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All power subsidies not equal
Credit: Letters to the editor for Tuesday, Dec. 9 | The Desert Sun | December 8, 2014 | www.desertsun.com ~~
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Translate: FROM English | TO English
Re: “Keep Investing in Wind Power,” Dec. 7, 2014
I find The Desert Sun’s “Our Voice” editorial supporting the extension of the Wind Production Tax Credit (PTC) generally unconvincing. I am particularly disturbed by the statement “all forms of energy enjoy substantial support from the federal government” justifying the subsidy without providing a factual context.
There are many studies showing the relative subsidy of wind versus other forms of energy. To compare apples to apples the subsidy should be converted to the subsidy per megawatt-hour. On that basis each wind mega-watt hour receives a subsidy of about 100 times more (some studies conclude much more) than a natural gas produced megawatt-hour. The difference is $56.00 per megawatt-hour for wind and 64 cents per megawatt-hour for natural gas.
Extrapolating from the above means that if wind energy was subsidized the same amount per megawatt hour as is natural gas the PTC should be about $25 million in 2015 rather than the projected $2.4 billion without the extension.
Norm King, Palm Springs
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