Throughout history, time and time again, the cure
provided by do-gooders is often worse than the disease.
America continues to provide contemporary examples;
the latest being our national policy promoting the use of wind energy through
massive tax credits, loans, loan guarantees and subsidies.
It is thought that as of 2016, we had poured over $176
billion (about $550.00 per person) of taxpayer money into the wind energy
companies in order to cut back on our use of fossil fuels so that we can,
theoretically, reduce global warming.
Now, we learn that wind farms actually warm the
surrounding environment thus negating their supposed value in fighting warming.
According to a research report published this fall,
wind turbines increase the “boundary layer mixing and altered large-scale
atmospheric flow” resulting in atmospheric warming.
The paper, published in Joule, actually observed the warming effect at 28 operational US
wind farms.
And, this has been known for at least six years. That was when an article was published in the
journal Nature Climate Change which
“found a night-time warming effect over wind farms of up to 0.72 degrees
Celsius per decade over the nine-year-period in which data were collected.”
This is a huge number when it comes to warming as the
total predicted reduction in temperature if we eliminated all CO2
from electrical generation would only be 0.1 degree C.
This is just the latest in the long line of reasons to
stop subsidizing the wind energy mega-companies: Wind turbines presently kill hundreds of
thousands of birds in the U.S. (many endangered); wind farms take up about 100
times more land than conventional non-CO2 emitting power sources
(nuclear); wind energy requires the availability of non-wind power generators
on stand-by as the wind doesn’t always blow (thus costing double for the
redundancy); environmental concerns are mounting, including noise and ‘shadow
flicker’ with many communities that initially welcomed wind development now
turning against their presence.
According to Isaac Orr, with the Center of the American Experiment, “…there are a lot of things that
have made many people reconsider their perception of the industry. People with wind turbines on their property
often have to sign gag orders which prevent them from publicly voicing concerns
about or problems that have arisen from the wind turbines on their own
property.”
‘Shadow flicker’, from the turbine blades creating
rapidly alternating shadows and light in homes, has been so bad in some cases
that residents have been given window blinds worth $11,000 per home and
homeowners were advised to go on vacation during those months when the flicker
was most severe!
Yet, we relentlessly push on in promoting wind energy
even when we realize that "Previous modeling studies have shown that
large-scale wind and solar farms can produce significant climate change at
continental scales” – this according to a University of Illinois researcher in
another paper just published in Science
in September, 2018.
This is an age-old story: A perceived problem; a potential solution
(but with many unexpected consequences) and, we proceed regardless, often
reaping the whirlwind.
Our crony capitalism policy of subsidizing wind energy
has resulted in higher power costs to consumers. Take away the tax credits and energy would be
generated by the cheapest material instead of by the most politically correct
source.
For the record, I’m for wind energy (not really). It is so uneconomic, it raises energy costs,
which means I sell more insulation.
Good for Applegate Insulation, stupid for the country.
By Terry Applegate