Home Up Services Contacts Commentary Letters Fora Input Publications GHG Emissions Guests What's New Contents

 

August 23, 2002

The Editor

The Lethbridge Herald

Dear Editor

The Herald published three interviews with leaders of the wind energy industry ("Looking at New Sources of Energy: Blowin' in the Wind", Saturday, August 17, pp. D1) last week.

Wind turbines are a beautiful expression of engineering art. They have come a long way over the centuries as humans have optimized harnessing the power of the wind. Unfortunately the three leaders interviewed, and essentially all proponents of wind power, neglect to mention a most significant engineering drawback of wind turbines. That is that they produce no electricity when there is no wind - and very little when the winds are not optimum.

Thus, in the absence of fabulously expensive overcapacity and energy storage facilities, wind power must be backed up by alternatives in order to provide electricity when consumers need it. Much of Canada's electricity is produced by waterpower from rainfall and snowfall stored in reservoirs. Rain and snow supplies are finite and heavily utilized for irrigation as well as electricity. Provinces with a shortage of waterpower rely on electricity from thermal sources such as coal, natural gas and nuclear energy. Thermal electricity sources do not depend on the vagaries of the wind and climate. They are available in sufficient quantities for centuries at current rates of electricity consumption.

Wind power currently depends on synergistic utilization with the stored energy in water reservoirs or outright backup by thermal sources. It will remain a bit player in electricity production as long as those sources are available. Future generations may be willing and able to pay the price for large scale reliable wind energy. Fortunately, we have readily available lower cost thermal energy sources sufficient for many generations of human endeavor.

Yours truly

Duane Pendergast

BACK

    Home Up Services Contacts Commentary Letters Fora Input Publications GHG Emissions Guests What's New Contents