heat. This happened in the early morning hours of Sunday and Monday - when demand is low. It would be nice if there were a good way to store the extra power, but there is no good way to store AC Power. It would be nice if there were a market for this extra power, but early Morning there aren't any electric companies who need to buy extra power. Now if it were 3 PM on a hot day, there would be all kinds of power companies who would love to buy it. Too much power is a good problem to have, even though it's wasteful to not be using that "free" (provided by the wind) power. In the future when there are more EVs, the utilities, will be increasing their demand for power in the early morning, and this type of problem won't be a problem.
Aviator_Rob Champion Author New York Posts:3,776 Points:409,565 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:48:47 PM Ignore Aviator_Rob Report Abuse LSU TIGERS dmb said "Great.. Who wants a large windmill next door. Give me a small oil company " Sorry but there's no such thing as a small oil company. They just get gobbled up by Big Oil.
CPGas1815 Champion Author Michigan Posts:6,027 Points:1,099,605 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:48:35 PM Ignore CPGas1815 Report Abuse It sure seems like we are in an episode of the "Big Energy" follies.
orcar Champion Author Boise Posts:2,043 Points:773,240 Joined:Jun 2010	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:47:42 PM Ignore orcar Report Abuse This is a federal agency so what they do does not have to make sense.
Aviator_Rob Champion Author New York Posts:3,776 Points:409,565 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:46:57 PM Ignore Aviator_Rob Report Abuse Sounds like the Northwest needs to implement some off-peak pricing for electricity. Plenty of people run their washers and dryers plus their dishwashers overnight in places where electricity is cheaper at night. Kinda scary that nuclear plants can only throttle back to 85% of full capacity. Takes a long time to cool down that nuclear fuel in the reactor and that's with a constant supply coolant water. Take that away and get ready for a meltdown.
fatboy97 Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:2,459 Points:1,702,600 Joined:Aug 2007	Message Posted: May 1, 2012 2:45:30 PM Ignore fatboy97 Report Abuse Sounds stupid to me.