National Wind Watch Attacks!

Eric Rosenbloom, the president of an anti-wind group called National Wind Watch, has a letter in today's Rutland (Vt.) Herald responding to my letter of Sept. 3. I have provided a link to Mr. Rosenbloom's letter so that readers may judge for themselves who is providing substance to this debate and who is not.

Mr. Rosenbloom complains that I did not provide a list of European papers documenting wind energy's ability to displace other fuels and reduce emissions, and contends there are none. I don't follow the European literature, but here is a European Commission Staff Working Document that looks at the success of various schemes for supprting renewable energy.

The document says in part:

"Increasing the share of renewables in the EU electricity has well recognised benefits mainly in particular:
– Improved security of energy supply.
– Enhanced competitive edge for the EU in the renewable energies technology industries.
– Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions by the EU power sector.
– Mitigation of regional and local pollutant emissions.
– Improved economic and social prospects especially for rural and isolated regions.
Therefore the European Union aims to have renewable energy sources providing 21% of the electricity by the year 2010 (see Annex 1)."

Annex 1 includes some charts showing electric generation from nonhydro renewables (wind, solar, geothermal, biomass) increasing in Europe from 20 billion kilowatt-hours in 1990 to 100 billion in 2003, with wind energy providing about 40 billion kWh, or roughly 3% of European electricity consumption.

I will simply add that contentions that wind energy actually produces no electricity and displaces no emissions are without merit.