Wednesday, December 28, 2011

NC Forum Declares Wind Farms Costly and Inefficient




Carolina Journal reported on a renewable energy forum sponsored by the John Locke Foundation. Economist and scientist discussed the cost, efficacy, and environmental value of wind power. Their conclusions are in stark contrast to the assertions of clean energy proponents. John Droz, a fellow of the American Tradition Institute, stated the following:

“Because of the wide fluctuations of wind, it typically produces less than 30 percent of its nameplate capacity,” Droz said. “This problem is made worse by the fact that there is no practical or economical way to store the electricity produced.”

It’s not reliable or predictable and cannot be counted on to provide power on demand, he said.
Wind power plants aren’t compact either, he added. They cover more than 1,000 times the surface area of a conventional facility.


Most importantly to Droz, wind power is not economical. The cost of running a wind power plant is higher than any other type of plant.


“The more wind power an energy company uses, the higher the consumer’s electric bill,” he said.“Denmark, which uses more wind power than any country in the world, has the highest cost of electricity of any country in the world. Their residential electricity rate is more than three times as much as ours.”

Finally, wind does not make a consequential reduction in carbon emissions, said Droz. “No scientific study has ever proven that wind power saves a meaningful amount of CO2. A National Academy of Sciences study says U.S. CO2 savings by 2020 will be at about 1.8 percent."

North Carolinians had an opportunity to voluntarily add renewable energy sources to the grid; it was roundly rejected. But that didn’t stop Governor Beverly Perdue and the democratically controlled General Assembly. In 2007, they passed a law called Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards, which mandated power companies employ 7.5% renewable energy sources. This arrogant piece of legislation will cost consumers millions of dollars.

Governor Beverly Perdue and her fellow democrats profess that they’re looking out for the middle-class, when in fact they’re outright hostile. And in this economic environment, no one can afford higher utility bills.

Source: http://www.carolinajournal.com/exclusives/display_exclusive.html?id=8597

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