A Windmill In Every Back Yard
July 9, 2008 on 4:08 pm | In Global Warming, Main, National |
All right! You go, Boone! An inveterate 80-year-old oil man, the legendary T. Boone Pickens, came out strongly today for alternative energy on the very conservative Wall Street Journal editorial page.
And I couldn’t agree with him more. Pickens trots out some interesting stats:
“In fact, if we don’t do anything about this problem, over the next 10 years we will spend around $10 trillion importing foreign oil. That is $10 trillion leaving the U.S. and going to foreign nations, making it what I certainly believe will be the single largest transfer of wealth in human history.”
If you are still inclined toward more domestic drilling as the solution to our energy problems, those are pretty powerful numbers, especially when you consider the U.S. has only 3% of the world’s proven oil reserves.
And I like Pickens’ emphasis on national security. This is an angle that could bring just about everyone together: conservatives who want to minimize our vulnerability to coercion at the hands of foreign governments; liberals who are concerned about the environment; and quasi-isolationist libertarians who value self-reliance.
Pickens prefers natural gas (for automobiles), and embraces wind and solar to replace the coal- and oil-fired electricity generation plants that foul our air. For some reason, he does not even mention nuclear power, which (as I have written before) could be an important piece of the energy independence puzzle.
For the record, I like windmills. Every time I see one, I’m reminded that there’s a little less crude oil we have to buy from some feudal monarchy in the Middle East that trains terrorists to blow up Americans.
Take a ride up Route 22 into Stephentown, N.Y., or up Route 7 into Pittsfield, Mass., near Lake Pontoosuc. An enormous windmill (see image at top of this post) rises up on a nearby ridge that cuts the electricity bill of the Jiminy Peak ski resort nearly in half. It is an impressive piece of machinery and a pleasure to look at.
And I don’t have a NIMBY attitude about them. I don’t have enough money to put one up, but if an energy company approached me about building one on my property, I would seriously consider it. Any offers out there?
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Terry, as you know, I live in Rochester NY. On I-390, somewhere south of Geneseo, there is a line of wind turbines (just like the one in your photo) on several hills that are quite visible. A few are even obviously still under construction. IMHO, they are wonderful to look at. Their aesthetics are very pleasing, and they are hardly the eyesore that their opponents claim. Not to mention the fact that they help reduce our dependence on foreign/fossil fuels. I like Pickens’ argument. And if I had the land, and the money, I would put one up for my own use.
Comment by Amy — July 9, 2008 #
On a recent trip south on I-81 we spotted wind farms south of Scranton PA. Beautiful things those mills. Anyone interested in this subject should read Bob Whitcomb’s book ( He’s Editorial Page editor of the Providence Journal ) :
Cape Wind.
It’s due out in paperback any day now. Good beach book to read this summer, the summer you paid $4.19 a gallon to get to the beach…
Comment by Terrence McCarthy — July 9, 2008 #
Terry:
Shouldn’t you have titled this post “A Windmill in Every Back Yard (Except the Kennedys’)”?
There’s a line of windmills up in Searsburg, Vt., too, just over the border a ways from North Adams, Mass. I wouldn’t describe them as an eyesore (certainly not compared to a power plant). In fact, it’s rather intriguing to come upon them out in the middle of nowhere. The biggest hazard might be that people are in danger of driving off the road as they gape at them.
I’m told that the town and its residents love the turbines, too, since the taxes fill the town coffers, sparing homeowners from digging deeper.
Comment by Steve Barlow — July 9, 2008 #
Yesterday I got a survey from a former classmate who is funding one of the (many) new windmill companies in California. The main point of the host of questions was… How much more are you willing to pay for electricity in order to have some of your power needs supplied by the wind?
My electricity bill is about $90 per month. I said I’d pay an additional 15%. I guess that was mostly for the feel good factor. But from the way the questions were being asked, I don’t think it’s enough to make the product viable. But I could be wrong. (These were home based windmills, btw.)
How much more would you guys pay?
Comment by jake — July 9, 2008 #
Jake, I suspect we’re going to pay more no matter what our energy source is. My understanding is in Connecticut we have the highest electricity rates in the lower 48 states (only Hawaii is higher).
After you invest in your own home windmill and amortize that out over however many years to fit your budget, how would wind power be more expensive than buying power from a utility?
Perhaps what would make wind farms more pricey than coal or oil generation is the investment in transmission required to get the wind farms online?
Amy, you introduced me to an new web acronym IMHO (in my humble opinion?). Thanks.
Steve, I hadn’t considered the tax revenue angle. Every little bit helps, eh?
Comment by Terry — July 10, 2008 #
Terry, I’m a supporter of wind power and agree that the aesthetic argument has little merit, except perhaps for certain historic landscapes. A turbine on Cemetery Ridge or wind farm on the Custer battlefield would be a poor choice. That still leaves a great deal of public and private land with wind generating potential.
I understand the arguments about habitat fragmentation and bird strikes. Some conservation groups are seeking to establish siting criteria that would look to exclude areas at the intersection of priority habitat with high wind generating potential. The trouble is that especially in the Northeast, this leaves very little left for wind farms. We are going to have to make hard choices about the ecological losses we are prepared to accept, and the performance standard we will require to mitigate such losses where possible, as we move into an age where alternative energy generation is no longer optional but necessary.
In the case of large wind generating installations, it generally comes down to weighing local impacts against regional benefits. It is possible for environmentalists to make these tradeoffs - the Delaware Audubon Society did so in supporting a 150 turbine offshore wind farm - but it doesn’t come easily. It is far harder for local ordinances and zoning boards to do so, and there, I believe, lies the significant impediment to meaningful expansion of wind energy.
Comment by Tim Abbott — July 10, 2008 #
Tim,
Excellent points, all. I wonder how many municipalities in the Northeast even have regulation in their zoning codes regarding windmills.
My guess is most of them are about where they were 20 years ago w/ cell towers. But, if so, they are sure to catch up and then we will be right where you suggest: local impacts vs regional benefits.
Comment by Terry — July 10, 2008 #
Terry,
My father-in-law, who lives just a road over from where you live, has been on a mission to try to find a way to put a windmill up on his property. He even approached one of our town selectmen to propose his idea and see what the response would be. (None yet…) But, he also did research by visiting residences (in NY and PA) where homeowners had erected windmills, and found a number of downsides. The most onerous is the astronomical cost for anything that makes a real difference, creating a very long-term payback time frame… And, the ongoing maintenance is daunting for a homeowner. But, he may yet find a way. He’s quite tenacious when he takes on a project. Would you mind looking over and seeing one on Yonder Way?
Comment by Janet Manko — July 10, 2008 #
Janet,
Not at all! The Yonder Way wind turbine would be a welcome addition to the neighborhood.
I understand the start-up costs are high. But if the money was there it would be interesting to see what the town’s reax would be.
I’ve often wondered if the many private schools in the area who tout their commitment to “environmental stewardship” would be willing to put wind turbines up on their properties. I think it would make a good hook with donors and prospective students who would then perceive the schools’ commitments as genuine as opposed to just marketing. Just a thought …
Comment by Terry — July 10, 2008 #
Well, at least with windmills the NIMBY set has to come up with something more creative than terror of “the rays” from cell towers!
Comment by Geoff Brown — July 10, 2008 #
My limited understanding of wind power is that you need significant, constant wind in a prevailing direction. Our schools, and indeed our region, may not be well suited to this. We all like the idea of somethin’ for nothin’, and Pickens is brilliant; but you have to sharpen your pencil before going down that road. Carter tried to create incentives for alternative energy 30 yrs ago, and it failed miserably. Perhaps we should revisit that and figure out how to make it work this time, with or without govt help.
Comment by Peter Halle — July 11, 2008 #
Peter,
You’re right; they are expensive and need to be in a place with sustained wind to perform well — certainly not “somethin’ for nothin’.”
If I were fortunate enough to have a windmill on my property (elev 1,000 ft), I expect it would perform the way solar does: help reduce my electricity consumption only when its power source is available.
Comment by Terry — July 14, 2008 #
I’ve read a number of articles on the avian mortality problem associated with windmills. The consensus of them is that the Altamont wind farm’s poor siting colors the picture considerably. The wind energy people have been very good about working with conservationist experts since then. The best place for the windmills, in this area of the U.S., remains offshore — Cape Wind would be a great start.
Comment by Jim — July 16, 2008 #
Here’s a useful map of the best areas for wind power. Our little corner is marginal, unfortunately, but I’d still want a windmill myself and would want my neighbors to have them. Every little bit helps, after all, and I find them very attractive.
Comment by Jim — July 16, 2008 #
Jim,
Thanks for the helpful map. I don’t think windmills will replace anything in NWC outright, but, much like solar, they can complement existing power sources and help reduce air pollution.
Comment by Terry — July 16, 2008 #
Terry, I’m in full agreement with you on that. Even a relatively small reduction in emissions is meaningful and worth pursuing. Not least for the health benefits for the people most at risk from poor air quality. A windmill in every backyard is a fine idea.
Comment by Jim — July 16, 2008 #
I heard that some farmers in my area have wind mills on there properties and get payed for it ? How do i find out about it?
Comment by doug conklin — August 20, 2008 #