Learn from Canadian Wind Public Policy

Gov. Joe Manchin III
1900 Kanawha Boulevard, E.,
Charleston, WV 25305

Dear Governor Manchin,

Citizens of Ontario are closely watching the wind debate south of the border. Air pollution kills Americans and Ontarians alike. Coal produces 50% of America’s electricity and 15% of Ontario’s. Ontario’s coal plants alone caused 3850 premature deaths and health and environmental damages totaling $12.5 billion between 2000 and 2006. Had the Ontario government installed $1.8 billion in up-to-date emission controls on its coal units, the emission controls would have paid for themselves in NINE MONTHS. Instead the Ontario government has procured 400 MWs of wind generation costing $2.5 billion. Ontario’s long term plan is to build 5000 MWs wind generation for $10 billion and have consumers pay premium power rates.

Because wind is not reliable, the Germans, with about 15% of their installed generation being wind, give wind a 6% capacity value. A generous 10% capacity value, would allow wind to permanently retire about 500 MWs coal for $10 billion. That’s $20 million per MW or 10 times the cost of new high efficient coal or 8 times the cost of new nuclear-both being 85% plus efficient vs. wind’s 25%! Wind needs to be backed up for 75% of wind's rated energy because wind fluctuates. Building more wind only reduces the capacity value and it becomes a wasteful exercise. So really wind can’t replace coal without building new sources to back up wind. And if you are going to build new gas plants, why build wind in the first place. The dollars would be better spent on reducing the fossil fuels we burn for transportation, industry, commerce and residential use which account for most of the fossil fuel use anyway!? While gas is cleaner than coal, the gas fuel cycle still emits 50% of GHGs of coal. And if you are going to keep burning coal, install emission controls because wind can not significantly reduce conventional power generation with wind as the Germans are finding. The Germans are building new high efficiency coal plants. The French obtain 80% of their electricity from nuclear.

On August 1, 2006, Ontario set a new record for power consumption, smashing the previous year’s record by almost 1,000 megawatts. Our dollars would be better spent on conserving and reducing the amount of energy we use vs. inefficient wind farms, polluting gas plants and trading pollution credits as we kill people and destroy the planet.

Sincerely,
Ron Mattmer
Owen Sound
Ontario, Canada