Solutions

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

Small Scale Wind

Small scale private production is a better application of wind power generation than large scale commercial production. In a small setup, say for one or two homes, a small wind turbine atop a slender tower generates the energy. This power is then put into storage batteries where it can be saved until it is needed. This means that the wind doesn't necessarily need to be blowing when the power is needed but only at some point in time to keep the batteries charged. This type of system may or may not provide enough energy to make a home independent of the power grid but it does substantially reduce the demand on the grid from that home. If the tax dollars and other subsidies to the developers of large scale commercial wind projects were spent to provide this type of system to homeowners, it might have a much larger positive impact on the environment, without some of the negative impacts associated with large scale production using turbine the height of 40 story buildings.

If the $170 million that NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research & Development Authority) is giving away to utility scale wind power development was put into private residential wind power, about 17500 homes could be made significantly less dependant on the Electric Grid. (Based on a cost of $10,000 per installation) Since we have no exact tally of the federal money being put into wind development in the form of tax breaks for developers, we can't put an number on how many small wind power systems could be installed with it, but the number would be exponentially higher.

The power from large wind turbines can't be produced when it is needed - rather, it must be used as it is produced.

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 could help 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.

Shouldn't power be generated near the consumers?

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.

Small Scale Photovoltaic

Small scale Photo Voltaic, generating electricity directly from solar power, is another option for battery charging. One family in Western New York lives entirely off the grid by using six solar panels to charge batteries. The only drawback that they have noticed is "if we haven't had sun for a few days, I can't do my ironing." The person who made that statement didn't seem too bothered by it. The beauty of a system like this is that it is scalable. If you can only afford two panels to start, you install two and reduce your dependence on the grid. When you are ready to go bigger, you add panels and batteries and you reduce your dependence a little more until you are completely off the grid. Something worth mentioning is the fact that there are communities in the southwest that have height-setback restrictions written into their zoning laws. These restrictions prevent one person from blocking the sunlight on adjoining property so that all members of the community can use solar power.

Small Hydro

In New York State, and throughout the United States, there is a renewable resource that for some reason, government has overlooked - That resource is moving water. There are two types of small hydro electric generators. The "run of the river" type of generator is placed in the stream of moving water and a certain amount flows through the system, turning a turbine. The "storage" type of hydro electric generator does require a dam to make it work and this is where hydro electric power meets resistance from the public; however, consider this: Only 2400 of the 80,000 dams in the United States are currently being used to generate electricity. Since the head of water is already there, relatively minor changes would be required to turn these dams into electricity generating facilities.

Hydro Electricity is dispatchable - available on demand.

Conclusions

These are a few examples of renewable energy technologies that actually work. The question that stands is: Why doesn't government back some of these truly environmentally friendly energy sources?

While governments, utilities and grid providers claim that they want to bolster "green energy", they do not pursue avenues that truly are environmentally friendly. Rather than putting money into many small scale projects that work, they put it into things like utility scale wind power which destroys large tracts of land for very little if any return. Why do they do this? It seems like the answers are control and money.

Control - Individual sized generating projects remove control of the electrical system from government and the large power corporations and put it in the hands of the consumers. This means that the individual now controls his own electricity and doesn't rely as heavily on the large power corporations. If consumers leave the grid in large numbers, where does that leave the big corporations?

Money - Large energy companies have a very strong lobby at both the state and federal level and one of the tools that makes for a strong lobby is money, whether in the form of gifts or campaign contributions. When a residential sized wind turbine is installed, the only ones who make money are the people who build and install them. This leaves the lobbyists and their benificiaries out of the loop.

Small wind and solar put the control of electricity where it should be - in the hands of the consumer.