Bethel Citizen denounced for calling wind opponents in Greenwood “self-centered” and “ignorant
Just one more newspaper owned by Reade Brower.
See link at very bottom of this post.
8/3/18
by By Peter Wert and Tom Rose
Facts matter — all of the facts. We were astonished to read the editorial published in the Bethel Citizen on Aug. 2 in favor of wind development in Greenwood. It’s fine that they are in favor of wind development — everyone is entitled to their own opinion — however, the idea that the group opposed to wind development is “wringing its hands and crying foul” completely ignores the true issues presented by the development of wind turbines in a populated area.
Is it really the Bethel Citizen’s position that all green energy is good energy? Don’t we have a responsibility to determine how a proposed installation would impact the population and consider alternatives? Solar energy, along with smaller and less harmful wind turbines, are excellent examples of technology which responsibly produce green energy but do not impact the health of local residents.
The editorial completely ignored the tremendous amount of data, both scientific and anecdotal, that points to the ill effects wind turbines have on those living within a few miles of them.
Is it the position of the editorial board that the economic and ecological benefits of wind turbines should be considered over the health of the local population?
Everyone should be seeking ways to live a greener life, and we believe the vast majority of those residents opposed to wind turbine development in Greenwood are great supporters of the environment. But support is based on seeing all sides of the argument, not blindly following like lemmings to the “green horizon.”
Tom Rose, Peter Wert, Greenwood
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http://www.sunjournal.com/another-side-to-wind-power-issue/
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8/3/18
by Jonathan Glass
I was surprised and disappointed to read the opinion of the Bethel Citizen’s editorial staff (is that really a staff or is it one person’s opinion hiding behind the Citizen banner?) calling the residents of Greenwood “self-centered” and “ignorant.” Such a disrespectful take on the lively debate surrounding the controversial proposal to build industrial wind turbines overlooking Twitchell Pond seems below the standard of any true newspaper editor.
As always, there are many factors that play into people’s opinions about any public offering, from national politics to zoning laws. Shouldn’t the local population have a right to fight for what they feel is best for their community?
The editor’s contention that building a wind “farm” on the Greenwood ridgeline will somehow add significant value to the fight against global warming is completely unsupported by any data, especially when the federal government is doing everything it can to roll back any progress made toward reducing greenhouse gasses.
It is really all about money, not about the environment. Perhaps the “editorial board” of the Bethel Citizen should do some investigative reporting on the corporate motivation behind building these wind turbines. Then, I am sure, they will learn the meaning of “self-centered.”
Jonathan Glass, Greenwood
http://www.sunjournal.com/disappointed-by-bethel-citizen-editorial/
About Reade Brower, owner of Bethel Citizen and almost every other paper in the state:
Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting: Maine’s newspaper industry is now unlike any other in the country
http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/maine-center-for-public...
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Comment
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Comment by Eskutassis on August 3, 2018 at 8:14pm
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Anyone that thinks wind power is clean just ask CMP and Emera who one their biggest users of grid energy is. It is the wind industry . . . . and they use almost as much as they produce. Here is a list of some of the things turbines are USERS of grid power.
Among the wind turbine functions that use electricity are the following:†
- yaw mechanism (to keep the blade assembly perpendicular to the wind; also to untwist the electrical cables in the tower when necessary) -- the nacelle (turbine housing) and blades together weigh 92 tons on a GE 1.5-MW turbine
- blade-pitch control (to keep the rotors spinning at a regular rate)
- lights, controllers, communication, sensors, metering, data collection, etc.
- heating the blades -- this may require 10%-20% of the turbine's nominal (rated) power
- heating and dehumidifying the nacelle -- according to Danish manufacturer Vestas, "power consumption for heating and dehumidification of the nacelle must be expected during periods with increased humidity, low temperatures and low wind speeds"
- oil heater, pump, cooler, and filtering system in gearbox
- hydraulic brake (to lock the blades in very high wind)
- thyristors (to graduate the connection and disconnection between generator and grid) -- 1%-2% of the energy passing through is lost
- magnetizing the stator -- the induction generators used in most large grid-connected turbines require a "large" amount of continuous electricity from the grid to actively power the magnetic coils around the asynchronous "cage rotor" that encloses the generator shaft; at the rated wind speeds, it helps keep the rotor speed constant, and as the wind starts blowing it helps start the rotor turning (see next item); in the rated wind speeds, the stator may use power equal to 10% of the turbine's rated capacity, in slower winds possibly much more
- using the generator as a motor (to help the blades start to turn when the wind speed is low or, as many suspect, to maintain the illusion that the facility is producing electricity when it is not,‡ particularly during important site tours) -- it seems possible that the grid-magnetized stator must work to help keep the 40-ton blade assembly spinning, along with the gears that increase the blade rpm some 50 times for the generator, not just at cut-in (or for show in even less wind) but at least some of the way up towards the full rated wind speed; it may also be spinning the blades and rotor shaft to prevent warping when there is no wind§
Could it be that at times each turbine consumes more than 50% of its rated capacity in its own operation?! If so, the plant as a whole -- which may produce only 25% of its rated capacity annually -- would be using (for free!) twice as much electricity as it produces and sells. An unlikely situation perhaps, but the industry doesn't publicize any data that proves otherwise; incoming power is apparently not normally recorded.
Maine as Third World Country:
CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power
Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.
Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT
******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********
(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/
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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law
Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future
"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."
https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/
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