Why is everyone banking on wind these days?

A group of European banks have agreed to finance a massive wind farm off the Belgian coast based solely on the promise of future profits, the first time such a scheme has been done for wind power.

Meanwhile, T. Boone Pickens, the famous (infamous?) oil magnate has announced plans to build what would be the world's largest wind farm, in West Texas. Generating up to 4,000 MW of power, construction could begin as early as 2010.

Much already has been written about wind power, in this publication and others, so I won't bore you with the clichés. Yes, wind is a truly "clean" energy source, drawing power from a natural phenomenon without creating any waste or harmful byproducts. Wind is one of the oldest sources of energy in human civilization, from filling the sails of early ships to the work done by windmills over the millennia. Since wind power utilizes spinning blades on towers that bear a close resemblance to windmills, articles about it usually include a Don Quixote reference somewhere, or maybe a joke about the Dutch. But you already knew all that.

Behind all the hype, however, wind power will play a major part in the United States' and the world's future energy supply. Europe leads the way in wind power, with Spain receiving nearly 27% of it's capacity from wind. While the U.S. lags behind with less than 1% of its capacity generated by wind power today, that number is predicted to rise to 7% within the next fifteen years. And unlike the alternative energy fad that followed the 1970's gas crisis, global warming is too pervasive to be ignored and too dangerous to go out of style. Wind is here to stay.

Yet wind power is not without it's critics. Sometimes it's just exclusive communities using local politics to keep their expensive sea views clear of spinning blades (as documented in the recent book Cape Wind.) One of wind power's stranger debates is the public relations fistfight in Texas right now between the heads of the behemoth 825,000 arce King Ranch and the neighboring 400,000 acre Kenedy Ranch. The Kenedy Ranch announced plans to build a 240+ turbine wind farm on the edge of its property, but met unexpected resistance from the King Ranch which launched a media campaign to protest the decision. Jack Hunt, chief executive of the King Ranch, has authored numerous editorials decrying the environmental destruction that will be wrought by these 400-ft tall bird-slayers. In both cases it ultimately comes down to competing environmental impact statements and how much suction wind opponents have at the state and local level of government. Just two cases of inflamed NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) syndrome, but wind power is encountering resistance from other sources as well.

In Delaware, a local utility is opposing plans for a wind farm off of the state's coast. Delmarva Power is fighting an agreement that says they must receive power from a proposed offshore wind farm. Currently, Delmarva uses power generated by Conectiv, and both are owned by Pepco Holdings. It's a headache born from some odd deregulation in the energy industry, but this sort of snarl will only become more common as proponents of wind run up against the entrenched relationships surrounding America's power utilities.

Yet these are current problems, and wind power is attempting to address future ones. Demand for energy will only increase and capacity will have to expand to meet it. Wind power can be expected to replace some peak load.

This isn't to say there shouldn't be careful consideration in choosing locations, and like any hyped issue wind power initiatives can be undone by rash decisions and poor planning. If the bulk of the objections to wind power are aesthetic ones, I would rather see the twirling blades of a wind farm on the horizon than the smokestacks of a coal-fired power plant, or the cooling towers of a nuclear facility.

I realize this doesn't make sense when talking about offshore wind farms, but my point still stands.

July 6, 2007

I have been looking in to wind power for my house. I called my eletric coop and they want to charge me $3000.00 to install a 2-way meter, and then they will only pay me 5 cents per kilowatt hour. That is not even close to what I pay them for a kilowatt hour.

Mike Small

July 6, 2007

Wind generation is already a large part of available power in many states. It is not the only solution or only effort to conserve natural resources, cut down on pollution or create clean power. Many wind farms in in very remote areas and bother no one. Others are starting to pop up more and more in rural areas. It is not a hard decision for a realist. We either have to deal with our dependence on oil and coal or continue to be hostage to the Middle East and other oil rich countries. And that will do nothing to cut down on pollution and constant battles over gas and energy prices.

Wake up, America, we need to take advantage of all of our natural resources, especially the ones that provide clean energy.

If you have a better idea I would love to hear about it.

Bill Dennison
Murfreesboro, TN

July 6, 2007

Wind farms make sense for USA's energy diversity. The aging transmission line infrastructure is another hurdle to clear when siting wind farms. From what I understand adding new transmission lines to get the power from the wind farm to where it is needed is a complicated regulatory and legal process.

Wayne Cobleigh
GZA Environmental Inc.