Influential Energy Agency Blows off Wind Power

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

The International Energy Agency (IEA), which "advises most major governments across the world on energy policy," has systematically underestimated the potential of renewable energy sources like wind and solar, "because of its ties to the oil, gas and nuclear sectors," charges Energy Watch, a group of scientists and politicians. Swiss parliamentarian Rudolf Rechsteiner, a member of Energy Watch, said that IEA was "delaying the change to a renewable world. They continue touting nuclear and carbon-capture-and-storage, classical central solutions, instead of a more neutral approach, which would favour new solutions." An Energy Watch report (pdf) documents that IEA has dramatically underestimated wind power capacity over the past decade. IEA's current projection "predicts a fivefold increase in wind energy from 2006-2015, but then assumes a rapid slowdown" without explaining why "the wind sector should suffer such a crisis by 2015 and after." IEA, which refused to comment on the report, draws "senior staff from the fossil-fuel industry."

Main Source: 
Guardian (UK), January 9, 2009
Topics: 
Corporations
Environment
International

Comments

Anonymous replied on

The pot calling the kettle black.

Independent, retired scientists tell us that wind does NOT work to generate reliable capacity . Simply put, we cannot rely on wind to contribute much if any to real growth in demand for electricty because it's too variable to give a steady stream of electricty.

The wind companies cry foul at anyone from another energy background when they themselves are the charlatains promoting a system that rapes the tax payer without providing much usuable electricty. WHY DOESN'T THIS SITE COVER THE USE OF JUNK SCIENCE IN THE WIND INDUSTRY? A huge issue (given the fact that Obama is providing 18 billion to the industry )