...Denmark, the world’s most wind-intensive nation, with more than 6,000 turbines generating 19% of its electricity, has yet to close a single fossil-fuel plant. It requires 50% more coal-generated electricity to cover wind power’s unpredictability, and pollution and carbon dioxide emissions have risen (by 36% in 2006 alone).
I was taking a drive in Eastern WA with some friends last weekend and there were hundreds of the wind turbines on the nearby hills. When I pointed out what a eyesore they are, a longtime friend who means well but thinks “green” said that they are needed to provide power.
I told her they were a fad and hopefully it would be over soon. When she asked why I pointed out the wind doesn’t always blow, so the conventional power plants were still needed as backup, and they had to run all the time because just shutting the conventional plants on and off took time and money. So they were really just large bird hazards and a huge waste of resources that could have been put into building small nuclear plants around the country or upgrading the power grid we have. We just enjoyed the drive after that...