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Below are some basic answers to frequently asked questions and concerns about wind energy. However, we encourage you to seek out as much information from quality sources as you can. Of course, if you have any additional questions you can always contact us directly.
Is wind power subsidized?
How green is wind power?
Does wind power require back-up by fossil fuel generation on the energy grid?
How does wind power affect birds and bats?
A: Yes it is, but not nearly as much as the coal, oil, nuclear, and natural gas industries. Historically, the energy industry has been subsidized as a means of ensuring that the country has adequate and reliable supplies of energy. The largest subsidies, however, go to coal, oil, nuclear and natural gas fuels and generation.
The National Commission on Energy Policy found a low-end estimate for federal energy subsidies in 2003 to be $37 billion to $64 billion. Total wind energy subsidy payments in that same year are estimated at $155 million—well under one percent of the federal energy subsidy total.
Furthermore, fossil fuel energy generation has external costs that all Americans pay such as:
- Health care costs
- Pollution costs
- Securing petroleum in unstable areas of the world
- Disposal costs (nuclear)
A: Generating wind power produces no pollution and no by-products. Furthermore it uses no natural resources, such as water, in the production of energy, whereas fossil fuels and nuclear use water for both creating steam to turn turbines and for cooling, in addition to consuming non-renewable mineral deposits. For every MWh produced by wind turbines a MWh is not produced by the standard electricity supply mix in the United States.
- Coal: 49%
- Nuclear: 20%
- Natural Gas: 14%
- Hydro: 7%
- Biomass: 7%
- Oil: 2%
- Other: 1%
By offsetting the need for fossil-fueled generation, wind power reduces the amount of emissions created by traditional energy sources. The most recent (2004) data shows the U.S. electricity industry produced annual emissions totaling:
- 2.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide
- 10.7 million tons of sulfur dioxide
- 4.1 million tons of nitrogen oxides
- 53 tons of mercury
A: Wind is an “as-available” resource, which means that it can only generate energy when it is windy. When the wind dies down, power is generated by traditional methods, which in Hawaii means burning coal, oil, or bagasse. We are committed to ensuring the stability of the state’s electrical grid, and are dedicated to working with the local utilities on the best methods to integrate wind energy into the electrical grid. We are actively researching cutting edge technologies related to energy storage and forecasting so that Oahu residents always benefit from the most advanced technologies available to ensure electric power from wind.
A: Wind energy generation facilities have the potential to affect birds, bats, and their habitats, though not always in a detrimental manner. Under some circumstances, birds and bats may use the same airspace as the wind turbines. This could lead to the potential for collisions that might result in injury or death. Understanding that the possibility exists for bird and bat interaction with the wind facility during ordinary operation, our team worked with the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to develop a comprehensive Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for the Kaheawa Wind Power project in Maui. The HCP is intended to provide a wide range of avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures that once implemented are designed to ensure that the four species covered by the HCP are protected. These federally protected wildlife species include the endangered Hawaiian Goose, or Nene, endangered Hawaiian Petrel, endangered Hawaiian Hoary Bat, and the threatened Newell's Shearwater.
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