The editorial (“Judging a windmill by its cover,” Jan. 16) reminded me of the saying that one should not judge a book by its cover. The editorial support for wind power would be convincing if some questions could be answered.
Since Maine has a surplus of electrical generation and transmission bottlenecks who is going to buy the power? With manufacturing leaving New England, will not the entire region have excess energy? Who will then pay for the cost of wind power? Do Maine consumers want higher electric bills?
Since Maine has a surplus, what other sources would close down in order to transmit the power from wind? Are the biomass plants in Rumford, Stratton, Livermore and other locations to be closed?
Will installing wind towers in Maine have any impact on reducing carbon emissions, or on global warming?
Do we want to deforest the tops of Maine’s mountains to create industrial parks with lights from four hundred foot towers? There are other more appropriate sites where wind speeds could support a wind farm.
Who pays to remove these towers and the huge concrete pads supporting them when it is realized that wind energy is not viable. The state paid for Kennentech’s removal of its towers.
Wind power is the latest alternative energy fad now being promoted as a solution to the latest environmental crisis – global warming. Building wind turbines on the tops of Maine’s mountains will be a regrettable and costly mistake.
Rand Stowell, Weld
15 February 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/02/15/an-energy-fad/