Renewable, but not reliable?

In Monday's New York Times there was a story about the reliability of the power grid due to the increased use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy. The North American Electric Reliability Corp. has released a report concluding that measures need to be taken to improve the transmission of electricity. The report also concluded that the addition of natural gas generated electricity to the power grid could cause problems due to supply disruptions.

Washington is one of 27 states that have rules requiring the increased use of renewable energy sources to reduce carbon emissions. The concern is over the potential closure of coal plants close to major load centers. The renewable energy sources usually require electricity to be transmitted over longer distances, something the national power grid was not built to do.

This could pose many problems in the future, especially if the fossil fuel powered automobiles are replaced with rechargable electric cars.

The article was carried by many newspapers, including the Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008371544_greenenergy10.html

One problem not specifically mentioned in the article is the loss of electricity when transmitted over great distances. Any electrical conductor has a certain resistance to the flow of electricity, and transmitting electricity across longer distances increases the energy loss. Transformers are designed to minimize the losses when transmitting electricity (by increasing voltage and reducing current).