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Originally Posted by Tron_fdc
The rep is correct. There is no "line" per se that runs from wind turbines down south to the Enmax distribution center and gets directed to your house.
The way the power industry in Alberta works is as follows:
Electricity generators (Power producers) generate power, and then sell it off by bidding the cost into the power pool* at either a set cost, or at market price.
The power pool then determines where load is required, and distributes it accordingly to Enmax or Epcor dist. centers, where it in turn is sent to your house.
The way the Greenmax program works is that it charges a premium (I believe it is approx $0.02/kWh on your bill) that allows wind producers to be more cost effective. Wind generation is not as efficient as say coal or gas (it depends on the amount of hours the wind blows to turn a turbine), so it requires a higher sale price in order to be profitable. Most wind plants that I've come across use a formula of 35% up-time @ $0.07/kWh to be profitable. Not sure where power is now, but I'm fairly certain that it's above 7 cents, which would make wind gen feasible without sigining up for the program.
*I believe the Power Pool has since changed their name, but I can't remember what it is.
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I understand that the transmission of the power may not end up in the Calgary market, and I can get my head around the power pool and grid concepts.
What I still don't understand, though, is if there is a direct corolation between consumer investment in greenmax and an increase of windpower provided to the powerpool. I know they added 12 windmills to offset the C-train usage, would GreenMax have the same impact, ie/ would they eventually add another 20 mills if 6000 more poeple signed up for the program? or will it just be a blank cheque subsidy that may or may not result in more windpower displacing fossil fuel power?