Sunday, May 07, 2006

Wind Farm vs. Wind-Bag(s)

Wind Farms vs. Wind-Bags



Once again the Kennedy’s are in the news, in more ways then one, and here is another article about the Senior Senator from Massachusetts and his efforts to stop the placement of wind farms offshore of the family compound in Cape Cod.
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/5/6/101206.shtml?s=ic


This during the time when the President is pushing for development of alternative forms of energy and reducing our dependency on foreign sources of fuel. The majority of electricity is produced by coal, natural gas, and nuclear fuel but any energy produced by these wind farms will still promote energy independence and improve technology. I favor this project as well as the Blue-energy project where the tides are harnessed and used to produce electricity.
http://www.bluenergy.com/renewable-energy.html


We now have a company that is attempting to build a wind farm offshore of Cape Cod and eight miles from the Kennedy compound. It seems the Senator who has repeatedly voted against drilling in ANWR and offshore and calls for other forms of “Non-polluting” energy does not want these wind-farms in his backyard. The Wind Farm company is http://www.capewind.org/


And it does not just seem to be the Senior Senator heading up this opposition. Another Kennedy has been fighting against this proposal just as hard and that is
Kennedy's nephew, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Robert Kennedy has been an environmental lawyer f and has been fighting the "evil Republicans and Big Oil” for years. Somehow now it is not acceptable to have a non-polluting form of energy like this so close to the Kennedy compound. I disagree. If I was Teddy I would love to have the wind farm off shore so I could entertain guest and point to a wind farm and form of non-polluting energy, that Kennedy claims to support, in my backyard…




Now just due to the fact that I have your attention, I am not going to jump on Patrick Kennedy for he has a demon that he needs to beat and I hope him the best in beating it. I will ask if it is acceptable to avoid a breathalyzer test after a motor vehicle accident by saying “I am a Congressmen and on my way to a vote” to the responding officers? Going to a vote at 3 am?


How would the media handle this if there was an "R" after his name???

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wonder if he would be upset if they were going to put a distillery next door or a Rehab Center? Maybe one or both of those could have a coal fired power plant to provide power.

Anonymous said...

Maybe we should get a bunch of treadmills; hook a generator to them and then dangle what ever is needed to make the politicals blocking energy development just out of reach. that should make a bunch of electricity........LOL

zen said...

Great point about turning the windfarms into a promotion—something to show off and be proud of.

I understand that Highland County is battling the pros and cons over putting some windmills up. I suspect that as gas prices go up, the more favorable people will view the idea.

RightsideVA said...

I understand they have been trying for awhile to get the wind farm in Highland. Hope to see it and see how well it works...

Want to take ride out to West VA where they have a farm operating now to get some photos

Anonymous said...

It would be really cool if you could make floating windfarms on ships that can move. Sit just off the coast out of enviro nazi range and collect the energy from the wind and tides than beam it or store it in capacitors or something. It would be hillarious for the Martha's Vinyard crowd to go to bed one night then wake up with 20 wind harvesters anchored on the horizon.

RightsideVA said...

Somehow I think it would be great idea if it's in your backyard. I would not mind seeing them on moutains but not everywhere until we find out how good they really are. Ethanol 85? I would be glad to use it and pay same price as gas if it was available...
Just need to make the Mkt work to where it will be profitable for companies to do it. Make it mandatory and ran by the Govt and I satrt getting stomach pains....

Anonymous said...

Ain't that the truth. My truck is flex fuel but you cannot get E85 anywhere around here.

Lynn R. Mitchell said...

Whoa, guys, before you get too carried away....

I'm for alternative energy sources ... but windmills on the mountaintops of Highland County? Go look at the ones in West Virginia before making the decision to pollute Highland's mountain views and bucolic scenery.

Even more, talk with the locals and ask how they feel about it. Most are against it and, from what I've found out, the people pushing it have relocated there from other areas or are wind farm developers who don't live there but want to make money on it.

Highland is Virginia's "Little Switzerland" and because of the rural nature of the area it has been able to retain its beauty when other more-accessible areas have gone on development rampages. I, personally, am not sure I would like the look of huge windmills sprouting out of mountain ridges.

I would defer to the will of the locals. They should not have something forced on them by outsiders ... and yet they should be allowed to proceed if that's the decision of the citizens of Highland County. We should respect their wishes.

Lynn R. Mitchell said...

As to Patrick Kennedy and how the media would have handled it if he had an "R" behind his name ... we already know the answer to that. The outcry from the Dems and the piling-on from the media would have caused him to resign his Congressional seat by now.

zen said...

Wonder what a discussion about our energy needs would be like without snarky, partisan comments....

Anonymous said...

Actually, he would have had to resign the last time he went into rehab. I wonder is there will be any investigation on abuse of power for making his going to vote comment?

But hey if his people want to be represented from the Mayo Clinic....more power to them. It is in the voter's hands.

I think SWAC was just comenting on the political side of the original post. Nothing wrong there.....

Anonymous said...

SWAC:

I think you are right about Highland being nice country, but if the wind farm technology is proven and makes money then I suspect the big turbines will be just like the proliferation of cell phone towers. People are making a mint leasing mountain tops to cell phone companies and the same will be for turbines.

I have a buddy from college who installs and designs home generation plants that use solar, wind and hydro generators for residential use. It is a large initital investment, but being self suficient and getting a check from the power company every month is nice too. The extra power goes on the grid and the power company has to pay for it.

Likewise, I would not be surprised to see large local farms start to invest in wet ethanol refineries that are designed to be used right on a farm from feed lot or silage production waste products. If we had a totaly free market it would be here already.