Wind Energy Policy

Tony Guajardo

Wind energy in starting to take off in the world and
continues to grow worldwide. As the Green campaign
pushes its way into our lives more and more everyday,
scientist look for a new energy source that is renewable and
one of the biggest sources of that is wind. Wind will always
be around because it is ultimately caused by solar flares on
the sun, and scientists dont see that going away in the near
future. Wind energy look very promising in the future and
could see a big increase in the years to come.
This quote is stating that while fossil
fuels remain intact right now, they will
eventually diminish and we will run out.
This will cause us to find alternate
resources. Wind happens to be a
resource for energy that will never be
lost and will always be abundant.
As readers we should be concerned
because wind is plentiful and we will
always be able to harness the power it
produces. We will eventually no longer
be able to use fossil fuels as resources,
so we will look toward wind energy as a
big percentage of energy.
Proponents
say

However, these new
resources are abundant,
some even limitless, and
unlike natural gas, fuels and
oil, they will be around for a
long time(Wind Power).
Wind power does not only affect the state
as they look to use wind as an energy
source, but consumers can also cash in on
the wind and set up personal wind turbines
on our land to benefit their energy needs.
This is extremely significant because this
means consumers would not have to deal
with big business energy companies and
abide by ridiculous energy prices. Instead
they could harness wind energy and use
that to power their home which would save
consumers copious amounts of money
because maintaining a wind turbine is
extremely cost effective. And because
wind is renewable, they consumer would
not have to worry about running out the
resource.
Proponents
say

People can generate their
own electricity with wind
power in much the same
manner as people do with
the best solar
panels (Meahlem).

While wind is a free and renewable
resource, you will never know when
the wind will be present to spin the
turbines and create the energy that
you need.
This is important to the reader
because we can never truly tell when
the wind will be around or not. So
some will argue that how can we
depend on an energy source when it
is never a guarantee that it will be
around. Yes it is a free resource, but
people need a reliable source when it
comes to energy because in essence
it is what powers our lives.


Opponents
say

Wind is unpredictable and
the availability of wind
energy is not
constant(Meahlem).




There are disadvantages everywhere
when dealing with new energy and
wind energy poses the problem of
implementing land to erect more
wind turbines
This is important because not
everyone wants a giant wind turbine
in their everyday life (this is a big
problem in the private sector.) Some
wind turbines also emit noise as the
turbines are spinning and that can
also be a nuisance to neighbors.
While this energy might be effective,
it does create a big eyesore to some
consumers.
Opponents
say

There are some
disadvantages to wind
energy, as well. Like all
renewable technologies,
land use for implementing
new facilities needs to be
considered(Wind Power).
Major
supreme
court case
Columbia Gorge is a protected area and construction of
wind turbines was going to take place nearby. Not in the
protected area, but in the vicinity(Friends).
Friends of Columbia gorge were concerned with the
aesthetics of the turbines thought they would disrupt the
scenic views of the environment (Friends).
Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council ("EFSEC") who is in
charge of the project reduced number of turbines from 50
to 35 to please the friends of Columbia Gorge and then sent
the project for Governor approval(Friends).
Environmentalists were still not happy; they protested and
challenged the projects approval by the governor(Friends).
This challenge was then sent up to the Supreme court and
was unanimously rejected thus the approval by the
Governor passed(Friends).

This court case is important because it sets the standard for
wind turbines that want to be in or are going to be
constructed by a nearby protected area. Even though using
wind energy is green and good for the environment, it goes
to show that there are certain people that do have a
problem with these turbines because of their look and how
they stick out in the environment. This court case could have
gone the other way if the erection of wind turbines were in
fact on the protected land but since they were not the court
did not see any problem with the approval of this wind farm.


Friends of
Columbia Gorge,
Inc. v. State Energy
Facility Site
Evaluation Council

Major
supreme
court case
The case is between a resident and a Home Owners Association in
argument that wind turbines are a nuisance.
County law states that construction of turbines are permitted as
long as they follow requirement of a particular code(Hardesty).
Some neighbors(who testified) stated that the turbine did not
bother them and didnt see it as a problem, making it not a
nuisance, by law(Hardesty).
Wind turbines in residential surroundings constitute a private
nuisance(Hardesty).
Reached this decision based on evidence that the wind turbines
emits noise, create shadow flicker and diminish surrounding
property values(Hardesty).
Forest Hills won decision unanimously halting construction of wind
turbines in their neighborhood.


This court case is very important because it will lay a foundation for
other home owner associations as they crack down on wind
turbines in their neighborhoods. While it may be legal to construct
a wind turbine in your county, it is ultimately up to the HOA to
decide whether or not to allow turbines on your property. This also
shows that wind turbines in fact do match the definition of a
private nuisance even though they are not nuisances, by law.
While some people do not see them as a problem, other do and
will fight to keep them out of their neighborhoods.

Sower V.
Forest Hills

Texas- Is committed to building
4.83 billion dollar project to create
renewable energy for
Texans($5billion).
Project will be in west Texas because
it is ideal for these turbines. Land is
flat and wind is abundant($5billion).
Texas is highest in the nation for
producing renewable wind energy.
State to State
Policy
difference
Indiana Focused on
wind energy to create jobs,
reduce independence on foreign
oil and address environmental
concerns(Conrad).
Encourages manufactures and
people to invest in wind energy
because there are tax incentives
for using clean energy(Conrad).
Goal is to have 25% of clean
energy by 2025(Conrad).
Maine Wind Energy Act
Legislation find that wind energy is
economically feasible that does not include
the destruction of fossil fuels(Maine.
By reducing fossil fuel usage the state can
improve environmental quality by reduce
greenhouse gas emissions(Maine)
Over time this act will help the state gain its
own energy dependence and not rely so
much on foreign fuels(Maine).
Chinas wind capacity doubled last year and continues to
grow rapidly(Brownstein).
China has the most wind power installed in the world,
they're growing at the fastest rate, and they're just
leaving everybody else way behind(Gellerman).
Energy experts estimate that
China's wind power generation capacity could grow to
100 million kilowatts (kW) by 2020, which would exceed
the government's current target by 70 million
kW(Changingwinds).
With Chinas booming growth in wind energy, they are
also stimulating the economy because there is big
demand for wind energy equipment and the
manufactures in China are at full output and looks to
remain that way(Changingwinds).





Country
Comparison
China V.
U.S.
Works Cited

Wind Power: A Lucrative Renewable Energy Source." Wind Power A Lucrative Renewable
Energy Source. Wordpress, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
"$5-Billion Scheme To Deliver Texas Wind Energy Approved." ENR: Engineering News-Record 261.4
(2008): 17. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
Meahlem, Mathias Aarre. "Wind Energy Pros and Cons." Energy Informative. Energy
Informative, 12 June 2013. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
World Wildlife Fund, Ecofys, and Office for Metropolitan Architecture. "Renewable Energy Sources
Can Satisfy Energy Demands." The Energy Report: 100% Renewable Energy by 2050. 2011. Rpt.
in Renewable Energy. Ed. David M. Haugen and Susan Musser. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012.
Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 Nov. 2013.
Hardesty Jim. "Nevada Supreme Court Order: Wind Turbine a Nuisance." WindAction. The
WindAction Group, 14 Feb. 2013. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
Brownstein, Ronald. "China's Great Leap Forward." National Journal (2009): 14. TOPICsearch.
Web. 9 Nov. 2013.
Gellerman, Bruce. "China Is Implementing an Ambitious New Environmental Plan."Pollution. Ed.
Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "China's Five-
Year Plan." Living on Earth. 2011.Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 Nov. 2013.
"Changing winds to challenge China's wind power equipment makers." China Business News 31
Mar. 2009. Infotrac Newsstand. Web. 9 Nov. 2013.
Conrad, Matthew E. Legislative Policy in Wind Power. Indiana Wind Working Group. Krieg DeVault
LLP, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
"Maine Revised Statutes." Title 35-A, 3402: Legislative Findings. Office of the Revisor, 6 Oct.
2012. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
Friends of Columbia Gorge, Inc. v. State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council. Washington
Supreme Court. 29 Aug. 2013. Print.