December 25, 2012
Letters, Massachusetts

Wind power needs baseload plants

Worcester Telegram & Gazette | December 25, 2012 | www.telegram.com

In Shaun Sutner’s well-researched article (“A host of problems,” Telegram & Gazette, Dec. 16) about the cost and delays on the North Central Correctional Institution wind turbines in Gardner, there is a comment by Tom Pirro, who says, according to the articile, that he “does not object to wind power because any harm is more than offset by lessening dependence on polluting power sources, such as fossil fuels.”

It is a myth that intermittent wind power alone can create electricity without baseload power plants. National Grid’s standard mix of electricity this fall included 36 percent natural gas, 29 percent nuclear, 9 percent coal and 7 percent oil. When the wind does not blow, ISO New England must ensure that the electricity stays on, and thus the dependence on baseload natural gas and nuclear power is a must in Massachusetts.

Mr. Pirro apparently was not thinking of harm to humans from industrial wind turbines like those in Templeton and Falmouth, where residents have experienced harm to their health through sleep deprivation. In Falmouth, the state found a violation of the Massachusetts noise pollution regulations, and the turbines cannot be run at night.

On-shore wind turbines in Massachusetts make no sense economically, do not lessen effects of climate change, and are causing harm to people’s health.

VIRGINIA IRVINE

Brimfield

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/12/25/wind-power-needs-baseload-plants/