Your anti-wind hot air deflector
By Paul Hanley, The Starphoenix
Wind power is too expensive. And it's not reliable. Plus it makes people sick.
Tired of hearing these comments about renewable power, but don't know how to reply? Saskatoon Community Wind has come up with a list of common wind power myths along with snappy responses. Here they are, but check out the full answers with informative graphics at www.saskatooncommunitywind.ca.
Myth #1: Wind energy is too expensive - Saskatoon sits in a high wind belt that stretches from central Saskatchewan to the Texas/Mexico border. Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration puts the cost of wind in this region at $75 per megawatt hour, well below coal ($100) and close to natural gas ($67), with a fraction of the climate pollution.
Myth # 2: OK, but it's not reliable because wind is intermittent, it's not baseload - Two studies carried out on the Eastern and Western Interconnections of the North American electrical grid found that it is technically and economically feasible to generate at least 20 per cent of total electricity using wind turbines.
Myth #3: If wind is so good, why is no one using it to any significant extent? - Actually, Saskatchewan, with only three per cent of electricity coming from wind, lags behind 17 U.S. states, as well as 19 European countries that have a significantly poorer wind resource. Iowa and South Dakota get close to 25 per cent of their power from wind; seven other states get more that 10 per cent. Warren Buffett's MidAmerican Energy is currently building 1000 megawatts of new wind in Iowa which, when completed in 2015, will see that state generating 30 per cent of its electricity from wind. (And Buffet is doing it because wind is profitable.)
Myth #4: Maybe, but places that use wind pay more for electricity - In fact, the people in the 17 U.S. states that have more wind power than Saskatchewan now pay less, on average, for their electricity than we do.
Myth #5: OK, but at the end of the day, natural gas is still cheaper - True enough, at the moment. However, gas prices are volatile. In 2008, for example, the price for generating power from wind was almost triple the current amount. When gas prices inevitably rise, SaskPower's customers will have to pay more. On the other hand, the cost of wind energy is fixed (and known) from the start.
Myth #6: But building wind turbines creates a lot of carbon emissions, making climate pollution from wind as high as other sources - Actually, for every unit of electricity generated, including carbon emitted during construction, wind turbines emit 80 times less carbon than coal and 40 times less carbon than natural gas, says the International Panel on Climate Change.
Myth #7: OK, but in the end, people do not like wind turbines nearby, so the whole thing is moot - In Germany and Denmark, two of the top countries for wind energy, the majority of wind turbines are located close to houses and villages. Not only do people not object, more than 50 per cent of all wind capacity is owned and put in place by local people, farmers, collectives or municipalities themselves. In other words, when people have a direct ownership position in a wind turbine and feel it is built by the community and for its benefit, there is overwhelming support.
Myth #8: Wind energy is bad for your health - Since the early 1980s almost 300,000 wind turbines have been installed around the world, including 60,000 in Canada and the U.S. Tens of thousands of people worldwide live near and work at operating wind turbines without health effects. The numerous studies that have examined extensive epidemiological data from around the world conclusively demonstrate that reports of negative health impacts are not supported by science. On the contrary, they find the health benefits of wind far outweigh the negatives.
Last month, the Saskatchewan Environmental Society proposed the province expand wind energy to 1,500 megawatts, about 20 per cent of our power requirements. If we can set aside the myths, there should be no reason not to reach that goal in the next 20 years.
Myth #1: Wind energy is too expensive - Saskatoon sits in a high wind belt that stretches from central Saskatchewan to the Texas/Mexico border. Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration puts the cost of wind in this region at $75 per megawatt hour, well below coal ($100) and close to natural gas ($67), with a fraction of the climate pollution.
Myth # 2: OK, but it's not reliable because wind is intermittent, it's not baseload - Two studies carried out on the Eastern and Western Interconnections of the North American electrical grid found that it is technically and economically feasible to generate at least 20 per cent of total electricity using wind turbines.
Myth #3: If wind is so good, why is no one using it to any significant extent? - Actually, Saskatchewan, with only three per cent of electricity coming from wind, lags behind 17 U.S. states, as well as 19 European countries that have a significantly poorer wind resource. Iowa and South Dakota get close to 25 per cent of their power from wind; seven other states get more that 10 per cent. Warren Buffett's MidAmerican Energy is currently building 1000 megawatts of new wind in Iowa which, when completed in 2015, will see that state generating 30 per cent of its electricity from wind. (And Buffet is doing it because wind is profitable.)
Myth #4: Maybe, but places that use wind pay more for electricity - In fact, the people in the 17 U.S. states that have more wind power than Saskatchewan now pay less, on average, for their electricity than we do.
Myth #5: OK, but at the end of the day, natural gas is still cheaper - True enough, at the moment. However, gas prices are volatile. In 2008, for example, the price for generating power from wind was almost triple the current amount. When gas prices inevitably rise, SaskPower's customers will have to pay more. On the other hand, the cost of wind energy is fixed (and known) from the start.
Myth #6: But building wind turbines creates a lot of carbon emissions, making climate pollution from wind as high as other sources - Actually, for every unit of electricity generated, including carbon emitted during construction, wind turbines emit 80 times less carbon than coal and 40 times less carbon than natural gas, says the International Panel on Climate Change.
Myth #7: OK, but in the end, people do not like wind turbines nearby, so the whole thing is moot - In Germany and Denmark, two of the top countries for wind energy, the majority of wind turbines are located close to houses and villages. Not only do people not object, more than 50 per cent of all wind capacity is owned and put in place by local people, farmers, collectives or municipalities themselves. In other words, when people have a direct ownership position in a wind turbine and feel it is built by the community and for its benefit, there is overwhelming support.
Myth #8: Wind energy is bad for your health - Since the early 1980s almost 300,000 wind turbines have been installed around the world, including 60,000 in Canada and the U.S. Tens of thousands of people worldwide live near and work at operating wind turbines without health effects. The numerous studies that have examined extensive epidemiological data from around the world conclusively demonstrate that reports of negative health impacts are not supported by science. On the contrary, they find the health benefits of wind far outweigh the negatives.
Last month, the Saskatchewan Environmental Society proposed the province expand wind energy to 1,500 megawatts, about 20 per cent of our power requirements. If we can set aside the myths, there should be no reason not to reach that goal in the next 20 years.
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