Right Green

 Right Green


      In Ontario’s race to “go green”, the government has turned to wind power as one of their alternatives for “clean and free” sources of electricity. The promotion and construction of these vast wind farms gives private companies generous subsidies and regulatory support through the “Green Energy Act”. On the surface, wind turbines appear to be a viable solution to the problems related to greenhouse emissions and radioactive waste produced by conventional electricity plants. Some of the wind power advantages cited by organizations such as Canwea.ca, Biofuelswatch.com, and whywind.org are that wind turbines:
1.      Provide sustainable income for local farmers who receive substantial royalty income for hosting them on their property;
2.      Provide jobs in the procurement of material and services during construction;
3.      Improve infrastructure like roads because they are upgraded to facilitate construction;
4.      Provide clean energy without generating pollution like CO 2 and SO 2 or radioactive waste;
5.      Can be used to produce electricity to homes as well as for the power grid, and
6.      Do not consume any non-renewable resources, like coal, natural gas, or oil.
The promoters of green energy alternatives present a strong case, but are wind turbines without their own set of problems?

The Cost of Going Green
     Looking to countries who have been utilizing wind turbines for over a decade, one might argue that wind power does not live up to the claims made by its proponents.
Norway commissioned a study of Denmark’s wind power project (which includes 6000 turbines that produced electricity equal to 19% of what the country used in 2002) and concluded that wind power has “serious environmental effects, insufficient production, and high production costs.” Because wind power is varying and intermittent, no conventional power plants had been shut down. (The explanation for that is when the wind dies down or rises, most plants cannot be simply ramped up or down to offset the wind turbines.) When the wind was blowing adequately for the turbines, the power they generated was surplus and had to be sold off to other countries at a discounted price or the wind turbine itself was turned off.
     The subsequent years of study on Denmark touted similar findings. In 2003, 84% of wind-generated electricity was exported at a net revenue loss and only provided 3.3% of Denmark’s electricity (David J. White, The Utilities Journal, July 2004). And in 2004, Denmark exported 70.3% of its wind production.
     Across much of Europe and the U.S., the findings are similar. The wind turbines generally underperform unless ideal conditions exist (winds at 50 km/h). In high winds, turbines must be turned off because they are easily damaged. Dead bugs, salt and dirt build-up tend to reduce the average power generated by 20-30%.
     Therefore, as wind turbines become less efficient, emissions from conventional power systems increase. For example, “a coal plant will be part-loaded such that the loss of a generating unit can swiftly be replaced bringing other units on to full load. In addition, to increased costs of holding reserve in this manner, it has been estimated that the entire benefit of reduced emissions from the renewable's programme has been negated by the increased emissions from part-loaded plants under NETA (New Electricity Trading Arrangements—the U. K.’s deregulated power market)” (David Tolley, Head of Networks and Ancillary Services, Innogy—keynote address, January 15, 2003). Furthermore, “Wind farms capital, maintenance and operating costs are their only contribution to electricity supply” (Richard S. Courtney, www.aweo.org). A German study released in 2005 concluded that lower emissions could be economically achieved by affixing filters on existing conventional power plants. Given these statements, it should be no surprise that Denmark’s electricity costs are the highest in Europe.

Environmental Concerns
     Besides the economic concerns, there are environmental concerns to contend with as well. The improved infrastructure required for construction may be a benefit in some areas, but consider the impact of fortified roads in heavily treed areas, mountainous areas, or fortifications in lakebeds. FPL Energy (Florida Power and Light) has said, “although construction is temporary, it will require heavy equipment, including bulldozers, graders, trenching machines, concrete trucks, flatbed trucks, and large cranes”.
     In the case of the Essex County Pigeon Bay wind turbine controversy, this project has the potential to affect the Union Water System intake during and after construction due to the placement of deep foundations required in the lake bed and porous limestone bedrock. The release of pollutants and sulfur water could adversely affect the quality and safety of our drinking water (John Kehoe, Manager, Union Water System).
    Guidelines from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service state that wind towers should not be near wetlands or other known bird or bat concentration areas or in areas with high incidence of fog or low cloud ceilings, especially during spring and fall migrations. A 2002 study in Spain estimated that 11,200 birds of prey, 350,000 bats, and 3,000,000 small birds are killed by their wind turbines and power lines each year.
     Closer to home, one of our own bald eagles has succumbed to the intrusion of a wind turbine in Norfolk County. As well, Peter Meisenheimer of the Ontario Commercial Fishing Industry Association has stated that wind turbines placed in the water will adversely affect the growth, maturity, and abundance of perch and pickerel in Pigeon Bay and the rest of Lake Erie.

 Local Concerns taken to Action
     For many of the reasons stated above and many more, different groups across Ontario have formed to petition the government to place a moratorium on wind turbines to no avail.
     In Essex County, many municipalities have pledged to contribute to a research fund (totaling $250,000). ERCA has been contracted to produce the scientific data to allay or support their concerns about wind turbines being placed in Pigeon Bay.
    CALEWT (Citizens Against Lake Erie Wind Turbines), a local group who supports the proper location of wind turbines (NOT in Pigeon Bay), has already initiated a concerned citizens pledge system to raise the necessary funds to take their case to court if necessary. Other groups from across Ontario protested the Liberal government at Queen’s Park on Wednesday, April 28, 2010. This is no small movement and deserves attention.

 Still More to Consider
     This article highlights only some of the data available on wind turbines, their advantages and their disadvantages. The initial costs, their continuous maintenance, their tendency to be struck by lightning, the thousands of litres of hydraulic fluid housed inside of them, the blinking beacons, noise and vibrations concerns have not been addressed.
     When searching for green alternatives, it is paramount to get on board with the right green bandwagon, to use common sense, and to proceed wisely for the sake of all of us who share space on this planet. When considering wind turbines, there is much more to consider than what meets the eye.

Cheryl Brooks Ford