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Why We Need to Terminate Big Wind Subsidies

tomatawea Wrote: May 08, 2012 11:35 AM

3) With no fuel costs, wind energy contracts can lock in energy prices for a 20-year term or longer, similar to the stability that a long-term fixed-rate mortgage offers to homebuyers. Wind energy protects consumers from the fuel price volatility that must be passed on to consumers and is the largest source of consumer electric rate increases. When Xcel Energy, a large Midwestern utility, secured a wind power purchase in 2011, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission stated that “the contract will save ratepayers $100 million on a net-present-value basis over its 25-year term under a base-case natural gas price scenario” while providing the opportunity to “lock in” a price for 25 years.--Tom@AWEA

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Breezee123 Wrote: May 08, 2012 4:03 PM

Why then do taxpayers (and future unborn taxpayers) need to subsidize your industry? answer: because no one believes you and experience in Europe shows just the opposite: these things are freakishly expensive.

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MoreFreedom Wrote: May 08, 2012 2:14 PM

Wind energy has ongoing costs. There is maintenance and repair. And a number have caught fire and burned. But the deal is like this. Invest 100,000 and wait for 80 years to get your money back and after that you'll start to make a profit if you don't have to replace the turbine or propeller.

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Trublu Wrote: May 08, 2012 12:09 PM

Fuel price volatility is caused by the government. Refusing to alow drilling the building the keystone pipe line, approve off shore leases and attacking fracking are what is responsible for oil shortages. Many bite their nails when OPEC announces prodcution decreases but say nothing when administartion policies result in US prodcution decreases. If nothing changes year the US will produce 1 million barrels per day oil less than last year. Remeber almost 50 cents per gallon of gasoline is taxes. There are many ways to decrease gas prices but wind is not one of them. Quit trying to spend your way to prosperity.

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Why We Need to Terminate Big Wind Subsidies

Unprecedented! As bills to extend seemingly perpetual wind energy subsidies were again introduced by industry lobbyists late last year, taxpayers finally decided they’d had enough.

Informed and inspired by a loose but growing national coalition of groups opposed to more giveaways with no scientifically proven net benefits, thousands of citizens called their senators and representatives – and rounded up enough Nay votes to run four different bills aground. For once, democracy worked.

A shocked American Wind Energy Association and its allies began even more aggressive recruiting of well-connected Democrat and Republican political operatives and...

Related Tags: Energy and Environment Subsidies Alternative Energy Economics Wind Farming Wind