Today's EEI newsletter reports that:
Op-ed Says Wind Farming Soon May Be Most Affordable Energy Source
In an op-ed published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Wind Capital Group President Tom Carnahan wrote that the U.S. wind power industry has reached a "critical tipping point" in acceptance. Carnahan wrote that wind power as an alternative source of power "is beginning to make economic sense and soon may become the nation's most affordable energy source." This is linked to the fluctuating prices of fossil fuels, because "the cost of wind power remains constant over the 20-year life of a project."
Since most U.S. supplies of natural gas and oil are imported from unstable nations, and wind farms are local, "energy policy now is a national security issue." Carnahan also noted the positive impact of wind power on rural areas.
Wrote Carnahan: "Now is the time to invest in our communities and improve our national security through the development of locally-produced wind. We can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by supporting and promoting this completely clean source of power. The winds of change are blowing."
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, op-ed , Aug. 23.
Yes, the author is obviously an interested party, but I think that the points that he makes are valid. The price of wind energy doesn't suddenly go up due to world events and it's difficult to imagine us having to invade another country because we need "their" wind! As Carnahan notes, "energy policy is now a national security issue." If we'd had a sensible energy policy in place for the last thirty years, we surely wouldn't be killing people in the Middle East today. If they wanted to kill each other, well, that would be very unfortunate, but it would be their business.
Wind power will never be our only source of energy. I don't think any one magic bullet will fix our energy problems. And wind farm developers need to do lots more to ensure the safety of bird populations. But wind can be an important part of a better energy policy and a better foreign policy.
1 comment:
Good thoughts, Hecate. One minor quibble:
You write: [W]ind farm developers need to do lots more to ensure the safety of bird populations.
Here is what the U.S. Department of Energy has to say about this:
"[Myth #9:] Wind turbines kill birds and thus have serious environmental impacts.
"Bird kills have caused serious scientific concern at only one location in the United States: Altamont Pass in California, one of the first areas in the country to experience significant wind development. Over the past decade, the wind community has learned that wind farms and wildlife can and do coexist successfully. Wind energy development’s overall impact on birds is extremely low (less than 1 of 30,000) compared to other human-related causes, such as buildings, communications towers, traffic, and house cats. Birds can fly into wind turbines, as they do with other tall structures. However, conventional fuels contribute to air and water pollution that can have far greater impact on wildlife and their habitat, as well as the environment and human health."
Source: Wind Energy Myths.
Regards,
Thomas O. Gray
American Wind Energy Association
www.awea.org
www.ifnotwind.org
(P.S. One of my favorite books is Starhawk's The Fifth Sacred Thing.)
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