What do wind turbines mean to your hydro bill?

The Ontario Government advised us a few years ago, that our hydro bills would rise with the introduction of "green energy". We've seen electrical rate increases in May, 2011, and again in May, 2012. They are forecast to rise many times so that by 2020, we will see an increase of approximately 150% compared to previous levels. Forecasts vary according to who is doing the estimating. Independant forecasters not tied to the green energy program, are likely to provide the most scientifically based numbers.

From their introduction in the document, "The Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) has undertaken an independent engineering review of wind generation and its impact on Ontario’s electrical grid because of growing amounts of hydraulic spill, nuclear shutdowns and periods of negative wholesale electricity prices during severe surplus base load generation periods. This situation is expected to get much worse over the next several years as significant amounts of wind, hydraulic and nuclear generation will be coming into service while expected electrical demand will continue to be stagnant even with the introduction of electric plug-in vehicles."

OSPE has release their study on March 14, 2012. Their report, in PDF format, is 44 pages in length, but makes for excellent reading. They have analyzed the situation and created recommendations to the Ontario Governmnet. See the complete report (PDF)

This report could have been placed elsewhere in this site, but it fits nicely here, too.
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