Wind Power News: Letters
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These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted.
Brown's proposal makes real sense
Some have suggested that Coun. Jim Brown has pulled numbers out of a hat in requesting strict minimum setbacks for wind turbines (”Setbacks deferred,” Chatham Daily News, May 6). Possibly, but that doesn’t mean there are fewer brains under Brown’s cap than under those worn by the various power companies bidding for our skies.
Certainly there is more heart in Brown’s proposal, and his reluctance to roll over and play dead should be applauded rather than …
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Wind farm is positively a bad idea for county
I have to respond to DeKalb County Board Chairwoman Ruth Anne Tobias’ comments concerning Florida Power & Light Energy’s push to “green up” our county (see last Wednesday’s Page A1 article “Wind power plan could arrive in July”).
In the article, Tobias said of the wind farm plan that she hopes “people would think about it more positively.” I agree.
Will there be a tremendous surge in construction traffic, noise and dust because of the more than …
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PSC looking out for the consumer
Regarding Iberdrola’s proposed acquisition of Energy East, the Public Service Commission is doing exactly what it was mandated to do by the state Legislature. That is, to keep control of electricity distribution separate from electricity generation — Iberdrola’s wind developments.
Industrial wind power has not lived up to its claims in real- world operation. Conventional power plants must be kept on constant standby — using fossil fuel and emitting carbon dioxide — for when the wind …
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Engineer questions wind energy claims
With 49 years as a power engineer, going from engineer apprentice to manager of power supply for approximately two-thirds of rural Illinois, my blood curdles when I read some of the rabid pro-windmill articles rampant in the press these days.
Statements like “the wind is free” (then why do they need the massive tax breaks and subsidies) and “this wind farm will supply 35,000 homes,” neglecting to finish the sentence with “for maybe 25 percent of …
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Windfarms: why they are flawed
Many readers will be wondering why there is so much concern about Nuon’s proposed windfarm at Swinford.
How many readers actually know the reality of wind turbines?
There is much hype, and windfarms are presented as a good thing. If only that were true!
Readers may have noticed that there is little comment about whether they work or not. That is because the Government has declared that the planning authority “should not make assumptions about the technical …
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Not much is generated
When talking about wind power, most eyes just glaze over and when I tell them that the more than 4,000 windmills in the San Gorgonio Pass about only generate about 100+/- Megawatts per year (Edison uses 13,000 MW) and the wind is only good enough to generate 14 percent to 20 percent of the time, they stare in disbelief. How can that be when the developers tell us they can provide power for thousands of …
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Industry spokesman a deceptive corporate hack
I find it absolutely appalling that Clipper, Criterion, and the industrial wind power lobby would employ Frank Maisano as their spokesperson and continue to condone his vicious and personal attack ads and letters in this and other media.
Hundreds of local citizens have participated in free government, testifying with facts, petitioning for redress, seeking solutions, and “big wind” has the unmitigated gall to respond through their pit bull Maisano with smear and personal attack.
We had a …
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Who is more trustworthy?
My apologies to Frank Maisano (the paid promoter for wind developers) for striking a nerve in my letter to the editor two weeks ago, which according to Mr. Maisano, contained “hard to stomach accusations,” “vicious reactions,” “name calling,” and “scare tactics.”
Wow, I pulled the letter out, reviewed it, and found no accusations, no viciousness, no name calling, and no scare tactics. What I did find was a factual summary of how Garrett County could remove …
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Avarice overwhelms the public good
Let me share two items that emerged at the recent Maryland Public Service Commission administrative hearing on the Criterion Wind application. Because of its expected unreliability, the PJM grid, which produces up to 140,000MW, has granted this project only 13% of its 70MW nameplate capacity. This means that, if there is a transmission crunch, as is often the case, the grid will limit transmission from Criterion to 9MW–which ought to be important news to wind …
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Wind-energy project must heed our heritage
The Board of Supervisors has a duty to secure the best deal for the future of Shasta County in requiring the Hatchet Mountain wind project to serve us, not just in its appealing revenue potentials, but just as importantly, in compatibility with our world-renowned scenic, mountain-beautified endowments.
They owe it not only to their eastern Shasta County constituents, but to their countywide constituents and our state and worldwide admirers, tourists, and customers, past and future, to …
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