December 18, 2012
Letters, New Hampshire

Our majestic landscapes are being sold out in the name of green

The Laconia Daily Sun | December 18, 2013 | www.laconiadailysun.com

There’s something strange going on in the state of New Hampshire that I think your news department should look into and report on.
Why are there so many wind farms being proposed and built in our state? We currently produce three times more energy than we use and the SEC (Site Evaluation Committee) continues to entertain proposals from various corporations and LLCs to build these wind farms throughout our state. Why? Is there money changing hands we don’t know about? Why are our natural resources and majestic landscapes being sold out in the name of green energy (not scientifically proven) when WE don’t even need it? A great many of these projects are proposed or already built in the Quabbin to Cardigan corridor that will have lasting detrimental effects on wildlife and water supplies.
It’s my understanding that our grid is also affected by these unstable power sources. Other energy producing plants already in operation (coal, nuclear, bio-mass, etc) have to power-down when the wind picks up and these 40 story tall behemoths start to produce, only to be powered back up to full capacity when the winds subside. This is neither efficient or “green.”
I also understand that the newest windfarm built by Iberdrola, LLC in Groton can only operate at 1/6 to 1/8 capacity because of a system overload situation occurring when all 24 turbines are working. If this is true, how in the world can the SEC allow them to build more? I know it’s not your newspaper’s job to take a political stand on this issue, but factual reporting to educate the public has always been a noble task recognized by Pulitzer Prizes in investigative journalism.
Cindy Kudlik
Grafton

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/12/18/our-majestic-landscapes-are-being-sold-out-in-the-name-of-green/