CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

The cost of “green power” is too high for several reasons. Cost quoted in this article is selective at best. A “Wind power would have increased the monthly bill of a typical residential customer by 0.2 percent” ignores the fact that the increase is factored into the larger pool of available power sources. I would refer you to the active Cape Wind project in Massachusetts. The initial estimated rates to charged customers would be 18.7 cents per kilowatt hour. Under a 15 year agreement the electricity would increase 3.5 percent each year that pushes the final price to about 31.7 cents in the final year of the contract.

These rates far exceed the rates the average consumer pays today for electricity. Also final construction cost of the project may exceed $2.5 billion. The estimated taxpayer’s subsidy for this project $600 million! In addition the 130 turbines may produce a maximum of 420 MW of electricity. Unfortunately wind farms have a very low capacity factor i.e. they produce on average 25% of the listed capacity. In other words the 420 MW nameplate capacities is in reality 105 MW. Finally, many of the people commenting on this article refer to oil as a problem; perhaps. But the Department of Energy reports that less than 1% of the fuel source used to produce electricity in the United States comes from oil.

Consider the science of renewable energy before committing billions to what may be flawed renewable energy source.

Roy T. Lindberg

Clarence, NY 14221