Green Business | July 18, 2009 | 6 comments

Propeller Heads: The economic power of wind blocked by poor infrastrcuture

source: http://greenairradio.com/?p=1751

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The scale at which the wind power industry seeks to dominate the energy market is gargantuan. Turbines twice the size of the Statue of Liberty, offshore wind farms slated for imminent construction along both US shorelines, manufacturing plants to replace defunct auto factories, and the potential for a massive surge of new jobs puts this renewable energy onslaught head and shoulders above anything else in the category.

Wind is labor and capital intensive and the Federal Government has taken a keen interest in pushing policy through that fast-tracks construction on big complexes. A warm fuzzy from the Fed gives venture capitalists the security necessary to finance this uncharted American windmill wonderland. The result, however, is new facilities popping up like weeds that remain frozen due to transmission issues. The old grid simply cannot handle the new load.

[Click the link for full interview with Rob Gramlich, Policy Director for AWEA]
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6 comments // Propeller Heads: The economic power of wind blocked by poor infrastrcuture

  • stopnoise
  • artemis6
    • 0
      artemis6  

    • They ain't gonna tell you what they don't want you to know . Evil loves the dark . Now that freedom of the press (remember that ?) is mostly history , we will all live in the dark unless we actively and collectively chose not to .

    • 2 years ago
  • WisconsinNorm
    • 0
      WisconsinNorm  

    • I just looked at the oil pipelines running through the upper midwest. I was amazed. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois...oil leaks in Wisconsin...I never heard much about them...I don't get it.

    • 2 years ago
  • bluestranger
    • 0
      bluestranger  

    • A very thought proviking post. Like most of the population I have never considered the politics of the wind energy industry ( never thought I'd get to use that term) in relation to the grid. It's an assumption I have now been disabused of. This is one more reason to remember to vote in all state and local elections. This is also another reason to educate ourselves in these matters before we vote.

    • 2 years ago
  • WisconsinNorm
    • 0
      WisconsinNorm  

    • They just built a pipeline from northern Wisconsin to Southern Illinois to move Canadian oil to a Kentucky refinery. Don't tell me what can or can't be done in Democrat controlled state(s) if there is money to be made.
      I didn't see one environmentalist complaining about this little "cut" through the countryside.
      When profitable, wind will happen, unless a "Red State" makes money--or is that too callous? The politics of coal is pretty "Blue" as well...Chose your enemies carefully!

    • 2 years ago
  • regjoeschmo
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