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Wind energy isn't the only answer, but it can help:
Protect Against Volatile Electric Rates--
About 95% of the planned electric capacity in the U.S. is slated to
be provided by natural gas-fired power plants. Wind provides critical
resource diversity, protecting consumers and utilities against the volatility
of natural gas prices. The costs of a wind plant are primarily capital
costs, and thus the cost of electricity from wind plant is stable over
the life of the plant.
Wind is Cost-effective-- The cost of wind has declined
90% over the past 20 years. If wind plants are built at goodwind sites
and at sufficient scale the power will be cost-competitive with the
cost of fossil fuel generated electricity.
Wind Complements Natural Gas-- While wind plants
are running, fossil plants can be shut down. This helps them (1) get
scheduled maintenance and (2) run longer before they run into air pollution
limits.
Wind resources are vast-- California and Western
states have more than enough wind potential to meet all of their electricity
needs. Biggest limitation is transmission capacity. Windiest states
in the west are Wyoming and Montana.
Economic Development-- Wind can provide economic
development to rural areas of the West, essentially providing farmers
and ranchers with a "second crop" for their land.
Wind projects can be built quickly-- Wind plants can be built within
six months, more quickly than other types of power plants, once wind
resource assessment and permitting are completed. By end of this year,
we expect three new plants to go on line in the west that can provide
enough electricity for 750,000 people. Two of those to be developed
in the western U.S. will be the largest wind plants in the world.
Unlike many other power plants, wind plants are not fueled - which means
no incentive to hold back for higher prices. Use it or lose it.
What can California do_
The best thing California can do is to push for an extension of the
federal wind energy production tax credit (PTC). The PTC, a key incentive
for wind energy, is scheduled to expire at the end of this year, and
the industry would like to see it extended for at least five years.
The next best thing California can do is to pass a Renewables Portfolio
Standard requiring a steadily rising percentage of the state's electricity
to come from renewable energy sources.
The next best thing California can do is to get busy and deal with transmission
constraints, both in-state and out-of-state.
Finally, California needs to deal with local zoning ordinances that
often limit household "accessory structures" to no more than
35 feet in height. Small wind systems need 60-foot to 80-foot towers.
Why isn't natural gas the answer_
Nationwide, gas is burned to generate 15% of our electricity, but of
new power plants, more than 90% are gas-fired.
As a result, demand for gas is projected to increase by 50% over the
next decade. But domestic supply has basically been flat for the past
10 years.
We've been mortgaging our future to this one power source for a decade
now, and now that its price is starting to rise, we have a serious problem.
Wind provides critically needed resource diversity.
What about bird kills_
A typical wind turbine kills 1-2 birds a year. That's not a problem
unless the birds being killed are of rare or threatened species.
If the U.S. embarked on a massive program to build wind generators,
and over 25 or 30 years, installed 1 million MW consisting of 1 million
new turbines, avian deaths would amount to 1-2 million per year. That's
not desirable, but hunters kill 100 million birds a year right now;
house cats kill at least 100 million birds a year; plate glass kills
at least 100 million birds a year. Even at the highest levels of use
imaginable, wind energy would be just a drop in the bucket.
The true problem of birds and wind is one of specific species at specific
sites. We now know how to avoid those sites, and bird kills should not
be a significant problem for the wind industry going forward.
What about aesthetics_
Public opinion surveys typically show large margins--3 to 1 or 4 to
1--in favor of wind energy.
When surveys have been taken in the same communities before and after
wind turbines are installed, the level of support has usually gone up,
not down, indicating that people's fears have been unfounded.
What about noise_
Noise is not a problem with modern wind turbines. In the field, it is
typically dealt with through setback requirements. A wind turbine a
quarter of a mile away is no noisier than a kitchen refrigerator.
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