Opinions
Wind farming is not a panacea
The concern over mountaintop mining is one that most people share. Extracting coal is dangerous, transporting coal is hard on the roads, and burning the coal to turn the turbines that generate the electricity is never going to be without some sort of air pollution.
However, wind power predates coal, and wind is still far from a practical and reliable source of energy.
If wind power were cheaper, electric companies would switch to it in a New York minute. Companies seek to keep costs down, and profits up. If Appalachian Power could replace its John Amos plant with a few windmills, it would.
One problem is reliability. The wind is not constant on Earth. The dog days of summer could stop the wind, just as air conditioners are clicking into overdrive.
June 9, 2008
in Charleston Daily Mail
The proposal to cover mountains with turbines isn't practical
The proposal by environmentalists for an alternative to strip mining no doubt was sincere.
A group of residents from the coalfields asked the Raleigh County Commission to support a proposed wind farm on Coal River Mountain.
They worry that their hills will be topped in the pursuit of the coal that is used to generate half of the electricity in the United States.
"I live in the west end of the county, which has been heavily impacted by coal mining," Lorelei Scarbro of Rock Creek told the commission. "Our concern today is our homes, our... [continue via Web link]
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