Forced Wind Power

Dexter Perkins speaks w/Doreen Yellowbird in the Grand Forks Herald about the 20/20 Initiative


My question:
The City 20/20 Renewable Electricity Initiative folks appear to have put in a lot of work on this. Do they actually think it will be a good thing to force relatively small areas like Grand Forks or Fargo to enter into an experiment on renewable energy?

Renewable Wind Energy is a good thing and will eventually become a big thing in ND. At this time we just don't need it forced upon a city here and there. I think it's a "Divide and conquer thing."

Using the Resource Library from the City 20/20 Renewable Electricity Initiative web site do some research.

There is even a National Wind Coordinating Committee with a web site.

I found the power companies have been looking at renewable energy sources for quite some time but have found there are some hurdles to overcome.

For example, storing power when the wind isn't blowing enough and transmission lines from areas where wind works best to where it is needed. Neither of these are done cheaply and who pays? (The end user, of course.) Other items concerning wind generating are wildlife, interaction with aviation radar, and noise.

In an excerpt from the interview, Dexter talks about the power companies:

"They give you the worst scenarios about worst possible outcomes; it's always worst-possible outcomes. They don't mention the corresponding scenarios of best possible outcomes."

That's how businesses make decisions, by looking at both sides. I suppose the 20/20 Initiative folks have given us "balanced outcomes?"

I see Dexter is from Boston, and here is an article on Boston's Wind Energy Project . Now, I understand why the 20/20 Initiative tackles small state cities.