Posted on 08/11/2008 6:22:31 AM PDT by kellynla
At first glance, the energy proposals of Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens for wind power and increased gas usage sound good. "We can't drill our way out of this crises"; I happen to disagree with this statement. We still need to drill to make ourselves "independent from foreign oil."
But the real issue is what is behind the clamor to expand wind power in lieu of increasing oil drilling. To understand this you have to read between the lines.
Not only does Pickens' firm, BP capital, have significant investments in natural gas, but last June he announced plans to build the world's largest wind farm in west Texas, capable of producing 4,000 megawatts of electricity.
The federal government subsidizes wind farm operators with a tax credit worth 1.9 cents per kilowatt hour - potentially making for a tidy annual taxpayer gift to Pickens based on his anticipated capacity. But Pickens and wind power investors have a problem: since congress didn't renew the wind subsidy as part of the 2007 energy bill, it will expire at the end of this year unless reauthorized. Government subsidies the most important aspect for wind power usage and expansion; without them, wind can't compete against fossil fuel-generated power.
As pointed out by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on July 9, "In 1999, 2001 and 2003, when Congress temporarily killed the credits, the number of new turbines dropped dramatically."
President Bush and Senator McCain have both called for renewed offshore oil and gas drilling. With gasoline prices around $4 per gallon, something needs to be done. However why is there opposition to offshore wind development? The Wall Street Journal notes that although there is no formal moratorium against offshore wind power, environmentalist and NIMBY opposition has stalled every sea-based wind project proposed in the U.S. thus far.
(Excerpt) Read more at rightsidenews.com ...
T. Boone is just an old oil salesman.
Now he’s trying to sell wind power.
It doesn’t mean it’s not feasible.
It just means it’s T. Boone Pickens.
Blasphemy !!!!
BTTT
T. Bone, GE, and Congress will make billions, all from guess who?
....concerning wind power......
why couldn’t every home have a wind mill in their yard to produce their own power????? seems to me that if I were to have a wind mill here, the power it would produce could run my home with ease.....anyone else agree/disagree?
If wind power were so terrific the aircraft carriers would still be using sails.
As is always the case with T. Boone, “Follow the Money!”.
ole T-Bone is trying to use whatever credibility he has (funny how oilmen are fiends when they are republicans, but saints when esposing left wing ideas?) to focus attention upon what is nothing more than his own financial agenda.
he’s self serving, and no better then a used car salesman.
I actually believe T. Boone. I think he has financially positioned himself to where the plan will work. The goal to use natural gas to replace our oil usage in autos could be workable.
Wind power just doesn’t work everywhere...just as solar doesn’t work everywhere...I know in Southern Cali, the breeze at my house wouldn’t fill a balloon. LOL
Now, solar is another issue, and my next house will have a solar roof!
For the TRILLIONS of taxpayer dollars that Pickens wants for transmission lines to produce at best 2% of our energy needs, NUCLEAR is a heck of a lot better energy source!
Sometimes the wind doesn’t blow. Just a thought since you will have to pay for backup of some sort.
Pickens is just trying to get govenment funding(our tax dollars) for transmission lines and the cost is HUGE especially for the miniscule R.O.I.
We’re talking TRILLIONS for, at best, 2% of our energy needs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_power
The basic idea of course is that the waves will always be there and can be used to power turbines. Apparently hurricanes are not an issue because the turbines are just below the surface. I've no idea if they are a danger to dolphins.
“why couldn’t every home have a wind mill in their yard to produce their own power?’
Seems to me you can’t allow that. That number of windmills would obviously have an effect on the weather patterns and cause an drastic escalation of global warming.
:)
Does the wind blow 24 hours a day every day? If not, you need a backup source of power. Some systems are combining wind with solar as the backup, but these arrays are still more costly than just hooking up to the electric grid. Personally I’d love to be off the grid with wind and solar but it’s just not economically feasible yet.
1.9 cents per kWh is $19 per MWh, times 4000 MW capacity is $76,000 per hour if there’s enough wind to get to capacity.
But they're ugly, and they chop up the poor little birdies... < /greenie whacko >
Picken’s has got big investments in natural gas. Natural gas turbines are the flexible backup for wind turbines. Every wind turbine needs to be backed up by a flexible power source since they aren’t there when you need them the most..hot summer days.
We need to replace the natural gas power generation with nuclear. It runs all the time.
Picken’s wants to make sure that he gets his subsidies extended and then help with the extra transmission lines.
Then the utilities don’t care about the cost of wind power..they will just roll it into their rate base and you will pay. Plus pay for the subsidies. It is all about money nothing else.
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