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The high cost of wind power
Credit: The Chronicle Journal | May 23, 2013 | www.chroniclejournal.com ~~
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Translate: FROM English | TO English
First of all, I must identify myself as an employee of Ontario Power Generation, and declare that the views and opinions expressed in this statement are my own and do not represent OPG in any way.
After reading Bill Scollie’s letter concerning the high cost of wind power (Wind Farm – We All Pay, May 16), I did a little research.
The weekend of May 11-12 was very windy in most of Ontario, from 7 p.m. on Friday, May 10 through to midnight of May 12. The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) showed wind produced 58,165 megawatts of power, beating the old production record several times.
This power cost taxpayers $135 per megawatt, totalling $7,852,276.
At the same time, because wind power has priority over cheaper forms of electricity production, Ontario had to export 127,361 megawatt hours at $20.40 per megawatt.
But by far the worst fact about that weekend is that OPG spilled (or wasted) clean renewable hydro power because of wind priority on the grid. Here in the Northwest, where 90 per cent or more of our power comes from water, you can be sure we were spilling water here too.
We could have generated the same amount of power from water for $1,186,500.
The auditor general has stated that wind power is produced out of sync with demand and that the government did not do a business case study for its renewable energy program. If they had, would it make any difference?
Most people understand dollars and cents. People may now realize that this whole energy fiasco will one day come home to roost. . . in our wallets.
Denis Beaupre
Slate River
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