Rhode Island leaders are chasing a wind power illusion
Letter: William F. Horan: R.I. leaders are chasing a wind power illusion | Providence Journal | Sep 6, 2018 | www.providencejournal.com
Letter: William F. Horan: R.I. leaders are chasing a wind power illusion | Providence Journal | Sep 6, 2018 | www.providencejournal.com
With reference to Kristin Urbach’s Sept. 2 Commentary piece (“A workforce for R.I.’s wind industry”): Here in Rhode Island we have already been scammed by the Block Island wind project. Why are we allowing this to happen once again?
Where has the common sense of Rhode Island’s leaders gone? Unfortunately, they are supporting a short-term politically attractive illusion of a financial windfall that in the long term is an economic time bomb. Alleged green renewable electricity generation cannot meet our energy needs, and the hidden cost of mandatory solar and wind electricity transmission line reconfiguration is another addition coming to our monthly utility bills. Even with massive wind and solar subsidies, electricity will still cost significantly more.
Rhode Island leadership is embarked on a roadmap to nowhere, and this will result in a self-induced energy poverty and economic calamity. I urge readers to Google “roadmap to nowhere” and learn more. The wind and solar industry has for all practical purposes failed in Europe, if one reads beyond the infomercials.
In contrast, the Burrillville natural gas fueled combined cycle power station is the bridge that could provide time to embrace valid disruptive technologies that realize an electricity generating capacity that not only maintains today’s still under-performing Rhode Island economy, but provides competitive electricity that can return Rhode Island to a high-value manufacturing economy with improved employment opportunities.
William F. Horan
Middletown
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2018/09/07/rhode-island-leaders-are-chasing-a-wind-power-illusion/