Wind-Power Makers Suffer Huge Losses, Want To Abandon Major Project

BY TYLER DURDEN

Authored by Thomas Lifson via AmericanThinker.com,

The nutty-Zero wackos dream of “clean” (except for millions of dead birds, bat and whales) energy from wind farms, is dying in the face of the poor economics (even with tax subsidies) and unreliable technology.

The big wind turbine players are facing massive losses and write-downs and cancelling big offshore wind projects.

Brace yourself for demands for even more subsides to the failing industry.

The green energy subsidiary of German electrical equipment giant Siemens just reported Thursday that it lost nearly a billion dollars in the last quarter. Via Fox News (Hat tip: Beege Welborn, Hot Air):

Global green energy company Siemens Gamesa reported Thursday that it had lost a staggering $967 million during the three-month period from between October to December.

The Germany-based company, which dubs itself as "the global leader in offshore power generation," noted the wind industry has faced various unfavorable pressures leading to negative growth in recent months and years, in its earnings report for the first quarter of fiscal year 2023 released Thursday morning. The company added that governments would need to further assist the industry to ensure future positive growth.

"The negative development in our service business underscores that we have much work ahead of us to stabilize our business and return to profitability," Siemens Gamesa CEO Jochen Eickholt said in a statement.

"The beginning of fiscal year 2023 saw a further increase in global wind demand prospects for the next ten years, but further governmental action is needed to close the gap between ambitious targets and actual installations," the company added in its release.

The translation of “further government action” is increased subsidies, beyond those already offered in the misnamed “Inflation Reduction Act,” which mostly subsidizes green energy. Think Solyndra-like loan guarantees beyond those already available.

The big problem for Siemens and other makers (see below) is equipment failure and the need to lay out huge warranty expenditures. Reuters:

The company last month flagged increased failure rates of unspecified components of its installed onshore and offshore wind turbines, triggering higher warranty provisions that have also plagued Danish rival Vestas (VWS.CO).

One fundamental problem with wind energy (aside from the meager amount of power delivered compared to coal and natural gas fired generators) is the variability of the wind. It changes both intensity (speed) and direction unpredictably.

I know from work in my consulting career long ago (which I can’t discuss in detail owing to confidentiality agreements) that incredible stresses are placed on the generators, blades, and transmissions (akin to a car’s drive train) when the wind abruptly changes speed or direction.

In order to get a meaningful amount of power, the blades have to be BIG, which is why the towers of major wind farms are very tall).

But long blades are spinning rapidly, and the stresses on the materials used in the blades (often carbon fiber because the blades have to be light weight) are intense.

As Beege Wellborn reports, another major player, General Electric, is also facing losses and is cutting back:

Here in the U.S., General Electric was humming along in its financials except…*sad trombone*…when it got to their turbine business. Ooo, they took a hit, too. Really fugly numbers.

…The company’s renewable energy business has been facing challenges due to inflation and supply chain pressures. The unit reported a loss of $2.2 billion in 2022.

GE is reducing global headcount at the onshore wind unit by about 20% as part of a plan to restructure and resize the business.

What a surprise. Look who GE is counting on to save the windy day! Tax credit bailout.

…Culp said the onshore business is expected to get a boost following the restoration of the tax credit for wind projects.

At least one major project faces abandonment, as Wellborn points out:

In an interesting turn of events in New Hampshire, a company contracted with the state for an offshore wind farm is embroiled in a major tussle with the state’s department of utilities. Avangrid has told the state they can’t afford to move forward, so “we’re not building it anymore.”

The state says differently.

The developer behind the largest single offshore wind farm in the state’s pipeline on Thursday filed a formal notice of appeal to contest the Department of Public Utilities’ approval of contracts that the developer agreed to but says will no longer allow its project to be financed or built.

The DPU last month determined that the contracts, which the wind developers and utility companies agreed to in May, “are in the public interest” and approved them over the developer’s objections. Commonwealth Wind parent company Avangrid has said for months that increases in commodity prices, rising interest rates and supply shortages mean that its 1,200 megawatt renewable energy project “cannot be financed and built” under the terms of those power purchase agreements (PPAs).

With wind power, Kenny Roger's song provides wise advice.

“You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.” It’s time to walk away from wind power subsidies.

It is beyond the time to end subsidies for wind power. Not only has atmospheric CO2 risen without serious consequence, the doomsaying models proven consistently wrong, but the financial thumb on the scale via subsidies has encouraged development of a technology that is still immature, if it ever will be viable.

SUPPLEMENTARY ARTICLES

NEW ENGLAND

By the way, all of this, including rolling blackouts at ZUB-ZERO temperatures, and a lack of gas and oil for space heating, applies to New England, if:

1) New York State keeps obstructing new gas pipelines from Pennsylvania to New England; THIS SHOULD BE LEGALLY FORBIDDEN AS AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL INTERFERENCE OF INTER-STATE COMMERCE, and

2) The New England oil, gas and coal storage capacities near power plants are not increased by at least 100% to ensure RELIABLE ELECTRICAL SERVICE IN WINTER, WHICH WOULD BE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT, IF UNCERTAIN, MOTHER-NATURE, WEATHER-DEPENDENT WIND AND SOLAR WERE FURTHER EXPANDED, AS THE US AIMS TO BLINDLY COPY THAT DISASTROUS EUROPEAN SCENARIO

These articles and image are provided for reference.

ISO-NE REPORT OF 2021 ECONOMIC STUDY: FUTURE GRID RELIABILITY STUDY PHASE 1

https://www.iso-ne.com/static-assets/documents/2022/07/2021_economi...

DEEP DIVE SUMMARY OF THE ISO-NE REPORT

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/new-england-future-grid-study-iso/...

LIFE WITHOUT OIL

Life without oil means many products that are made with oil, such as the hundreds listed below, would need to be provided by wind and solar and hydro.

Folks, including Biden's attendants, wanting to get rid of fossil fuels, such as crude oil, better start doing some rethinking.

The above also applies to natural gas, which is much preferred by many industries

If you do not have abundant low-cost energy, you cannot have modern industrial economies.

APPENDIX 1

These articles contain significant information regarding wind, solar and grid-scale battery systems

GRID-SCALE BATTERY SYSTEMS IN NEW ENGLAND TO COUNTERACT SHORTFALL OF ONE-DAY WIND/SOLAR LULL

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/grid-scale-battery-sys...

COLD WEATHER OPERATION IN NEW ENGLAND DECEMBER 24, 2017 TO JANUARY 8, 2018

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/cold-weather-operation...

ANALYSIS OF WIND AND SOLAR ENERGY LULLS AND ENERGY STORAGE IN GERMANY

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/wind-and-solar-energy-...

IRELAND FUEL AND CO2 REDUCTIONS DUE TO WIND ENERGY LESS THAN CLAIMED

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/fuel-and-co2-reduction...

BATTERY SYSTEM CAPITAL COSTS, OPERATING COSTS, ENERGY LOSSES, AND AGING

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/battery-system-capital...

HIGH COSTS OF WIND, SOLAR, AND BATTERY SYSTEMS IN US NORTHEAST

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/high-costs-of-wind-sol...

CO2 is a Life Gas; No CO2 = No Life

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/co2-is-a-life-gas-no-c...

APPENDIX 2

These articles explain a lot about the world-wide “Climate Crisis” scam, based on highly compromised surface station measurements, which typically read HIGH.

Climate scientists SUBJECTIVELY adjust the readings for use in their SUBJECTIVE computerized-temperature-calculation programs, which are used in the reports of IPCC, etc., for scare-mongering purposes.

New Surface Stations Report Released – It’s ‘worse than we thought’

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/new-surface-stations-r...

Weather- Just how does it happen?

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/weather-just-how-does-...

A summary of the results of three “Physics of the Earth’s Atmosphere” papers, which were submitted for peer review at the Open Peer Review Journal.

https://globalwarmingsolved.com/2013/11/19/summary-the-physics-of-t...

APPENDIX 3

Satellites and balloons measure temperatures of the Troposphere, which starts at ground level, and has an average height of 59,000 ft at the tropics, 56,000 ft at the middle latitudes, and 20,000 ft at the poles. Above those levels starts the Stratosphere.

Balloons directly measure temperatures. Satellites measure radiation, from which temperatures are calculated.

Both consistently measure much lower temperatures than the average of 102 computer-generated graphs.

See Appendix 2 and 3

The data in the below images is for a 43-y period.

There is global warming, but it is not anywhere near as much as scare-mongers are claiming.

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/grid-scale-battery-sys...

1) Objective satellite and balloon temperatures increased from 0.00 to 0.5 C, or, or 0.116 C/decade

2) Subjective computer-generated temperatures increased from 0.00 to 1.20 C; or 0.28 C/decade, about 2.7 TIMES AS FAST

The temperature data by satellites and balloons are more accurate than land-based measurements.

See Appendix 2 and URL

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UAH_satellite_temperature_dataset

Satellite measurements are made many times during every day and systematically cover almost the entire world; +/- 85-degree latitude.

The satellite data is vastly more complete, and accurate than would be gathered by ground stations. (See Appendix 2)

Balloon measurements, made on a sampling basis, are vastly less complete than satellite measurements, but they serve as a useful crosscheck on the satellite measurements.

NOTE: Behind the 102 computer graphs are hundreds of organizations that likely receive a significant part of their revenues from governments and subsidy-receiving wind, solar, battery, etc., businesses.

The livelihood and career prospects of the people creating these graphs is more secure, if they aim high, rather than low.

https://www.scienceunderattack.com/blog/2021/2/22/latest-computer-c...

NOTE: The bottom dotted, squiggly graph is the Russian Model (IMM-C-M4), which is close to the balloon and satellite data.

A more detailed view of satellite temperatures.

APPENDIX 4

Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP) and also a member of the CO2 Coalition. Sheahen and the Coalition are collaborating on a brief.

SEPP’s October 8 newsletter contains a summary of a major 2021 paper by Happer and co-author William van Wijngaarden that completely undermines the fake “science” the IPCC and EPA used to support the case of climate alarm.

Sheahen specifically discusses the efforts of Professors William van Wijngaarden and William Happer in their pioneering work in calculating the real-world Global Warming Potentials (GWPs) of the five most common Green-House Gases (GHGs).

Sheahan explains why the approach used by IPCC is faulty, but nonetheless used by its followers, such as the US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the EPA.

These faulty methods lead to great exaggeration of the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide, methane, and other minor greenhouse gases. . . .

Sheahan shows the stunning agreement between the calculations of van Wijngaarden and Happer (W & H) with satellite measurements (and balloon measurements) of outgoing infrared radiation emitted by the earth to space . . .

Sheahan claims, because of the exceptionally good agreement between observational data and the calculations of W & H, we can conclude the W&H model has been validated.

The W&H model embodies the scientific method.

In that case, it is reasonable to use it to study other hypothetical cases.

It is not possible to do so with IPCC models, which have never achieved agreement with observations. . .

See Appendix 3

The gist of the H&W work is the greenhouse effect of CO2 in the atmosphere is almost entirely saturated, such that any additional CO2 can have almost no additional warming effect.

Here is a chart prepared by Sheahan to illustrate the H&W results.

As atmospheric CO2 increases, say from 380 to 420 ppm, it has less warming effect.

The most warming effect occurs at very low levels of CO2, say 20 to 60 ppm.

https://climatechangedispatch.com/in-search-of-a-near-perfect-co2-g...

APPENDIX 5

A timely and important new paper has just been uploaded to the CO2 Coalition website on nitrogen.

The first half of the paper on the greenhouse warming effect of N2O is quite technical

It is summarized in the first link.

Link to the full paper is at the bottom. Please distribute widely.

Authors: Will Happer, C. A. de Lange, William Wijngaarden and J.D. Ferguson

Nitrous Oxide and Climate – Why restricting N2O emissions is unnece...

Nitrous oxide (N₂0) has now joined carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) in the pantheon of “human-generated demon” gases.
GW scare-mongers view increasing concentrations of these molecules are leading to unusual and unprecedented GW, which will lead to catastrophic consequences for both our ecosystems and humanity.

Countries around the world are in the process of greatly reducing, or eliminating, the use of nitrogen fertilizers, based on heretofore poorly understood properties of nitrous oxide.

Reductions of N₂O emissions of 40 to 45 percent are being proposed in Canada , and by up to 50 percent in the Netherlands .

Sri Lanka’s complete ban on fertilizer in 2021 led to the total collapse of their primarily agricultural economy.

The CO2 Coalition has published this paper, which evaluates the GW effect of the N20 and its role in the nitrogen cycle.

Policymakers can now proceed to make informed decisions about the costs and benefits of mandated N20 reductions of this beneficial molecule.

This new paper joins previous CO2 Coalition reports on other greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane.

Key takeaways from the paper:

At current rates, a doubling of N₂O would occur in more than 400 years.
Atmospheric warming by N₂O is estimated to be 0.064 C per century.
Increasing crop production requires continued application of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer to feed a growing population.

Download the entire PDF Nitrous Oxide

It is dangerous to be correct in matters, where established men are wrong, by Voltaire

Comment by Willem Post on February 8, 2023 at 11:05am: Wind and Solar are Molly-Coddled up to Their Armpits

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Grossly Excessive Financial Incentives: About 45 to 50% of the “wind, all-in LCOE” (levelized cost of energy) of wind turbine projects consists of various financial in incentives. I have the 20-y spreadsheets.

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If no financial incentives were available, Owners would have to sell their electricity at almost 2 times the price, c/kWh, they now receive, which would be very bad PR for wind.

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THE FINANCIAL INCENTIVES ARE THE REASON MANY $BILLIONS OF $DOLLARS ARE MADE AVAILABLE BY RICH PEOPLE WHO ARE PROFITING FROM LUCRATIVE TAX-SHELTERS, SUCH AS WARREN BUFFETT, WHILE LEGALLY SCREWING ALL OTHERS, ALL IN THE NAME OF THE HOLY GRAIL, "SAVING THE PLANET"

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Wind Output is Variable Almost 100% of the Time: I looked at the hour-to-hour wind output in New England (ISO-NE website) for an entire year, 8766 hours. I was bleary eyed.
I found there ALWAYS was some wind output. It was NEVER zero.

Wind output is variable almost 100% of the time

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Counteracting Variable Wind Output: What makes wind a grid disturber, or very expensive, or very uneconomical (take your pick) is the VARIABLE output, because OTHER generators (likely gas-fired power plants) HAVE to counteract, on a less than minute-by-minute basis, the variable wind outputs, UP TO NEAR ZERO wind output, 24/7/365, year after year.

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By exporting excess electricity, such as to Quebec, via not-yet-existing HV DC lines, NE generators will do less counteracting, but Quebec generators will do more counteracting; there is no free lunch in the real engineering world.

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Cost of Counteracting Variable Wind Output: The counteracting costs imposed on the other generators will be an addition to the “all-in LCOE” of the other generators.

Depending on grid conditions/topology, that cost addition is:

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Less than 5% at up to 5% annual wind penetration,

About 5% at about 10% wind penetration,

About 10% at about 15% wind penetration, etc., as proven in Ireland at 17% wind

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That cost addition becomes very large at high levels of wind penetration, because more and more of the other generators will be operating less economically, due to:

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1) Ramping up/down, at about 75% of rated output, to counteract, on a less than minute-by-minute basis, the variable wind outputs; more Btu/kWh, more CO2/kWh, more c/kWh
2) Being on hot, synchronous standby, and cold standby; more Btu/kWh, more CO2/kWh, more c/kWh
3) Having much more fuel-guzzling cold start and stops; more Btu/kWh, more CO2/kWh, more c/kWh
4) Having much more wear and tear, more Btu/kWh, more CO2/kWh, more c/kWh.

5) Producing less, but more expensive electricity, due to inefficiently operating, at a lesser capacity factor, with wind on the grid

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NOTE: The more wind and solar on the grid, the larger the electricity quantities that need to be counteracted, and the greater the cost of the counteracting services, as proven in Germany and Ireland.

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Ignoring the Money and Environmental Impacts?

The public not looking at the wind project spreadsheets and not being made aware of wind's lifetime adverse environmental consequences, is exactly what "rich folks with tax-shelters and their protectors" want.

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Over the decades, those folks have set up nationwide PR structures to lie and cheat every-which-way to get their projects approved, built and paid for in Europe and the US.

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In that manner, wind is ARTIFICIALLY made to LOOK economically and socially palatable to the kept-ignorant/deluded/brainwashed ratepayers and taxpayers.

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The PR ideal is to make “skunk-wind" perceived as a “low-maintenance, perfumed beauty at a garden party”.

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To sum up, wind gets:

1) Various federal and state financial incentives,
2) Plus, free electric grid expansion/augmentation,
3) Plus, free backup/standby power plant services
4) Plus, free grid management services
5) Plus, free hazardous waste disposal during project life, and at end of life,
6) Plus, free legalized killing of bats and birds, including bald eagles, and killing of whales,
7) Plus, free legalized ruining of the fishing industry,
8) Plus, free sickening of people and animals with infrasound, which is felt, but not heard, kills whales, causes birth defects in lobsters,
9) Plus, free visual blight all over the place

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There would be no wind, solar and battery systems without the huge, politics-inspired, financial incentives.

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Thank heavens, ISO-NE has, till now, adequate backup/standby plants, plus adequate natural gas and fuel oil storage capacity near power plants, to INSTANTLY COUNTERACT, on a less than minute-by-minute basis, the variable outputs and absences of wind and solar, 24/7/365, year after year.

Comment by Willem Post on February 8, 2023 at 11:00am: Ukraine War, a Move by the US/EU to Preserve Hegemony and Prevent a Multi-Polar World

The war in Ukraine is not just about Ukraine and Russia, with the US/EU acting as benevolent supporters of Ukraine. The US and its NATO allies are deeply involved in the conflict. Ukraine is merely a proxy for US/EU hegemony planners. The war is part of a geo-political confrontation between the US/EU and Russia/China. The Russia/China combo is pushing to create a multi-polar world, no longer under the US/EU hegemony.

Weakening, Regime Change, Breaking Up Russia

The US State/Defense/Intel Departments likely viewed Russia as having too much resources for so few people. These Departments have been trying to break up Russia to a suitable size for decades, by means of:

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1) Undermining and subverting Russian society with foreign-financed NGOs for "spreading Freedom, Democracy and Civil Society", while Yeltsin was Russia’s President. The NGO dissing practices were outlawed by Russia.

2) Using foreign-financed internet media, and opponents of the Russian government, such as Navalny, to: 1) spread "government dirt/malfeasance" provided by US electronic eaves-dropping, and 2) organize nationwide protests in Russia.

3) Moving NATO infrastructures from East Germany to Russian borders, from 1991 to the present, to drive Russia from East Europe

4) A coup d’etat in Ukraine (major exporter of grains and seeds) in 2014 (successful)

5) A coup d’etat in Belarus (major exporter of potash fertilizers) in 2021 (unsuccessful)

6) A coup d’etat in Kazakhstan (exporter of oil, gas, coal, etc.) in 2022 (unsuccessful)

The U.S. wants to:

1) Have regime change in Russia,

2) Divide up Russia in small, easily controlled provinces,

3) Provide energy/resource-starved Europe

Weakening China

As a side benefit, these measures would weaken China, which greatly benefits from low-cost, friendly, access to Russia’s resources. China would be cut-off from these "former-Russia" resources, and from the northern shipping lanes, and from advanced computer chip making, etc.

Setting the Stage to Weaken Russia

The US-led NATO was financing/arming/training/advising the Ukraine armed forces, after the illegal Kiev coup d’etat in 2014, which ousted a democratically elected President.

Those Kiev armed forces were mostly arrayed on the western side of the defense line in the Donbas area, in East Ukraine, starting in 2014.

Genocide of Russian-Speaking People

From behind that line, the Ukraine army's AZOV/NAZI battalions used long-range artillery, and nightly infiltration raids, in the eastern part of the Donbas, to kill about 14,000, plus injure many more, by 2022, as part of a planned harassment/genocide of Russian-speaking people, who distrusted, and wanted no part of, Kiev's new government, installed with approval of the US.

Very little of the harassment/genocide was reported by the Western Media in the US and Europe, even though UN on-site observers filed weekly reports for 8 years!!!

Minsk Accords

Russia was trying to get the Minsk Accords implemented to give a measure of autonomy for the Donbas area WITHIN Ukraine. But Ukraine, France and Germany, etc., obstructed, because they and others, were using the Minsk Accords as a tool to deceive and delay, while financing/arming/training/advising Ukraine Armed Forces, for the better part of 8 years, as recently admitted by Merkel, former Chancellor of Germany, during an interview.

Russia finally had enough provocation, especially after significantly increased bombardments of the eastern Donbas by the Ukraine army in January/February, 2022.

Peace Talks Nixed by US/UK

Naftali Bennett, the Prime Minister of Israel, said: 1) just after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022, the West “blocked” a ceasefire he was helping to broker early in the war, and 2) Russia and Ukraine had made compromises.

Bennett said, “there was a good chance of reaching a ceasefire” before the Western powers “curbed” negotiations (they had another agenda), in a wide-ranging interview uploaded to YouTube.

Full-Scale War with Russia?

Washington hotheads and some extremist Russia-hating countries (Poland, the Baltics, etc.) are advocating a full-blown war against Russia, and the devastation and breakup of the Russian Federation, as well as the destruction of millions of lives in Russia and Ukraine.

Are they thinking there would not be tens of millions of dead in European countries?

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/macgregor-time-its-different

Poor, Corrupt, Ukraine a Victim of US/EU/NATO Ambitions

The US aims to transform Ukraine into a powerful military state, to weaken/exhaust, a heavily sanctioned Russia, by means of:

1) A coup d’etat in Ukraine in 2014,

2) NATO financing/arming/training/advising Ukraine’s armed forces,

3) Promising Ukraine to get “their lands back”, i.e., four Ukraine provinces in the east, and Crimea, all populated with Russian-speaking people, who overwhelmingly voted by more than 90%, to rejoin Russia. All of these areas had been part of the Russia Empire and USSR, for hundreds of years until 1991

4) Deluding the Ukraine people with EU and NATO membership promises, so they would continue to be cannon fodder “for as long as it takes”

Agenda of EU Countries

EU countries, etc., provide weapons in an antiseptic way, i.e., not getting their hands dirty, none of their people gets injured/killed, no damage in their countries.

What a good deal, if Russia would only co-operate by collapsing soon, to get control of:

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1) The low-cost coal, oil and gas and other minerals

2) The vast agricultural areas of Russia to export the crops.

Russia Dealing with Sanctions

However, Russian gas, oil, coal, and other resources, and products and services, have increasingly found their ways into the global markets via India, China, Iran, Brazil, Turkey, Africa, etc., within one year, despite US/EU sanctions imposed on Russia.

Wind-Power Makers Suffer Huge Losses, Want To Abandon Major Project

Wind-Power Makers Suffer Huge Losses, Want To Abandon Major Project

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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law