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Letter: windmills
Credit: Sun Journal | February 8, 2013 | www.newbernsj.com ~~
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Translate: FROM English | TO English
On February 5, the lead story in the Sun Journal, “Up in the Air,” informed us of the possibility of having windmills installed in this area to generate electricity. From what I have read, this seems to be a political boondoggle that benefits only the folks who build the windmills and the politicians who are “bought” to approve such projects.
Our government throws bucketfuls of money at windmills. Companies that provide windmill power get 12 times more taxpayer subsidies than do companies that provide oil and gas power. Similarly, windmill power companies get about 6.5 times more taxpayer subsidies than do nuclear power companies. Therefore, it pays – and it pays very well – to sell windmill power instead of the others.
But is wind power worth the cost? Remember, if the wind doesn’t blow then the windmills don’t generate any power. Also, if the wind blows too hard then the windmills shut down and don’t generate any power. Obviously, we need to have an oil, gas, or nuclear power plant to generate electricity when the windmills will not. Consequently, windmills do not stop us from relying on other power sources.
And what happens when the government’s windmill handouts stop? What happens when the windmills wear out? Quite simply, they are normally abandoned since that is less expensive than decommissioning them, taking them apart, and trucking them to a landfill. California alone has over 14,000 abandoned windmills – standing around, doing nothing! The whole country has tens of thousands sitting idle!
We need to look at windmills with a skeptical eye.
Joe Garzik, New Bern
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