Wind farms: even worse than we thought…

The Telegraph ^ | March 8, 2012 | James Delingpole

[Free ThinkerNY]

The Global Warming Policy Foundation has produced yet another devastating report: this time on the economics of wind farms. Turns out they're even worse than we thought.

Not only do the Bat Chomping Eco-Crucifixes (TM) ruin views, kill birds, cause bats to implode, destroy the British film industry, frighten horses, enrich rent-seeking toffs like David Cameron's father-in-law Sir Reginald Sheffield Bt, drive up electricity bills, kill jobs, create fuel poverty, cause old people to die of hypothermia, wipe out property values, drive people mad with strobing and noise pollution and enable smug liberal idiots to spout rubbish like "Oh, I don't mind them. Actually I think they're rather beautiful", but also by 2020 they're set to drive up consumer bills in the UK alone by £120 billion.

This is about ten times more than it would cost if we stuck to gas. (Which we have in abundance, just waiting to be exploited, in places like the Bowland Shale).

In the latest Spectator, Matt Ridley delivers the coup-de-grace. Here's a taste:

To the nearest whole number, the percentage of the world's energy that comes from wind turbines today is: zero. Despite the regressive subsidy (pushing pensioners into fuel poverty while improving the wine cellars of grand estates), despite tearing rural communities apart, killing jobs, despoiling views, erecting pylons, felling forests, killing bats and eagles, causing industrial accidents, clogging motorways, polluting lakes in Inner Mongolia with the toxic and radioactive tailings from refining neodymium, a ton of which is in the average turbine — despite all this, the total energy generated each day by wind has yet to reach half a per cent worldwide.

[piasa]

Here’s an idea.... find a way to harness the flushing of a toilet to produce energy. We’ve all got to flush, why waste the waste? Why not put a paddle wheel in the line so we can power up the coffeemaker? Or harness the methane from the septicc tank?

[piasa]

Of course, the bad thing is that the libs would be able to produce more energy because they are naturally more full of crap, so they would realize a greater return on their investment, but at least it’s a fart with a start.

[piasa]

Of course, the bad thing is that the libs would be able to produce more energy because they are naturally more full of crap, so they would realize a greater return on their investment, but at least it’s a fart with a start.

[Steve Van Doorn]

I dream of the day the world lets the countries of Sharia law fall from their own idiocy. Oil is the only thing keeping them from being worse off then Africa

[Category Four]

Why don’t we hook one up about 50 yards downwind from the Empty Suit? We’d all be in high cotton.

[wiggen]

There needs to be a mechanism whereby government agencies lose funding if they make really stupid decisions like our own Mr. Chu.
Furthermore there needs to be some was to make people personally responsible. Obama wanted to fund not ready for prime time ventures and pushed ours along ( i realize the article is about Great Britain but there’s not difference in the stupidity)so there should be a measure of responsibility at his level as well. We taxpayers deserve some protection from the whims of our ruling class.
I understand the first words out from the other side will be the overused ‘chilling effect’ but i prefer to think of potential sanctions more as a pause to make sure you’re right and not rushing headlong and dragging us into their own personal abyss.
We,the people, are entitled to a measure of recourse against the mindset of “but we’re the government” or worse yet,”we won”.

[wiggen]

Ca you imagine the bloodbath if those tyrants didn’t have oil money to subsidize their peoples lives or to purchase their loyalty?

[Wpin]

Those are really good ideas...let me know how they work out for you. Me, I will keep my toilet and septic doing what they are supposed to do... ;)

[Ditter]

Thanks for posting these links, I had never heard of this before. I suspect I am one who would be affected by this, migraines sufferer, motion sickness sufferer etc, yep I'll stay away from wind turbines.

[ken in texas]

Excellent idea. Then the EPA could require that all toilets be installed on the uppermost floor, or maybe even the attic.

Think of the power we could generate!!! We should patent that idea.

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

Delingpole has such a way with words. I always enjoy reading his posts.

[Steve Van Doorn]

"if those tyrants didn’t have oil money to subsidize their peoples lives or to purchase their loyalty"

Think of Africa it is rich in resources yet starvation is often ramped. If those idiots in the middle east had no oil that we pump out for them they wouldn't be able to feed themselves at all. Eating would be their primary issue which would over ride everything else even Sharia law. Terrorism would be a non issue

I dream of the day we get away from Oil

[chainsaw]

Should we plant more trees or cut more down??

I think these prognosticators should be ashamed of their stupidity!