Alternative Energy Impact on Fossil Power

I was recently directed to this article “Breaking the Barrier to Alternative Energy Sources” on automation.com because two coworkers were interviewed for it. The article covers the gamut of alternative energy challenges overcome with automation technology and engineering.

For me one, one of the very interesting aspects identified in the article is the impact of wind and solar power on the grid. “When a cloud comes overhead or the wind stops blowing, you’ve got to turn to fossil fuels, ramping up generation [at fossil-fired plants] to make up the loss in order to meet the demand.”

I debated about posting this in the “Alternative Energy” group, but I opted to post it here because of this specific downstream impact on the traditional, fossil power generation industry. The article discusses an interesting case study about a coal-fired plant at Minnkota Power Cooperative adjusting to these new market/grid dynamics.

Other case studies are also discussed; some more focused on core alternative energy challenges. I thought all of them were pretty interesting so I thought I would share.