April 7, 2014
Letters, Massachusetts

Educated on overblown wind power

Berkshire Eagle | 04/07/2014 | www.berkshireeagle.com

My extended family owns a seasonal property in Peru where there is an application under consideration for an industrial wind farm. This application seems risky, as there are serious doubts about the legitimacy of the company proposing it. Quiet hill towns are the easiest targets for out-of-town developers and will suffer the biggest change in their quality of life. Without a doubt, seeing and hearing these turbines will negatively affect those living near them and Peru will no longer be a quiet haven for a getaway nor a tranquil place to reside.

The controversy over industrial wind prompted my family to educate itself. We are all environmentally-minded, and we have come to realize, sadly, that the net benefits with wind are overblown. The claim of “green energy” does not take into account the required back-up power (gas), internal power demands, or the environmental destruction this technology depends on. These costs and benefits are magnified in hilly, environmentally sensitive areas with poor wind, like the Berkshires! The only beneficiaries are the developers, who rely on tax subsidies.

Once I looked into this it became apparent that our decision-makers should not be allowed to say “I didn’t realize this is what would happen” when these negative effects are upon us. We all need to educate ourselves in this important matter.

ERIC MARTIN

Monterey


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/04/07/educated-on-overblown-wind-power/