Wind turbines to go at Sandbanks Park

[Oggie]

I have a neighbor on the Ottawa River that claims the Hydro electric dams aren't generating because the government needs to justify the need for wind and solar power. He claims the dams are allowing flow through rather than generate power that we often need to pay others to take. Now he was an employee/manager in the Hydroelectric system so is he exaggerating?

Edited April 3, 2016 by Oggie

[Sterling]

Many energy companies can gain from discrediting wind power.

 

I'm surprised to see such opposition to wind power coming from a community like OFC.

 

We can either accept the wind turbines in plain sight, or turn a blind eye to carbon fuel destroying the environment in the background.

 

Personally I would pay a premium for renewable energy if it meant ridding us of dirty carbon emissions.

 

Out with carbon energy and in with solar, wind and nuclear.

[Sinker]

Many energy companies can gain from discrediting wind power.

 

I'm surprised to see such opposition to wind power coming from a community like OFC.

 

We can either accept the wind turbines in plain sight, or turn a blind eye to carbon fuel destroying the environment in the background.

 

Personally I would pay a premium for renewable energy if it meant ridding us of dirty carbon emissions.

 

Out with carbon energy and in with solar, wind and nuclear.

How big are the carbon footprints for each of these turbines. How big is it for the transport, construction, and installation? Where do the materials go from these turbines go once they are out of date and rendered useless?

 

I can see both sides, and I understand both sides.

 

I hate looking at them, I will tell ya that.

 

If they reduced my hydro bill I might have a different opinion, but I see these things everywhere I go and my hydro just goes up and up and up and up and up and up.......When does it stop???

 

 

S.

[glen]

Right on Sinker.

 

They make my eyes hurt.

[Big Cliff]

Many energy companies can gain from discrediting wind power.

 

I'm surprised to see such opposition to wind power coming from a community like OFC.

 

We can either accept the wind turbines in plain sight, or turn a blind eye to carbon fuel destroying the environment in the background.

 

Personally I would pay a premium for renewable energy if it meant ridding us of dirty carbon emissions.

 

Out with carbon energy and in with solar, wind and nuclear.

Trust me you already are and it is only going to keep getting higher.

 

We keep getting told to reduce our usage and save money but when we reduce our usage they aren't making enough money so they jack our rates up to compensate. When we complain they tell us to reduce our usage and the circle continues. At this rate we'll soon be paying huge hydro rates for something we give away! Oh wait, I think we already are!

[SylvanOwner]

Interesting thread and much thanks to Steve for helping everyone to better understand.

 

Something that hasn't been said here is that oil and natural gas extraction is also heavily subsidized by government and has been forever. Why is this? These companies make fortunes. As far as I can tell this industry is subsidized all over the world, to varying degrees, so we do it here to be competitive. We need exports in order to "grow" our economy but this is false economics in the long run.

 

I don't like my increasing bill any more than the next guy but I'm also surprised by what appears to be the resentment of 'green' technology as much as the resentment of the economics. I also don't like the sound of the turbines but I like less the implications of continued use of fossil fuels.

 

Diversity is good. Very good.

[KLINKER]

If you look at the green energy act as a way for the gov. to create jobs and get someone else to pay for it,its a great success.

I think that's exactly what its all about. WE got to get the Gov out of the power business.

[Old Ironmaker]

Interesting thread and much thanks to Steve for helping everyone to better understand.

 

Something that hasn't been said here is that oil and natural gas extraction is also heavily subsidized by government and has been forever. Why is this? These companies make fortunes. As far as I can tell this industry is subsidized all over the world, to varying degrees, so we do it here to be competitive. We need exports in order to "grow" our economy but this is false economics in the long run.

 

I don't like my increasing bill any more than the next guy but I'm also surprised by what appears to be the resentment of 'green' technology as much as the resentment of the economics. I also don't like the sound of the turbines but I like less the implications of continued use of fossil fuels.

 

Diversity is good. Very good.

 

We live approximately 1500 meters from 3 of these turbines. The only time they can really be heard is when the leaves have fallen from the trees on the north side of us or when getting the mail. Stand with your back against them and you don't even feel a thing. I'll take these things across the landscape rather than seeing the yellow cloud across the horizon as it was a few years back. The crap that Nanticoke was spewing out was disgusting. As far as the eye could seen across the panorama of the horizon a line of yellow crud was the norm. I'll take the turbines any day over the crap on the horizon.

 

I wonder how many here that is complaining about wind energy actually live next to them? What it seems is that those that hate them are baby boomer age like myself. All the youngsters that visit us just love them. I have said this before, I remember the early 70's when the huge hydro towers we being put up. The fear then was that livestock would grow 2 tails and my mother actually told us we weren't to play ball near them because you will get cancer as would all the people living along the hydro lines cutting through Kings Forest to the lake in Hamilton. My Noni that was born in the 1800's remember them saying the same thing when wooden telephone poles were being put up all across the land. People do not like paradigm shifts.

 

I do miss the warm water runoff at Nanticoke for fishing though, but not the pollution.

[John Bacon]

Something that hasn't been said here is that oil and natural gas extraction is also heavily subsidized by government and has been forever. Why is this? These companies make fortunes. As far as I can tell this industry is subsidized all over the world, to varying degrees, so we do it here to be competitive. We need exports in order to "grow" our economy but this is false economics in the long run.

 

The subsidies to the oil industry are greatly exaggerated. The figures that are published do not represent money actually given to the oil industry. There is a lot of creative thinking about constitutes subsidies to the oil industry. E.g. the lost revenue from not billing oil companies for traffic jams is considered a subsidy to the industry; allowing the oil industry to deduct business expenses for tax purposes is considered to a subsidy. The billions of dollars of subsidies that are reportedly given to the oil industry does not represent actual cash provided to the companies.

 

However, the oil industry does provide a lot of actual cash to the governments in the form of royalties and fuel taxes. A large portion of the cost of a litre of gas is for various taxes.

 

http://business.financialpost.com/fp-comment/imfs-imagined-34-billion-silly-stats-are-behind-claims-that-canada-subsidizes-oil-industry

 

http://business.financialpost.com/fp-comment/terence-corcoran-the-cbcs-fossil-fuel-subsidies-folly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tomkat]

Driving through some beautiful mountains in the Charlevoix region of Quebec and they have windmills on the peaks. Man are they ugly! Last year we went to point pelee and driving there you pass by countless numbers of them. Total eyesore for me.