Uruguay's FDI equivalent to 5% of GDP and mostly in alternative energies, said Eclac report

Saturday, May 31st 2014 - 06:08 UTC

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Foreign direct investment in Uruguay totaled 2.79bn dollars last year, which is slightly higher than the 2.68bn of 2012, equivalent to 5% of GDP, according to the latest report on FDI for the region from the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Read full article

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ChrisR
“At the end of the day, in 2014 the wind energy projects will have a joint capacity of 550MW.”

So that will be an average of 550 x 7% = 38.5 MW available power, if the UK is anything to go by.

And with all the thousands of these things installed around the UK just look at the contribution they all make. Hover your mouse pointer over the wind meter and read the notes wind ”subsidies are always paid”, but not for much longer.

http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

I wonder who will be paying for these damn things: hang on I will go and have a look in the mirror.

It’s no wonder these companies come to Uruguay, the entire western world is already waking up to this nonsense and cutting subsidies which is leading to cancellation of contracts. Good.
May 31st, 2014 - 12:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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ynsere
ChrisR @ 1

Chris, as an engineer do you think wind farms are a dying technology? What would you like to see in Uruguay's case?
Jun 01st, 2014 - 09:23 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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ChrisR
@ 2 ynsere

Windmills are a useful thing if you live in the Falklands and have plenty of established wind currents, but even then they have high maintenance demands the cost which must be added to the price of the electricity generated.

The windmills I see in Uruguay are more often than not stationary. No much use then, are they?

What I would do to ensure continuity of supply is to go for CCGT: combined cycle gas turbines: gas turbines whose exhaust gases are used to heat water to steam to drive other alternators or whatever is needed. These machines have very high efficiency and can be put online (connected to the grid) within one hour of start-up.

The CCGT element in the UK today, as I type this is 31.12%, by far the biggest supply element.

The plants are not expensive to build and are very reliable. Yes, they need scheduled maintenance but the costs are known beforehand and don’t come out of the blue as happens so often with windmills. One of the mistakes that Uruguay has made in my judgement is to go for a “whole cost” contract. The price of the electricity includes maintenance. That sounds like a good idea except the manufacturers (who are usually the “contractors” signing the deals) obviously pad the price so that they are not out of pocket. Given the really poor availability (the light running) they are making even more money!

This is what happens when you get government monopolies making the decisions: UTE have demonstrated their lamentable decision making once before on the CHP plant when they couldn’t even recognise the actually supplier in the large divisions that the global company had. Do these people actually know anything?

The other thing is the removal of the ridiculous taxation that our government puts on everything including the LNG that would be used for CCGT. If they are serious about moving the country forward then the supply of affordable electricity must be a priority and windmills will not do it.
Jun 01st, 2014 - 01:36 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Stevie
Sure, expensive technology that assures you are tied to the fossile fuel market in a time where the price on that kind o fuel is rising exponentially.

Because Chris is from a time where the world was a place of neverending natural resources.
Because Chris tied up his wealth in a market that is heavier in profit than in morals.
Because Chris has no idea of what he is talking about.

2000 W/sqm Chris, that's the sun's radiance on the surface of Uruguay, old man. That's twice the amount than in Germany.
Add Wind and hydro power to the equation and we might just have use for your turbines on a really cold, dry, foggy, windstill day of July...
Jun 02nd, 2014 - 09:26 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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ChrisR
Ah Stevie, the “engineer” who could not answer a first year thermodynamics question regarding fridges.

The man who claimed he had invented a process for “free energy” and now denies it once I pointed out he was breaking at least TWO of the rules of the conservation of energy.

Yes, we can see you are qualified to spout bollocks.
Jun 03rd, 2014 - 06:10 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Stevie
Want to do this again Chris?

Lets do it...

Regarding your fridge:

26 ChrisR (#)
Sep 17th, 2013 - 11:31 am
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”@ 25 Stevie

OK, let's just try this (there is NO catch):

There is a closed room, no windows, and it is a marvel of insulation in that there are no thermal losses through walls, door and ceiling.

There is a power point in which is plugged a big fridge with its' door wide open.

Now the question is a very simple one: is there any change in room temperature and why?

Please try to answer without using Google, etc.”

27 Stevie (#)
Sep 17th, 2013 - 11:40 am
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“Chris, that's an easy one...
If the condensator is inside the insulated room, it will add the same effect that the evaporator subtracts from the room, and the only added effect will be the effect the compressor delivers, not counting other heat sources such as lamps and persons in the room”

;)

http://en.mercopress.com/2013/09/13/upm-assessed-as-industry-leader-in-environmental-sustainability

See Chris? You know less about fridges than about Uruguayan electoral system...
Jun 03rd, 2014 - 06:52 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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