“I want to hear from the public,” Anderson said. “That is what I want to hear. I represent the Bluefield area, and I need their input. I want the people in my district to know what’s going on ... Hardly no one spoke at the first public hearing, and we didn’t act on it. “ Anderson’s plea for public input is vital — and much appreciated. All too often people do not speak up about public issues until it is too late. The issue of building large windmills along the crest of East River Mountain has the potential to blow into a furious debate.

The associated environmental and health impacts are real. Rural residents will not be persuaded to “do their part” knowing that corporate marketing and provincial promotion overstates the benefits of this power source and plays down the negative impacts. Until developers site these projects in more appropriate areas and earn, not demand respect, they will continue to face costly delays and opposition.

Jack A. Nasca, chief of DEC's energy projects and management division of environmental projects, made a persuasive case for his agency taking the lead. He noted in a letter to his boss, Alexander B. "Pete" Grannis, that the "anticipated impacts" of the wind farm are "primarily of statewide and/or regional significance as opposed to local significance." The project will require installing an underwater transmission line along with other construction activity, which will mean heavy boat traffic to and from the island, and could disrupt fish spawning and bird populations with long-term ramifications ..."The impacts from the loss of a unique habitat of regional importance and the potential for impact to resident and migratory bird and bat species of statewide importance will remain for the operational life of the project," Mr. Nasca wrote. Terns on the state list of threatened species nest on the island, which is also near other important bird habitat.

I am asking the county commissioners to reverse their decision supporting placement of wind turbines on privately owned Garrett County ridges and vigorously pursue strategies that would prevent this use of private land in our county. It is very clear to me that Maryland's politicized Public Service Commission will not safeguard the citizens of Garrett County. Furthermore, our county's influence pales in comparison to that of our far Eastern counties and state government. As was discussed at the Jan. 30 public hearing at Garrett College, Garrett County is seen as the path of least resistance for the state of Maryland to meet her alternative energy mandates. I would like for our county to make it very clear that we are NOT the path of least resistance ...

One million barrels a day is the equivalent of the energy we wold obtain from a 3.7-million-acre wind farm....the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.

Like a spiral in a circle and a wheel within a wheel, grasping the spin on both sides of the Wind Farm issue has been quite an occupation for Cape Codders, assorted politicians and special interests for several years now as the project teeters on the front burner of contentious human endeavor.

A Scottish Government spokesman forecasts that the rate of growth in electricity generated by renewable sources (excluding hydro) over the next three years will be 46 per cent per annum and that by 2011 the renewable electricity target of 31 per cent (5,000 megawatts) will be met (your report, 23 May). Once again, the Scottish Government persists in mixing up capacity with the much lower levels of actual electricity likely to be generated.

For anyone who hasn't been tuned in, the proposal involves 33 wind-turbine towers 410 feet high with blinking lights on top, strung out over 6.5 miles of ridge-line smack in the middle of the North Country, aided and abetted by nearly 40 miles of construction and service roads and a new 5.8-mile transmission line. The ballyhooed "enough power for 33,000 homes" will go as a drop in the bucket into the massive New England Power Pool -- and this from a state that already generates twice as much power as it consumes. In the end, it will support only seven jobs.

"In order to guarantee reliable electricity supplies when wind farms produce little or no power,e.g. during periods of calm or storm-related shutdowns, traditional power station capacities must be available as a reserve. This means that wind farms can only replace traditional power station capacities to a limited degree."

Wow, this coal plant is flexible indeed. ...It can ramp up and down within minutes to meet renewable's intermittency. And at $3.4 billion, it's a steal. Thanks to their Renewable Energy Act (EEG) and the shutting of their nuclear plants, the country's energy costs are skyrocketing and driving German manufacturing out of business or off-shore

Unsurprisingly, planning officers and their committees have taken an increasingly sceptical view of applications. Too often, energy companies have held back key information. They have used bullying tactics, and regularly characterise those who have raised concerns about effects on human lives, the impact on landscape and wildlife, as selfish and trivial-minded.

I write regarding the proposed installation of two 1.65-megawatt wind turbines on Chase Road, in advance of the Dartmouth meeting to be held Dec. 9. On that date the Select Board, the Alternative Energy Committee (AEC) and others are supposed to attend a public forum. I find it curious that the engineering firm previously hired by the town to evaluate the wisdom of such an installation has an elaborate Web site which appears to be surprisingly silent about its expertise in wind turbines.

And we would still need the same amount of generating power from other plants (which would be run less efficiently, i.e., with more emissions) to keep the system running when the wind isn't perfect. With this pathetic outlook, and considering as well the fact that electricity is only a fraction of our energy use, wind looks about as far from a "serious" solution to global warming or decommissioning nuclear plants as one could get.

This letter describes one man's determination to end his lease agreement with wind developer Reunion Power.

Alexander Skirpan, the hearing examiner, made several recommendations most will appreciate, including requiring mitigation and monitoring throughout the life of the project as needed. ...But most still retain hope the project will never come to fruition. Hurdles remain. Investors will be wary of HNWD's decision to ignore strong advice about getting a habitat conservation plan and incidental take permit for endangered species. There are still lawyers waiting in the wings for the first time one of those raptors is found dead at the foot of a wind tower. Without taking the best steps to mitigate its own financial outlook, HNWD may not be able to get backing it needs.

It won't happen overnight. Building those lines won't be quick or cheap. It's expected to be at least five years before the lines could be built and ready to flow with electricity. Construction costs could run $2 million per mile for large, high-capacity lines. Customers served by ERCOT, the power-grid operator for the majority of Texas' electric service, would pay the costs over several years through a fee estimated to be $4 on monthly electric bills.

While an initial assessment in Ghana, reveals more than 2,000 MW of wind energy potential, mainly along the border with Togo, in Africa, this is quite a significant amount, as by some estimates, the continent needs just 40,000 MW of electricity to power its industrialization (see UNEP Governing Council Report). We should also have an ambitious wind approach on the Keta coastline with a proven potential of over 2000MW. We will link this system to our gas powered generators and create a system where gas powered generation is reduced when there is enough wind power and goes up and vice versa. This way we eliminate the problem of having only wind power when there is wind energy since gas will step in to make up for the shortfall, whiles at the same time cutting down on our thermal energy bills. Spain has done it and to give credence to my claim I list the following existing wind energy capacity for major companies in Spain : Gamesa Eólica, 3281 MW; Made, 803 MW; Neg Micon, 715 MW; Ecotécnia, 446 MW etc. (Source Spanish Energy Ministry).

Democratic presidential candidates have been stumping for "green collar jobs," contending that workers need federally-funded training to help build the new energy economy and fill the avalanche of work coming to the burgeoning domestic clean-tech and alternative energy sectors. ...There is plenty of enthusiasm about the prospects of work in green industries, though everyone seems to have their own optimistic ideas about the types of work that will arise. ...But low-wage earners and unskilled laborers deserve some honest clarity about how much additional green they can expect to receive in their paychecks when they take those so-called green collar jobs with the lowest barriers to entry. Many of these positions are unlikely to afford them a bridge to high-paying, skilled work. Cleaning a house or hotel room with chemical free products is still working in the hospitality sector.

Willmar Municipal Utilities and turbine manufacturer DeWind have been working in recent months to address operational glitches, such as blade chips or switch/breaker settings, and equipment problems, such as a low-oil sensor reading in September or the lack of a cold weather package discovered in early December.

Christopher Booker told your readers that the wind turbine at Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, only works at 8 per cent efficiency (News, December 17). Imagine my amusement, and horror, when I drove past it last night to see it not rotating (not unusual) but now floodlit, presumably to draw attention to the folly. Given the electricity used to light it up, is it now working at minus 8 per cent efficiency?