Wind is the new frontier of power
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Editor,
I am responding to a recent letter by Ried Hurtig that contained some important factual errors regarding electrical power sources and their costs.
The electric power that we use in the Mission Valley does not simply come from Kerr Dam. We get our electricity from what is called the Western Interconnect, a pooled network of electric generation, transmission, and distribution that covers ten western states. Consequently, we do not rely solely on hydroelectric power in our area. Since energy is pooled in this system, our electricity is generated by coal, natural gas, oil, nuclear, and renewables like hydropower, biomass, wind, and solar.
The letter also stated that the costs of solar and wind power are “just too high for anything but limited solar and wind power use.” Admittedly, the cost of solar power is at about two times that of coal power. But wind power is now cost competitive with coal. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the cost of wind power has dropped to $68/MWhr, which compares closely with their estimated cost of $67/MWhr for coal.
I am particularly amused by the idea that switching to wind power is a “hairbrained scheme by a Hollywood/political elite.” If building wind plants is so crazy, then why are so many huge wind power projects being built around the world? Global wind power production has increased from 17.4 GW in 2000 to 238 GW in 2011. China has surpassed the United States in wind power production is now the world leader. Denmark currently produces about 20 percent of its electricity from the wind, and this number will increase to about 24 percent when a new 400 MW offshore wind farm is finished in 2013. Wind power only accounts for about 1 percent of electrical power production in the United States.
The United States clearly used to be the dominant economic and technological power in the world. But when we continue to focus on using 20th century energy resources, we begin to fall behind other nations that are looking toward the future by developing renewable and sustainable sources of energy. Mocking these technologies is foolhardy and shortsighted.
Jon Petersen
Polson
