1. The wind turbines are a hazard to avian wildlife.
2. The turbines create a significant amount of noise, so they need to be away from people who live in the area. This creates a second problem where isolated areas have little infrastructure like transmission lines to transport the electricity.
3. The wind strength is variable and an unreliable source for constant electrical needs.
4. The turbines are expensive, and require considerable resources to maintain.
5. The turbines generate very little electricity for the amount of money put into it. While it might be "green", much of the public fail to realize that it costs more money per watt of wind energy than any other. While some people might choose to pay a little extra to convert to a green source of energy, nobody in their right mind would pay 400-500% more on their electrical bill just to be green. People will drive 3 blocks away to save 1 cent on their gas.
Each of these 5 factors carry with it a price tag, in terms of land value, depreciation, wildlife value, etc...
It's also interesting to consider that the sum of all "Green" energy that has ever been generated since the dawn of mankind (solar, wind...etc), does not even amount to a single day's electricity needs of the planet.(1)
>>a colossal waste of money?<<
Isn't that the way capitalist economies are supposed to work? If it is not viable, it won't fly.
The general perception of the wind energy industry as something run-by and full-of greenie environmentalists could not be further from the truth. I have several clients in the industry. One is a Fortune 500 (actually a Fortune 300) company. The smaller LLCs are run by really smart and sophisticated 30-40 something entrepreneurs (smarter and slicker than their fossil-fuel counterparts) who can smell Bullshlt and spot an idiot a mile away, and their Ivy League $1,000 suit-wearing attorneys.
They have enough money that in order to use your land they will pay you a lease of $7,000-10,000/ per turbine / per year plus a 10% inflation bump - every year - for the rest of your life. Once a farm is operational, the LLC is bought by a power provider (whoever sends you your monthly utility bill is one of them).
And you might be surprised at some of the companies who are starting to buy-up wind companies and wind projects. Toshiba is one - they also have acquired a Swiss smart grid company and are forming "strategic business alliance(s) for the co-development and marketing of wind power generators” with US companies and other countries.
Like all capitalists, however, they are motivated by profit and are currently sitting on projects pending Congressional approval of the tax credits they have been promised.
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Les C --
Then you must really hate the oil, gas, utility, and telecommunications industries since they get about 1/3 of all subsidies to all industries.
Waste of money.
The move towards wind and solar has cost the German consumer dearly. Contrary to all the predictions, wind is several times more expensive than conventional power sources. The German government has been forced to increase the electric rates, to cover the additional costs, to the point that the people are starting to call their electric bill the 'second rent.'
In some districts, it is indeed more than the rent.
http://www.thegwpf.org/800000-german-hou...
Generally I don't favour wind power. You have to go to a lot of trouble to harness energy from a power source that's actually quite small, and you don't have control over the supply.
I'd prefer my tax dollars to go into hydro, tidal or geothermal... all of which are possible where I live.
I think wind power is useful in certain locations when it supplies power in remote locations, or where the wind is known to strong steady and reliable, but generally no it turning out to be unreliable and expensive and causing harm to bird-life.
as long as wind energy needs subsidies to exist, it is a waste of money.
http://joannenova.com.au/2013/03/wind-farms-turbines-break-like-match-sticks-in-medium-waves-and-their-capacity-is-overestimated/
I'm actually all for "green" energy like hydroelectric, geothermal and nuclear energy. Wind power just seems to be a giant waste of money though.
