Wind power Archives - Page 6 of 7 Voice For Liberty

Apr

Wind power: it’s not free

A letter from a citizen in today's Wichita Eagle makes the case that electricity generated from coal is less expensive than electricity from wind. I don't know if the writer's numbers are correct. Considering all costs, though, it is true that wind power is very expensive. Here's something from the American Wind Energy Association: "Over the last 20 years, the cost of electricity from utility-scale wind systems has dropped by more than 80%. In the early 1980s, when the first utility-scale turbines were installed, wind-generated electricity cost as much as 30 cents per kilowatt-hour. Now, state-of-the-art wind power plants can…

Apr

By Bob Weeks

GPACE poll on Kansas energy

Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy recently released a poll that purportedly shows great interest in Kansas for clean energy sources. Looking at the poll, however, leads to little confidence in its results. Some of the results the poll produced are totally meaningless. For example: "Results show that most voters (almost two-thirds) think the price of coal will increase over the next 25 years." Is this poll relying on Kansas voters as experts in coal futures? This result is probably more the result of the Kansas press repeatedly reporting the wishes of radical environmentalist groups. The poll also asks questions…

Mar

By Bob Weeks

Green energy policies causing harm in Europe

In their Washington Times article Lessons from Europe, Iain Murray, Gabriel Calzada, and Carlo Stagnaro warn us in the United States about "green" energy policies that have been implemented in Europe. These harmful policies are just like the ones we are considering here. The cap-and-trade system that's been in place in Europe has done little to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "The scheme has been repeatedly gamed and manipulated by industry and governments so that emissions have actually increased faster than the those of the United States, with none of the big reductions promised materializing." Meanwhile, electricity bills are going up,…

Mar

By Bob Weeks

Earl Watkins, Sunflower Chief Executive, speaks at AFP event

Earl Watkins, President and CEO of Sunflower Electric Power Corporation recently spoke to a group of citizen activists as part of AFP - Kansas Day at the Capitol. Here's a few notes from his talk. Did you know that Sunflower Electric is a not-for-profit organization? The demand for electricity changes constantly, moment-by-moment, throughout the day. Since electricity can't be stored, matching generation to consumption of electricity is a challenge. Adding wind power makes this an even more challenging job, as wind power is very erratic. Watkins told a story of how a group of Kansas University students contacted him as…

Feb

By Bob Weeks

Global warming alarmism: coming to a faith-based organization near you

Has global warming alarmism become a religious issue? Judging by a recent op-ed in the Wichita Eagle, it seems so. (Moti Rieber and Connie Pace-Adair: Make clean-energy generation a priority, February 22, 2009 Wichita Eagle. Link is to article at the Eagle, or see Eagle op-ed: Clean energy is a faith issue at Rieber's blog.) As always, we must recognize that the science behind global warming alarmism is not a settled issue. What else is there in this op-ed to be concerned about? Mr. Rieber speaks of "free and abundant wind." Readers of his op-ed may be excused for believing…

Jan

By Bob Weeks

A Cautionary Note for Kansas Wind Power

A piece in the Wall Street Journal contains some useful information that we should keep in mind as we consider the future of energy in Kansas, even though the focus of the column is the debate over wind power on Nantucket Sound. (Blowhards, January 24, 2009). One thing is the hypocrisy of "green" power proponents: Bill Delahunt, the windy Cape Democrat, also denounced the action as "a $2 billion project that depends on significant taxpayer subsidies while potentially doubling power costs for the region." ... Good to see the Congressman now recognizes the limitations of green tech, such as its…

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Wind power: look at costs of “boom”

There's been a lot of investment in Nolan County, Texas. Things are booming. That's pretty much the entire point of an op-ed piece in the Wichita Eagle by Scott Allegrucci. (Money Blowing in the Wind in Texas, January 16, 2009) He's the director of the Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy, based in Topeka. This organization's website states that "GPACE seeks to correct an imbalance in the information citizens and their elected representatives have received regarding the critical and complex energy policy decisions facing our state." If that's really GPACE's goal, Mr. Allegrucci didn't advance it in this piece. That's…

Jan

By Bob Weeks

Not All Agree With New Kansas Energy Plan

Currie Meyers of the Kansas Federalist has a few issues with Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius' energy plan. I can't link directly to Meyers' article, so I'll reproduce it in its entirety here. Sebelius New Energy Plan Lacks Energy Governor Kathleen Sebelius unveiled weak and pathetic energy proposals that she hopes will help Kansas capitalize on renewable energy. Standing beside her at the major news event was Lt.Gov. Mark Parkinson, whom has already announced he is not running for running for office. The Sebelius four-point legislative plan calls for: Net Metering! Which would allow Kansas consumers to generate their own electricity,…

Dec

By Bob Weeks

A reasoned look at wind power

The Texas Public Policy Foundation has released a report titled Texas Wind Energy: Past, Present, and Future. It doesn't have a catchy title, but the report is full of useful information about wind energy. Here's a little bit from the executive summary: The distinction between wind and wind energy is critical. The wind itself is free, but wind energy is anything but. Cost estimates for wind-energy generation typically include only turbine construction and maintenance. Left out are many of wind energy’s costs—transmission, grid connection and management, and backup generation—that ultimately will be borne by Texas’ electric ratepayers. Direct subsidies, tax…

Sep

By Bob Weeks

Rhonda Holman’s Kansas Energy Policy: Not Good for Kansas

Wichita Eagle editorialist Rhonda Holman writes "[Kansas Governor Kathleen] Sebelius gets it. Too bad the Kansas Chamber does not." This is the end of her lead editorial from today titled Kansas Chamber protecting past. In it, she claims that the Kansas Chamber of Commerce is out of touch with the reality of global warming, and by extension, that our governor isn't. Ms. Holman cites a study showing that green investment in Kansas could add many jobs to our economy. That's no doubt true. But these jobs have all the characteristics of public works jobs, meaning that for each job created,…