Putting new energy into wind power

[Thom Little]

The answer to rising energy prices and ever-increasing demands for fuel may be blowing in the wind.

With oil prices fueling a national dialogue on alternative energy sources, some Minnesota county officials are taking matters into their own hands.

Earlier this month, metro and southwestern Minnesota county officials announced a partnership to harness wind energy in the state's southwest and ship it to the power-craving Twin Cities region.

Ramsey County officials who have long advocated renewable energy and environmental friendly practices, also have agreed to buy up to $10,000 worth of wind energy from Xcel Energy Inc. in 2006. While it's mostly a symbolic gesture for the county, which spends about $3 million annually on electricity, the idea is to invest in wind energy in hopes that it will grow and become cheaper and more accessible, County Board Chairwoman Victoria Reinhardt said.

"We're talking about doing something right for the environment," Reinhardt said. "We're trying to lead by example."



http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5802542.html

[bloom]

1. I think some thought should be put into

creating wind farm/industrial parks.

Try to consolidate the two. Use the energy where it is made - instead of making it one place and shipping it to another place.

[Oerdin]

2. Some places are great for wind power.

Those places should be exetensively farmed for wind but many places aren't right for wind power because the wind isn't reliable enough or because the land costs to much to make it economically viable. I support laws such as California's state law which requires that 20% of total energy concumed come from alternative power sources by 2015. That has lead to a massive increase in solar, wind, geothermal, and nuclear output. Here in San Diego we draw much of our power (or will draw once the new power line is completed connecting Imperial County to San Diego County) from geothermal, hydro-electric, wind, solar, and nuclear power. Of course the majority of out power continues to be produced by fossil fuel powered plants, however, we only use natural gas powered plants which are the least polluting of those GHG producing sources.

I am proud that 1/3 of our electricity, in San Diego County, comes from nuclear power. I wish that percentage was higher. I am proud that another 20% will very soon come from wind, geothermal, and solar power (naturely, solar will continue to be a tiny share since it is the least economically viable source out there). I wish we could get more from hydro, wind, and geothermal. I recognize that solar is virtually worthless without massive government subsidies and even with them they're still not suitable for most applications.