Realistic wind power Beyond the complex technical issues and
jargon, the wind debate is filled with emotion, politics, and
financial issues that make it very difficult to have an informed
dialog and make rational decisions. Confucius said, “Any man can
make long journey, takes smart man to know which direction.”
Agreeing on reasonable and realistic goals is an essential
prerequisite to any energy discussion. In his letter on Dec. 12,
Bob Walker mentioned a state goal of “90 percent renewable power
by 2050.” If he was referring to achieving 90 percent of the
total Vermont average baseload — about 900 megawatts (MW), then
according to the Vermont Energy Partnership (VTEP) website, that
goal is unachievable. VTEP reports that about 82 square miles of
Vermont land is suitable for installing wind towers and that if
all of that land was used (about 320 towers), it would provide
only 10 percent of Vermont’s total needs. The financial
incentives mostly come from the state’s Standard Offer Program
that mandates that t