It appears that Duke Power in conjuction with UNC will put up a few massive 500-foot wind turbines in Pamlico Sound Articles on this development can be found here and here.
There’s so many absurd statements, it is hard to know where to begin:
Here’s Basnight defending 500-foot wind turbines about 7-10 miles offshore (i.e. they would be clearly visible):
1) ?Change is not quickly accepted by me and less quickly by people on this
island,? Basnight said. ?But how does it impact you or I ? and most
especially you ? if the water level were to rise as quickly as we read by
some people who make predictions in the scientific world, (and) all of the
Outer Banks are under water??
There isn’t a thing the U.S. can do to have any measurable affect on global temperature, but sonehow having a few wind turbines in North Carolina will have an effect on global temperature.
Wind power doesn’t displace “dirty” sources in a one-to-one manner because significant back-up generation from conventional sources is needed for wind power.
Applying the data used in a National Academy of Sciences study, carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 would only be 0.5 percent to 1.8 percent less than it otherwise would have been if not for wind power. In other words, there would be a miniscule difference in carbon dioxide emissions.
2) Chris McCall, a Buxton resident, said wind energy could boost the economy and lower local electric bills.
Offshore wind is not even cost competitive with onshore wind, which itself is already expensive. A cost comparison chart can be accessed here.
– Offshore wind is about 187% more than new natural gas plants
– Offshore wind is about 122% more expensive than new advanced coal plants.
– Offshore wind is about 114% more expensive than new nuclear power plants
– Offshore wind is about 62% more expensive than onshore wind power.*
The costs are lower than what the actual costs would be because backup generation isn’t considered.
I invite anyone to show how offshore wind will bring electricity bills down in price when the costs are astronomical.
3) Timothy Petit, a representative from Duke Energy, said his company supports
the construction of offshore wind turbines and that ignoring the problems of
global warming will not make them go away or bring the U.S. closer to
countries like China that are already investing huge resources in wind and
other alternative energies.
My question to Mr. Petit is whether Duke Energy, a leading rentseeking firm, is receiving any money (not tax subsidies) through increased rates to recover any costs for this project. Since Duke Energy is so concerned about global warming, certainly they wouldn’t charge customers directly or indirectly for this. After all, it doesn’t mean much to say you are concerned about an issue when you are playing with someone else’s money.
4) After lagging behind other East Coast states in developing wind as an
energy source, North Carolina is preparing to plunge in with a test
program with one to three wind towers in Pamlico Sound.
This is the opening line in one of the articles. To the reporter: Please point me to any state in the country that currently has offshore wind. Please show a state in the southeast that has onshore or offshore wind. North Carolina isn’t lagging behind anything–the state has limited practical wind resources as do most southeast states.
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Unless the coastal residents fight this plan now and demand the same types of protections as individuals in the mountains, NC will be a leader in increasing electricity prices for unreliable electricity and forcing electricity consumers to help subsidize the destruction of the coastal landscape.
* Numbers adjusted on October 12, 2009.
