Wind power’s dirty secret: It has a carbon footprint

KATU ^ | Mar 12, 2010 | Anita Kissée

[george76]

In ten years Oregon has handed out $1.3 billion in tax credits for renewable energy and conservation projects like wind power, but questions about why the state is spending so much on something that may have a hidden environmental drawback have been raised by some.

Wind power is touted as the cleanest and greenest renewable energy resource.

But Todd Wynn of the Cascade Policy Institute says it’s not as clean as advocates claim.

He says it’s simply because the wind is volatile and doesn’t blow all the time, and Johnson said "you don't know what (the wind) is going to do moment to moment."

There has to be a backup source to power generated by wind at all times to ensure electricity flows to customers without interruption. The more wind power put on line, the more backup power is needed, and often it’s coal or natural gas.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, people prefer hydroelectricity.

“So when the wind blows, the dams stop generating electricity, and when the wind stops, the dams continue to generate electricity,” said Wynn. “So, in fact, wind power is just offsetting another renewable energy source. It’s not necessarily offsetting any fossil fuel generation.”

Oregon is requiring that the largest utilities get one quarter of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025. For Washington, it’s 15 percent by 2020.

[CanaGuy]

Madness.

[A. Morgan]

I thought everyone knew about this!

[USNBandit]

This is only half the story. The brain trust that wrote the tax credit law in Oregon really screwed up. They are paying more taxpayer money out to companies that never produced a watt than to some of the companies that are actually producing power.

[happinesswithoutpeace]

reposting mah links

Go nuclear, save the Raptors : (

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/assignment_7&id=7117797

http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/24/new-data-shows-bird-kills-up-in-altamont/

http://www.windaction.org/documents/13936

http://www.wind-works.org/articles/NRELBirdReport04.html

[jessduntno]

Wind Power blows.

[chicken head]

we tried wind turbines when i worked offshore, and we threw them in the garbage— WHY? they would not maintain cycles due to differ. wind speeds.. they brake constantly, and thats why you see the ones in cal. turning about half the time.(junk)- and they only work when the wind blows— they freakin suck, big time..solar panels is bout the same -dont work if its cloudy, rainy,or at night— (sucks)when i flip my lights on in my house i want them to work, i dont want to wait for the wind, sun, or none of that.. OIL AND GAS RULES—

[world weary]

I've posed this question to a bunch of wind power people over the years. "What happens when the wind doesn't blow?"

I've never gotten a good answer from them. Thats because wind and solar are poor choices for baseload power, they are always backed up by nuclear/coal/gas plants that produce the steady power needed for society to function. At best wind/solar can be used to offset usage of baseload power, it can't replace it.

[Doogle]

hot air

[CanaGuy]

I wish I could find the article I read recently about how the majority of windmills aren’t even connected to the power grid, but they leave them spinning to confirm public opinion of their use. Scandalous.

[babygene]

My dad always said, “If it doesn’t cost anything it isn’t worth anything...”.

[Texas Jack]

On the subject of government madness and deceptive "green" policies, I have found some startling (at least to me) inconsistencies with ethanol use in my car.

First off, I keep meticulous records concerning the operation of it. This of course, includes mileage calculations on a tank by tank basis.

Before the introduction of 10% ethanol into pump gasoline, my car got 15% better gas mileage. Huh? Yep, the efficiency of my car's engine decreased by 15% as far as mileage goes. So what does that mean?

Well, it seems to me that instead of cleaning up the environment, I'm actually polluting more because it takes 5% more gasoline to go the same distance - ethanol causes me to use more gasoline to go the same distance.

So the introduction of ethanol into our gasoline looks like nothing more than a redistribution of wealth from taxpayers to Archer Daniels Midland (big corporate corn farmer) and of course the campaign finance accounts of numerous politicians.

[Cobra64]

"He says it’s simply because the wind is volatile and doesn’t blow all the time, and Johnson said "you don't know what (the wind) is going to do moment to moment."

"Now they tell us."

[barb-tex]

Ttrue enough, NOTHING IS FREE!!! Everything costs! Like the electric cars are non-polluting.
barbra ann

[lewislynn]

So the introduction of ethanol into our gasoline looks like nothing more than a redistribution of wealth from taxpayers to Archer Daniels Midland (big corporate corn farmer) and of course the campaign finance accounts of numerous politicians.

Sadly that one truly is Bush's fault.

[aquila48]

Until we come up with efficient large scale energy storage systems, wind and solar power will be nothing more than expensive enviromarxists pacifiers. And even then they may not be viable, because the enviromarxists themselves will object to them (as they’ve already started to) because (ironically) of their environmental impact.

We ought to have our collective heads examined for letting these narcissistic, ignorant, spoiled brats take control of our energy policies and our lives.

[Rocky]

You should definitely see a decrease in miles/gallon when you use an ethanol blend. Ethanol has less energy per gallon than gasoline does. But you should not see a 15% decrease with a 10% blend. Something is wrong there.

[Brugmansian]

Think how exciting it would be to go wind/solar and adjust our lives accordingly. No sun, no TV, computer, washing machine. If its not windy at night, time for bed.

[familyop]

Wind power works fine, for those of us who know how to build it and have the right conditions off of the grid. Competing solar, ethanol and other commie subsidy/investor interests should take a vacation on Venus. It would be about as good for them as the default to come.

[familyop]

"You should definitely see a decrease in miles/gallon when you use an ethanol blend. Ethanol has less energy per gallon than gasoline does. But you should not see a 15% decrease with a 10% blend. Something is wrong there."

What's really funny, is finding the same investors in both propane and electricity in your locale. Residents switch from expensive propane to electricity (coal), then electricity goes to nearly the same price per month for residents. It'll be a hoot to see the government spending so much more on those who will eventually be SOL as a result. ...and the government borrowing more, sending interest on bonds higher, sending interest on everything else higher, pushing unemployment numbers up, further reducing tax revenues, more borrowing, bond collapse.

Next thing ya know, no more government incomes, pensions, regulations, NIMBYs, HOA ho's or regulatory "officials." Now that's funny!