April 11, 2008
Letters, Maryland

A better solution may exist on our rooftops

I’ve read alot of letters to the editor over the last several months about the wind turbines that are proposed to be placed in Garrett County. It amazes me how many people support the erection of these monstrosities. I challenge supporters of this form of renewable energy to experience what it is like to live near one of these things before advocating t hat people other than themselves to do so.

A good way to see and hear what kind of impact it has on residents that live near these things is to go look up the video, “Life under a Windplant” on YouTube. It is a video that depicts the impact on residents in the Meyersdale, Pa., area.

These turbines are between 300 and 400 feet tall, (comparable to a 30- to 40-story building). The noise created by these turbines produces a loud droning sound that can be heard 24 hours a day up to a mile away, often robbing people of their sleep. The impact of these turbines have reduced property values of nearby homes to almost nothing.

This video depicts what the wind industry does not want people to see. It is my hope that the more people see this video, they will be convinced that industrial wind power is a bad idea, and it will come to light that perhaps the reason for such urgency on behalf of the wind industry is rooted in preying on people’s lack of knowledge about the impact of industrial wind power.

I feel that conservation of electrical power is the easiest and most economical way to curtail escalating power demands with the most immediate of results, however, more needs to be done in the long term. Small residential wind turbines, some small enough to fit on a rooftop of a house, or rooftop solar panels on more homes could produce more electrical power with the obtrusiveness or noise of industrial wind turbines. As for solar power, most electrical usage occurs during the day powering industrial and commercial businesses, which is a need that power from photovoltaic cells could fill.

As an added incentive, many homeowners that have this type of power are more conscious of their power consumption and are more likely to turn off lights that do not need to be on when their meter is running. Perhaps even more importantly, one of the largest sources of energy waste is our over centralized power grid. Together, these two forms of residential power generation would lessen the need for more interstate power lines as power would be generated in the localities where they are consumed.

It is unfortunate that our federal, state and local governments are spending so much money subsidizing these large wind corporations and power line construction contractors when a better solution exists on the rooftops and back yards of everyone.

Albert Keener

Cumberland