Solutions

There are a variety of solutions to the problems presented by Wind Power Generation. Some of them will be discussed on this page.

Trends In Wind Power Generation

In Europe, where wind power generation is more advanced than in the United States, the trend in wind power generation is away from large turbines and towards smaller units in greater numbers. These turbines are being placed near where the power that they generate is being consumed. The smaller turbines can be located on the roofs of buildings and in urban areas. In fact, the urban environment can aid in the generation of wind power because of the wind funnelling that takes place around a lot of the office towers that are built in large downtown areas. If more power was generated near the consumers of that power, it is possible that the blackout of 2003 might not have been so severe. When the blackout occurred, Niagara Falls, Ontario did not even notice it. This is because they draw virtually all of their power from the local hydro electric power plant. Other areas that had local power plants also stayed powered up.

Shouldn't power be generated near the consumers?

Compatible Land Use

There are many areas in this country where wind turbines can be installed without destroying the existing environment - particularly with the use of smaller turbines. For example, there are thousands of acres of land sitting idle in the corridors of our major highways.and a great many of these have good wind exposure. This land could be used to place arrays of smaller turbines without destroying important land formations or interfering with wildlife and habitats. A side benefit is that you would be getting "green power" from an area that was previously used only for activities that generate the greenhouse gasses that wind power helps reduce. As mentioned previously, smaller turbines could be placed on roofs of buildings and in urban environments where there is wind on all but the calmest days. Anybody who has spent any time in downtown Toronto, Chicago or Los Angeles know that there are places like this.

Regulations

There are very few people that want more government in their lives. That being said, it is important to realize that Wind Power is one of a very few energy sources that is completely without regulation¹, yet public money (our money) is being spent in New York State to finance private for profit corporations that build Wind Power installations. In granting this money, there are no rules regarding where these projects should be placed. There are also no rules as to how these installations may or may not affect the existing environment around them - including but not limited to habitat destruction, deforestation, water quality in the surrounding area and sight lines.

1. This excludes the state of Vermont, where there is a complete moratorium on the development of all industrial wind power generating facilities.