Wind power doesn’t work, says engineer. Get something that does.

Throwing billions of dollars at wind and solar factories isn’t going to lower greenhouse emissions effectively or efficiently

Jim McPherson, Special to the Sun

First posted: | Updated:

Last month, despite continuing objections from hosting municipalities and numerous concerns expressed by the office of the Auditor General of Ontario, Premier Kathleen Wynne’s provincial government approved more renewable energy projects.
Last week, a wind power developer began legally clearing vegetation from a vast area of pristine wildlife in Prince Edward County, even though the Enviromental Review Tribunal (ERT) had ruled the project would cause serious and irreversible harm to endangered Blandings Turtles and Little Brown Bats.
On April 8, photographs of habitat destruction apparently prompted the ERT to order an “interim stay” on construction and a “remedial measures” hearing will now be scheduled.
Federal and provincial Liberal governments are on a “green energy” spending spree.
They recklessly tilt at climate change by funding unwanted and unneeded wind and solar projects that kill wildlife and harm humans.
They generate super-expensive, intermittent, electricity that is exported at huge losses.
A comparison to Florida is a sobering story.
In the past decade, while Ontario electricity rates nearly doubled, Florida’s rates declined by 10%.
There are no industrial wind farms in Florida, where the electricity utility is owned by the same corporation that destroyed an Ontario eagle’s nest for its wind energy project in that province.
Most of Florida is only a few meters above sea level, but wind turbines can’t save Florida from man-made global warming.
Industrial lobbyists perpetrate the global hoax that wind and solar “farms” are justified by our need to fight anthropogenic global warming. It’s just not true.
The Ontario Society of Professional Engineers reports that, “adding wind and solar to Ontario’s grid drives CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions higher”, because they need backup from carbon-emitting gas plants.
Trudeau’s $10 billion climate change initiatives cannot change that fact.
Our governments have been duped by a global industry that wants our money now; even though there’s no way to store unneeded electricity.
Terrified by the global warming threat, citizens allow our governments to believe that wind energy can save us. But it can’t.
In desperation, Ontario keeps approving “renewable energy“ projects, while our federal government just sends money. Meanwhile the Trudeau Liberals ignore their responsibility to protect human health, endangered species, migrating wildlife and human rights.
Health Canada admits wind turbine noise creates community annoyance that can be harmful to health but refuses to regulate acoustic radiations from wind turbines.
Trudeau’s $10 billion climate change initiatives will not change that.
Ontario’s Auditor-General and municipal governments know “renewable” wind and solar energy is not affordable for taxpayers and ratepayers — we subsidize it through feed-in tariff contracts, federal grants, and now by Trudeau’s budgeted climate change initiatives.
Municipalities fear wind turbines will devastate tourism-dependent economies and devalue tax-generating properties. Trudeau’s $10 billion climate change initiatives cannot change that.
Two years ago, 90 Ontario municipalities declared themselves “not a willing host” for wind turbines.
This year, most of them called on the Wynne government not to publicly subsidize any more renewable energy projects.
Municipalities know turbines are not safe for human communities, just as they were not safe for millions of deceased wildlife.
We must reject the foolish fantasy of getting reliable, safe and affordable energy from unreliable, unsafe, and unaffordable wind and solar factories.
Trudeau should not give our money to the provinces for carbon pricing subsidies.
The provinces will waste it on schemes that drive electricity prices still higher, without reducing greenhouse gases.
Instead, Trudeau should challenge industry to develop affordable energy storage by 2020, just as John Kennedy challenged America to land on the moon by the end of his decade.
It would be better to invest $10 billion in the development of energy storage, so that our children might then be able to afford the intermittent energy available from the wind and the sun.
Our first priority must be to make energy storage affordable. Until then, we must stop devastating our wildlife habitat and our rural communities with expensive “green energy” factories that can’t reduce greenhouse gases. …
What's your reaction?
0Cool0Upset0Love0Lol

10 Comments

  • Ron Hartlen
    Posted April 17, 2016 10:02 am 0Likes

    Well said.
    And by the way, if and when storage becomes available, we could just as well store nuclear-generated electricity during overnight / off-peak times.

  • Little ol' me
    Posted April 17, 2016 10:09 am 0Likes

    Our FIRST PRIORITY should be to help the people who continue to suffer negative health impacts caused by exposure to infrasound radiation being emitted by the industrial wind turbines that are placed too close to their homes.

    • Sommer
      Posted April 17, 2016 3:42 pm 0Likes

      I agree 100%. The longer that people who are being exposed to infrasound radiation because these turbines were placed too close to their homes, are forced to endure this, the more dangerous this situation becomes.
      There are people who are refusing to be forced to leave their homes. This situation must be addressed now!
      After that, all of the people whose lives have been seriously affected by these turbines must be compensated. Yes…it will be expensive to correct the situation that this failed experiment has been for residents of rural Ontario….but this must be done.

  • Kelly Taylor
    Posted April 17, 2016 1:08 pm 0Likes

    Enphysics Ltd is dedicated to the research and development of thorium for the production of electricity and waste heat recovery as a green energy for the reduction of green house gas emissions for residentual, industrial, transportation and space based applications. A 45kw prototype unit for single family homes is in development now. If you want to know more I can be reached at kc.taylor@outlook.com.

  • Little ol' me
    Posted April 17, 2016 3:15 pm 0Likes

    “Municipalities know industrial wind turbines are not safe for communities just as they were not safe for millions of deceased wildlife.”
    During the first couple of years that turbines were operating In my rural community, I know of 8 people who died from diabetes, suicide, cancer and heart attacks. The last victim was a 52 years old male with no prior health conditions. 
    People have abandoned their homes. A few have stayed. There is much illness.
    Let’s continue to build turbines?? There is absolutely no use for turbines anywhere.
    The only $interest$ by developers are in the billion dollar subsidies made available by our government. FOLLOW THE MONEY…many shareholders of these wind companies are government officials. Check out the off shore bank accounts. Trudeau is in there like a dirty shirt. 
    They are well on their way to owning and having control of our entire province. Imagine having a controlling share of one of the largest fresh water systems in the world as well as prime agricultural land with much beautiful lakefront property.
    Remember when McGuinty prorogued the government and flew the coop? Is there not a process where the people of Ontario can immediately shut down the government? The BS is being laid on us fast and dirty. It has to stop.
    I have said it before; turbines must be shut down, assets need to be frozen, guilty parties arrested and charged,  pensions taken away..
    The scoundrels have been given opportunity to steal billions of dollars of taxpayer money. As a victim who has had every aspect of her life destroyed because of industrial wind turbine development around my home; for those of you who do not understand the seriousness and the extent of the harm, the loss and destruction I have incurred: my home of many years has become unlivable and unsellable; my family has been torn apart, I have serious health issues, I can no longer work at my profession-my livelihood of more then 20 years. I have moved 9 times in 6 years; looking for a place I can afford to rent that accommodates my dog and cat as well as having the burden – at the same time having to pay the mortgage on my home that has sat empty for 6 years. The current place I have been at for more than a year is ~40 km away from the nearest turbine development in the Norwich area. The turbine development is now encroaching from the west in Elgin county. 
    I have developed a sensitivity to low frequencies. Exposure at this point with my conditions would be fatal. I cannot live within 10-12 km of industrial wind turbine development. Will I need to relocate again? 
    Six years ago I spoke directly to, face to face with the wind developer who was also former Federal Liberal Party president Mike Crawley. I have yet to hear from him.
    All I can say to Mike is “money can’t buy your way out of everything. Karma’s a bitch.”

    • Barbara
      Posted April 17, 2016 3:41 pm 0Likes

      The whole green energy and climate change agenda has strong urban backing. That’s where the votes are. No political need to listen to the plight of rural residents.
      Division of the province may be in the end the only solution unless this agenda comes crashing down prior to the next election cycle.

    • Sommer
      Posted April 17, 2016 3:45 pm 0Likes

      In my neighbourhood, there have been 3 sudden deaths in the past year since the turbines were turned on….absolutely unprecedented!

  • Bert
    Posted April 17, 2016 6:35 pm 0Likes

    Add storage to intermittent wind power, and the electricity bill will get even more higher. Storage is inefficient and will never be clean.
    All generated power, infrastructure, including wind turbines and profits has to be paid for by consumers.

  • Michael Fairneny
    Posted April 19, 2016 8:46 am 0Likes

    Florida Massachusetts was not as lucky… Our former governor Duval Patrick pushed through 19….1.5 megawatt G.E. Wind Turbines in our pristine rural community….this has ruined my once it’s full world….go to hoosacwindproject.com …to find out more

    • Barbara
      Posted April 19, 2016 10:34 am 0Likes

      Michael,
      Thanks for your comment.
      Ontarians are becoming more aware of what’s taking place in the New England states in the electricity sector.
      There are some who think that New England is to be “plastered” with IWTs and the remainder of the electricity will come from Canada.
      There is a lot of money to made in the transmission of electricity and New Englanders will also have to put up with HV transmission lines.

Add Comment

© Copyright 2022 | WCO | Wind Concerns Ontario

to top