Global Warming Wind Power and Politics
Yet another issue in the United States that the public seems to be far ahead of the politicians on is the use of wind power as a renewable energy source. The public sees the use of wind power as one way to reduce green house gas emissions, generate clean electric power, and fight global warming by the use of a proven in the present technology.
I say proven technology because wind power as a reliable source of electricity has been used in Europe for the past fifteen years. Today in Europe the most promising source of wind power is that generated by offshore wind turbines.
This is a very promising source of clean renewal energy as offshore winds are much more reliable than onshore winds. Offshore wind park developers say that they can generate power 87% of the time, which is about the same for coal fired plants that have to close periodically for maintenance.
Currently in the United States electricity generated by wind parks supply less than 1% of the total electric power generation capacity. From this small base wind-power production is growing fast, up 160% between 2000 and 2005. In spite of their promise of delivering clean renewable power new offshore wind park projects in America face some tough opposition to gaining a more significant electricity supply market share.
This is where heavy duty politics enter the equation.
For example, take the State of Massachusetts. A wind park developer has been trying for six years to get a permit for an offshore wind park project in the waters of Cape Cod. The project is still submerged in a sea of controversy and thus far no permit has been issued.
The primary reason?
Cape Cod is home to a good many super wealthy Americans, including Senator Edward Kennedy. It seems that the wealthy families fear that the construction of offshore wind parks would spoil the sea views that they enjoy from their multi million dollar ocean front estates. Kennedy and the other families who enjoy the beach front location of their prime real estate have spent millions of dollars in advertising campaigns which present misinformation about the reliability of power supplied by wind farms.
Their opposition has been fierce even though the wind power towers, turbines, and blades would be so far offshore they would be tiny specks on the horizon. Welcome to the politics of America where money and position plays a most important role.
Power of the political kind does have its privileges.
In the neighboring State of Delaware opposition to clean renewable wind power energy largely comes from NRG Energy, which operates a coal fired electricity generating power plant in Southern Delaware that is deemed to be the worst polluter in the State. Delaware was graded F for air pollution by the American Lung Association primarily due to the NGR coal fired generating plant spewing hundreds of tons of acid rain making sulfuric acid and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every hour of every day.
It seems that the politicians in Delaware have many and varied ties to NGR Energy. Last June Gov. Ruth Ann Minner and NRG Energy, based in New Jersey, released a joint statement announcing NRG would “move forward” with a “state of the art” 630-megawatt coal plant for approximately $1.5 billion. Unfortunately, this “state of the art” plant would emit 475 tons an hour of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas.
Interestingly enough Minner, a Democrat, is generally in favor of supporting clean energy projects, like offshore wind parks. Minner is on record as being convinced that human-caused carbon emissions are contributing to climate change. Politics in American can lead to some most interesting mismatches between statements and actions.
Fortunately, in Delaware, the visual impact of wind farms, as small as it is, doesn’t seem to be of concern to Delaware citizens. When you live in a state known for it’s foul air you seem to adopt a more progressive altitude towards clean energy resources. Democracy will likely prevail in Delaware, but only after a considerable and time consuming effort by wind park developers to obtain the necessary development permits.
There is no doubt that American is considerably behind Europe in actually doing something about slowing down global warming. Only recently has the American public taken up global warming as an important issue. So far the majority of politicians, lead by none other than President Bush, have not seriously addressed the issue.
Americans should insist that politicians running for important positions in the 2008 elections outline their positions on global warming and clean energy. Americans are ahead of their elected officials on these two related issues. It’s time to demonstrate to the politicians that they had best be concerned about issues deemed important by the people they are supposed to be serving rather than the agenda set by special interest groups.
Make you vote count. Whomever you vote for in 2008 make sure that they have well thought out positions on important issues. America is falling behind much of the developed world in important issues like clean renewable energy and global warming.
We can not continue to elect second rate government officials and expect to remain at or even near the top of a highly competitive world.
[...] Solar power is a completely renewable energy source, for at least the next five billion years or so, and can provide a source of completely clean energy to a world that badly needs it. However, we must hurry to embrace and utilize solar power and other ways, such as wind power generating turbines, of generating electric power or face a series of total disasters caused by global warming. [...]