Spanish Wind Farms and Peak Oil

There are two interesting stories in today’s Guardian in relation to the occasional interest in energy issues in this blog. The first notes that this weekend Spain produced over half of its electricity from wind farms (which happens to be equivalent to 11 nuclear power stations!) The second story notes the growing recognition that Peak Oil is upon us… Indeed it is no doubt this fact that has supported the governments recent announcement of a new nuclear programme… However, whilst as the social anarchist philosopher Murray Bookchin noted, a wind farm owned by a multinational power corporation is NOT an alternative technology, it is of course infinitely preferable to a new nuclear programme which can only work on the basis of privatised profit and socialised risk and hidden public subsidies to multinationals. A common-wealth of locally owned and democratically controlled renewable supplies would be a more robust alternative…

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/09/spain-national-record-power-windfarms

…”The massive output of wind turbines meant the Spanish grid had more
electricity than was needed over the weekend. In previous years
similar weather has forced windfarms to turn turbines off but now the
spare electricity is exported or used by hydroelectric plants to pump
water back into their dams — effectively storing the electricity for
future use….”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/09/peak-oil-international-energy-agency

..”The world is much closer to running out of oil than official estimates admit, according to a whistleblower at the International Energy Agency who claims it has been deliberately underplaying a looming shortage for fear of triggering panic buying.

The senior official claims the US has played an influential role in encouraging the watchdog to underplay the rate of decline from existing oil fields while overplaying the chances of finding new reserves.

The allegations raise serious questions about the accuracy of the organisation’s latest World Energy Outlook on oil demand and supply to be published tomorrow – which is used by the British and many other governments to help guide their wider energy and climate change policies…”