Nine days without wind power is a reminder of the need for reliable energy

If Washington state elected officials and energy planners need to be reminded of the risks of increasing reliance on wind-generated electricity, they can look to the week-and-a-half after Thanksgiving.

Starting on the night before Thanksgiving, the amount of electricity generated by wind power in the BPA system across the northwest collapsed, falling to zero megawatts around midnight. Generation remained extremely low until midday on December 7, more than nine days later.

During those nine days, wind power generated an average of just 9 MW across the BPA system – about one tenth of one percent...