Power to the wind and the sun




Renewable energy a scam? Hardly!

Human induced global climate change is anything but a scam. It is a serious reality which we ignore at the risk of the world we leave to our children and grandchildren. Nuclear power generation is not clean and green, and even in Europe, where nuclear power plants abound, it is not seen as the solution to future needs.

Recent letter writer William Felsman is apparently unaware that the technical problems he cites regarding green energy production have already been solved.

Germany generates over 25.8 megawatts of electricity from more than 21,000 wind turbines— more than 8 percent of their national requirement. The European economy is stronger than ours and the development of renewable energy is a big part of it. Germany employs over 250,000 people in renewable energy and that number should double by 2020.

In 2008, Germany added 2 megawatts of electric generation merely by continuing its aggressive build out of solar power— and added another 2.5 megawatts in 2009. Total solar capacity in Germany is currently 8.5 megawatts, eliminating the need to build two to three new nuclear power plants.

The Germans do this with a clear set of government policies, including subsidies to home owners who install solar panels. And Germany is one of the cloudiest countries in Europe.

Another benefit is that power generated at the residential level doesn’t require an extensive and expensive distribution grid.

Our problem in the U. S. isn’t the need to learn Chinese, as Mr. Felsman sarcastically suggests. It is the predominance of regressive thinking and “head in the sand” attitudes which prevent our leaders from developing energy policies which actually benefit the common good over the profit requirements of the big fossil fuel corporations.

Misinformation does all of us a disservice. Ronald Evans Oak Park



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