This is a plot lifted out of Cinderella and her step-sisters, or the Emperor’s New Clothes. Your preferred method of energy is to continue digging up a limited resource until what? USGS biologist Paul Cryan. If these advocates want a true big picture calculation, then they need to also add in the benefits to us from low-cost coal-based electricity. Offshore wind power is a valuable source of renewable energy that can help reduce carbon emissions. In addition to wind turbines’ dependence on fossil fuels for manufacture, delivery and maintenance, the only way wind energy can quasi-function on the grid is to have it continuously augmented by a fast responding power source – which for a variety of technical and economic reasons is usually gas. Technological advances are allowing higher capacity turbines to be installed in deeper water . Neither is of much value, regardless of how ’competitive’ the rates may seem.”. The recommendations presented here are also pragmatic and achievable. There may be periods where the backup isn’t run much when wind output is low because of low demand, but the thermal capacity still needs to exist for the worst case scenario. Among the most impacted wildlife are birds and bats, which by eating destructive insects provide billions of dollars of economic benefits to the country’s agricultural sector each year. I apologise for the simplistic reasoning I have, but a huge windmill that costs $4.5 million to erect and AT BEST can only produce $50,000 worth of electricity (if it runs at optimal speed for 24 hours a day for 365 days, not adding maintenance and repair costs), then can pay back it’s initial cost in only 90 years. 7 – Fusion is unlikely to be commercially available in our lifetime. How much wind energy does it take to power an average home? However, the siting and operation of wind energy can present a risk of adverse impacts to wildlife, particularly individual birds and bats. America may not have a perfect solution to nuclear storage, but it sure beats disposing of radioactive material in toxic lakes like near Baotou, China. Conventional sources (like nuclear) have a Firm Capacity of nearly 100%. I’ve heard electrolysis, hydrogen storage, and fuel cell usage proposed as a way to deal with this problem. Developing offshore renewable resources for electric power generation can help reduce our country's oil dependence, cut greenhouse gas emissions, contribute to economic growth, and create high-tech, green jobs. The U.S. Geological Survey has developed a methodology to assess the impacts of wind energy development on wildlife; it is a probabilistic, quantitative assessment methodology that can communicate to decision makers and the public the magnitude of these effects on species populations. Instead of making a case on the merits, it is an admission that one has no such arguments. It includes a case study of the mid-Atlantic highlands, a mountainous area that spans parts of West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. This book will inform policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels. "TRB Special Report 310: Worker Health and Safety on Offshore Wind Farms examines the hazards and risks to workers on offshore wind farms on the outer continental shelf as compared with the hazards and risks to workers on offshore oil and ... Joe Youngman helped found the Manitou Island Bird Survey, and helped to advance the Keweenaw Raptor Survey, the forerunner of the still-active Brockway Hawk Watch. As environmental, national security, and technological challenges push American law into ever more inter-jurisdictional territory, this book proposes a model of 'Balanced Federalism' that mediates between competing federalism values and ... This is what happens when science is relegated to a back-of-the-bus status. Big difference! According to a report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory , wind turbines are predominantly made of steel (71-79% of total turbine mass); fiberglass, resin or plastic (11-16%); iron or cast iron (5- 17%); copper (1%); and aluminum (0-2%). In his 1973 book Supernature, the scientist and adventurer Lyall Watson tells the story of a . The frequently cited Bentek study (How Less Became More) is a sample independent assessment of this aspect. Wind farm workers are routinely hoisted 100 feet or more into the air on lifts and cranes, and the average height of a turbine is upwards of 280 feet, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The point of my comments is to put some balance into the incessant and inaccurate claims by the wind industry. Land-based utility-scale wind is one of the lowest-priced energy sources available today, costing 1-2 cents per kilowatt-hour after the production tax credit.Because the electricity from wind farms is sold at a fixed price over a long period of time (e.g. On the other hand, China has cut mining permits and imposed export quotas, but is only now beginning to draft rules to prevent illegal mining and reduce pollution. harmonics), frequency variations, and so forth. The number of wind turbines needed to produce enough electricity for a town of around 100,000 homes (when one . Anxiety over "wind-turbine syndrome" stems from a decades-old misunderstanding of inaudible noise. . Researchers are surveying whales in the area to craft strategies to mitigate dangers to them and their habitat. But there are many ways to skin a cat. [Nick Fox] Sandhill Cranes fly in close proximity to wind turbines near Horicon National Wildlife Refuge in east-central Wisconsin, but to date no crane mortality has been associated with turbines in this area. In addition, previous paragraphs detailing the impact of wind turbines on aviation and specifically radar have been updated. This is supplemented by an updated overview and analysis of the various mitigation techniques available. Additional costs are needed to deal with these wind-caused problems. A reduction in bird and bat impacts is expected to evolve as research results in improvements in turbine design and wind farm location. 7 – The next justification put forward by the wind marketers was energy independence. March 10, 2019 mum4kids 1 Comment. This semi-truck is equivalent to a nuclear plant. Org, http://saltburntown.co.uk/jobstest/view/artefact.php?artefact=409&view=138, Kevin Myers on wind power in todays Sindo 31-08-2010 - Page 928, Elon Musk and Peter Thiel Provide Early Funding for Transatomic’s Advanced Nuclear Reactor | al fin next level, http://www.masterresource.org/grassroots-opposition/20-bad-things-wind-3-reasons-why/, BigWind is NOT Green and hurts the planet | saveourskylineohio, Twenty-Five Industrial Wind Energy Deceptions - Master Resource. Wow, I could leave an epic on this topic. Even Bill Gates has recently promoted the value of a nuclear waste disposal plant, so USA could safely destroy it’s waste and receive huge fees for destroying the waste of other country’s nuclear plants. No such scientific assessment has EVER been done — therefore that claim (with all the others) should be treated as specious sales ballyhoo not worthy of serious consideration. The reality is that wind energy introduces many more of these issues than does a conventional power facility. No publicly-available, national database of wind turbines existed prior to the creation of the USGS Windfarm mapper, which was replaced with the U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) in 2018. Re REEs, a significant amount of radioactive waste is a necessary byproduct of processing the 4000± pounds of REEs per turbine. Environmental groups have long expressed concern that onshore wind turbines kill bats and birds. These include epoxy, which is the main matrix used for the fiberglass in turbines. Storage doesn’t necessarily solve all the capacity problems. A recent National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC) review of peer-reviewed research found evidence of bird and bat deaths from collisions with wind turbines and due to changes in air pressure caused by the spinning turbines, as well as from habitat disruption. Charles Battig All forms of energy production have some environmental impact. Estimates of the exact amount of rare earth minerals in wind turbines vary, but in any case the numbers are staggering. Personally, I believe that unless we discover a magical energy source that solves all our problems we should examine every available option even if it is as bad as you describe.. Most bat deaths occur during fall . Problem. The RSPB says it supports wind power - not because windfarms pose a lower risk to birds than other energy sources - but because in its view climate change poses the "single greatest long-term threat" to bird species. The giant . Or, perhaps better, with the phrase “unpredictable and highly variable?” And why not desist using the term back up when in fact he means to convey the idea of comprehensive prosthetic support for its variability? I’d recommend that you carefully study EnergyPresentation.Info. Suggesting "Wind should be part of the mix" Arguing that "Wind […]. This workbook has 84 printable pages for students to explore global warming and wind power. The science of aerodynamics had yet to be developed. Wind is an emissions-free source of energy. Nearly 58,000 wind turbines crank out power throughout the country. 20+ years) and its fuel is free, wind energy mitigates the price uncertainty that fuel costs add to . Thank you for making this website. Too bad the machines are only rated to have a useable life span of less than 20 years. But there is no current solution to the fundamental issues of being able to count on wind output when you need it (called ‘firm capacity’). So, if wind generators are a greater portion of a network’s demand, then a greater portion of thermal generators are needed as backup. I forget), there were periods of days where the wind output was unusually low and demand somewhat high (warm days). [BTW there is some evidence that the negative externalities (e.g. One was killed and two were crippled. Why was a mandate necessary? Unfortunately, JEDI is a totally inadequate model for accurately arriving at such numbers, for a variety of technical reasons. The fact is that we have been inundated by supposed wind energy benefits by developers, environmental organizations, manufacturers that profit from them (e.g. Wind energy was resurrected from the dust bin of power sources, as its promoters pushed the fact that wind turbines did not produce CO2 while generating electricity. Big Wind's Dependence on China's "Toxic Lakes". No scientific evidence exists that wind energy is a net societal benefit. 18 – The claim that wind energy is “green” or “environmentally friendly” is laugh-out-loud hilarious – except for the fact that the reality is not funny at all. The landscape is already badly scared by thousands of of wind turbines and people suffereing health impacts from turbine noise / whine. Many ads were run promoting wind energy as a good way to reduce our “dependence on Middle Eastern oil.”.