Somebody forgot to tell Rockport that coal is cheap

Posted by David Roberts at 10:07 AM on 26 May 2008

Read more about: energy | wind power | energy at home | Missouri | renewable energy

How much would your town pay to stabilize the electric bills of every home and business in it for the next 25 years?

For story: Somebody forgot to tell Rockport that coal is cheap
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hm

suzlon, the largest wind power company in india and all asia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzlon

wind capital group, a broker based in missouri.
http://www.windcapitalgroup.com/support.html

john deere, who entered the business of wind finance in 2005.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U83BvRvfmw

missouri electric cooperatives.
http://www.ruralmissouri.org/08pages/08MayWatts10.html
The need for more power led Missouri's electric co-ops to wind developers who needed buyers for their proposed wind energy in northwest Missouri. By agreeing to buy the entire output of the state's first three wind farms, the cooperatives made these projects a reality.

that bit about "rates being stabilized for 25 years" is the terms of the financing. i hope that doesn't interfere with anything else in that timeframe. in particular, the question of transmission -- i wonder if building a renewable-friendly grid runs against the desires of wind financiers looking to lock-in local buyers. it looks like people are arguing that wind is an alternative to rewiring the country?
http://www.ruralmissouri.org/08pages/08FebWatts7.html

other people want to wheel electricity; we just want to bring down the local cost of compliance.
http://www.ruralmissouri.org/07pages/07SeptWATTS2.html

trouble.

by hapa at 12:42 PM on 26 May 2008

more from the last article

Electric cooperatives generate just 5 percent of the electricity used in the United States. So why are they so concerned about the cost of environmental compliance?
It's because electric cooperatives depend more on coal for generation than the rest of the industry. Co-op generation equals about 80 percent coal, while investor-owned and municipal systems are about 50 percent coal.
So why not switch from coal to another fuel source? Coal is by far the lowest-priced fuel for generating electricity. The delivered cost to generate 1 megawatt hour from coal (fuel price plus transportation) is $13. The next cheapest source, natural gas, is roughly three times higher, at $47.

When energy costs go up, they hit the poorest Americans the hardest. Those living at the poverty level spend about 33 percent of their incomes on energy. Cooperatives tend to serve areas with income levels 16 percent lower than the national average.

what i want to know is, given one of these older plants -- which is i'm sure what they operate -- how quickly do things like heat-capture pay for themselves? when can you shut down?

by hapa at 1:03 PM on 26 May 2008

NO COAL

Weve been warned.
You been warned.
It aint warm its hot.
COAL aint cheap its too dear for us all.

by billgee at 7:48 AM on 27 May 2008
[ Parent ]

Neat story

And instructive that it's a municipal utility, where the interests of utility customers and shareholders are aligned. The munis and coops are increasingly the places where the most innovation happens on the grid (as compared to the investor-owned utilities that sadly still make up the bulk of the retail sales, and make money by building expensive, inefficient generation.)

by Sean Casten at 11:29 AM on 27 May 2008

confusing title

Are you saying that Rockport should switch back to coal for energy since it is cheap?

by phoenixar at 5:54 PM on 22 Jun 2008

ADVERTISING POLICY

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