Did a whistleblower reveal the use of large quantities of diesel generators in wind turbines in a video on social media? No, that's not true: The combination of wind power and diesel power is not a top-secret matter; it is common knowledge.
The claim appeared on a video (archived here) on TikTok on December 11, 2023. It began (translated from Japanese to English by Lead Stories staff):
The lie about renewable energy is exposed again. A whistleblower reveals the use of large quantities of diesel generators in wind turbines.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Tue Dec 12 12:41:28 2023 UTC)
Japanese company NeoMag, which sells, imports and exports chemicals, electronics and metal products, among others, explains three types of wind power generators (archived here): They can use the direct load connection method, the battery charging method or a hybrid method, which also uses internal combustion engines.
Normally, wind power generators and batteries supply power, but when there is a power shortage, diesel generators are used as a power source on remote islands. This is the hybrid method, which combines wind power and internal combustion engines.
(Source: Screenshot taken on Tue Dec 12 12:56:30 2023 UTC)
Okinawa Electric Company has an article titled "Challenge to supply 100% electricity with renewable energy" (archived here). It explains the difficulties of the electricity business on remote islands (as translated):
... Normally, a diesel generator is used in conjunction with the wind generator, and by increasing or decreasing the output of the diesel generator in accordance with fluctuations in the output of renewable energy, a stable supply is maintained by maintaining a balance between supply and demand ...
Japan Wind Power Association gathered information in 2020 to draw a national wind power generation equipment/installation results/national wind power generation map (archived here), showing all wind power generation plants in Japan. On the list, some of them are listed as "hybrid."
