Dear Editor,
Concerning the issue of wind power generation, I would like to say that there are many forms of power generation less desirable than wind power - almost all of them. Trendy, I don’t think so.
Would you like nuclear, coal or oil generation in this immediate area? Not very likely.
Hydro generation is one of the best options, but do you really want another valley in beautiful B.C. flooded, with many people’s homes and farms displaced?
Do you want to live with brown-outs or blackouts periodically?
These options could be our future if we continue to reject new technology.
In this extremely fast moving reality of today, continuing to mess up our atmosphere is a very bad option, and those conferences of 2005 and 2006 are likely outdated.
Looming on the horizon is what I call Phase 2 Wind Power.
This is Mag lev vertical axis turbines.
What this means is magnetically levitated turbines that rotate without the need for large bearings, and rotate quietly, faster and with less wind. China is leading the way on this new technology.
By integrating wind, water, geothermal and solar, it is possible to eliminate fossil fuels altogether.
The required infrastructure is not yet in place and, of course, it will cost plenty.
But once up and running, it will become cheaper over time.
Dams are not cheap to build, nor are the other old methods.
If you think oil is going to get cheaper, dream on. And coal is just a foul word.
The atmosphere has already exceeded the 350-parts-per-million of carbon that scientists thought was a safe maximum. It’s around 390 now.
Meanwhile, back in Princeton, looking at wind generation on Agate Mountain should be the least of our worries.
Jim Hodge
Princeton