The posting above is quite mistaken on a number of points. Wind power is not intermittent at all -- that implies random output of an unpredictable nature -- in fact, many utilities and system operators have found that wind is very predictable using advanced, state-of-the-art wind forecasting techniques. Wind power plant ouput varies slowly over time and can be predicted in hour-ahead and day-ahead markets with increasing precision to allow operators to detemine wind output and plan for operations of their system with increasing accuracy as these techniques are further refined.

Wind energy is NOT a baseload technology and is not being promoted as such by the wind energy industry. To characterize wind energy as a baseload technology and then list the reasons why "back-up" or "firming" is needed misses the point completely and results in wind energy being dismissed by people who either do not like wind power or do not understand it or prefer (and often work in the industries promoting) fossil fuel based or nuclear power plants.

Wind energy is best viewed and understood as an ENERGY RESOURCE, not as a capacity resource. Utilities adopting wind power do not rely on it as a baseload energy resource, they do not rely on it as a CAPACITY resource. But rather, as an energy resource, wind energy displaces conventional resource, typically coal and natural gas, reducing the harmful emissions from those power plants that contribute to environmental degradation, human health issues, and global warming.

Wind power provides clean, inexhuastible, and domestically-source electricity and has become a major source of electricity generating in the U.S. -- 35% of all new power generation installed in 2007 was from wind power. Learn more about wind power, about how it works and the true benefits from it at:

www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/

www.20percentwind.org

www.awea.org

Jeff Anthony
American Wind Energy Association