Making petrol from air

The process has been proven on a small scale, but it needs massive amounts of cheap renewable energy

I note that the letter from Mr Burdon quotes government and IPCC sources in proving the carbon footprint point, but is carbon footprint what we need to know? Three points from his letter stand out.

1. If the wind does not blow output is nil.
2. Load factor was just under 30%
3. Wind turbines generate between 70% and 85% of the time.

These figures tell me that wind turbines are useless as a feed in to the grid, i.e. either no output or constrained off either because of too much wind or nowhere to take the output. We are “ throwing away” more than half the output. Similarly useless are electric cars. Batteries will never match liquid fuels on energy density to provide an adequate range, and have you ever seen one of the expensive charging points being used?
 
However there may yet be an answer to these intractable problems. I attended an I MechE lecture recently on Teeside which talked about making petrol from air. I was somewhat cynical about this, but finished up thinking it might just be the answer. The process has been proven on a small scale, but it needs massive amounts of cheap renewable energy so is constrained by quantity and cost using the grid. Applied to the proposed process wind turbines could be used effectively, totally independent of the grid.
 
This solution offers:

1. A chance to rid the grid of the problems of adapting to wind turbines.
2. A chance to utilise all the output from wind turbines.
3. A chance to drive real cars with liquid fuel into the future. 
 
A lot to be done, but food for thought I think. What a delight to write something optimistic involving wind turbines!
 
Colin Warburton, Yarm

Next letter: Power to gas