...the wind industry and other wind energy advocates have, for years, greatly overstated the energy and environmental benefits of wind energy and understated the true environmental, ecological, economic, scenic, and property value costs. They have misled the public, media and government officials – and created a “popular wisdom” about wind energy and promoted the creation of faulty government policies, tax breaks and subsidies that will take years to correct. This brief paper deals with only two of the areas where the industry and its supporters use half-truths and false or misleading information.

Click on the links below to see and hear wind turbines in motion.

Editor's Note: A note of caution. These clips are more valuable visually than as an accurate representation of turbine noise. The background noise in the first two videos is undoubtedly due, in part, to wind noise on the video camera's microphone. In the third video the background noise is, in part, road and radio noise. More sophisticated acoustical equipment is required to properly capture the sound of the operating turbines.

An interesting letter from Noble Environmental Power that suggests by implication that there must be some 'downside' to being the neighbor of a wind plant.

Sally Collins' statement before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Clipper's powerpoint presentation at the 2006 Wind Powering America Summit on June 8 in Pittsburgh, PA

This report examines the factors underlying the recent increases in electricity prices and the potential impact of these factors on the industry's financial condition. It focuses primarily on cost changes experienced over the past five years and the projected trends in these costs over the next ten years.

This is a helpful reference document for those interested in understanding the language of the electric utility industry and reliability authorities.

The Service favors:
--conservation of wildlife in the public trust;
--development of renewable energy that is bird and bat friendly; and
--use of informed decisions based on adequate environmental assessment and sound science.

North American wind power is expected to see a more than fourfold increase in wind power plants in operation by 2010. The US is expected to grow from just over 6,700 MW to over 28,000 MW by 2010. Starting from a lower base of nearly 450 MW in 2004, Canada's wind power base will grow even more quickly to over 6,200 MW by 2010.

Editor's Note: This article highlights an optimistic view of wind energy growth largely driven by current and anticipated tax subsidies (e.g. production tax credits) and the creation of artificial markets (e.g. renewable portfolio standards). Both are the result of political polices that promote an energy source that is neither responsive to base load energy needs nor effective in reducing greenhouse gases.