Letter to Millbrook Times from Eva Hans

WIND TURBINES AND OTHER SOURCES OF GREEN ENERGY



On March 31 of this year, government grants for installation of geothermal heat pumps are expiring. A lot of people take an advantage of a few thousand of dollars offered and install the system which, at the moment, is the most efficient way of heating/cooling the house and heating water as well. One still needs hydro, but the power use is minimal. Geothermal installations can be used for commercial/industrial enterprises as well.


So why the government decided to terminate grants? Because there will be a lot of money needed for developing so called “green energy” – gigantic wind turbines? We are being told that emission of CO2 should be reduced (which is absolutely right) and that wind power will do just that – which is far from being true. There has been a lot of research done and the conclusion is that the turbines do not reduce CO2 emission at all since every single one needs fossil fuel back-up for the time where there is not enough wind, or too much; without back-ups, we would be facing constant black-outs.

At the moment, almost half of the power in Ontario comes from nuclear, 22% from water,

23% from natural gas, 3% from coal, and 1,5% from wind. Erecting those turbines destroy the land, agricultural or any, thousands birds (most of them protected or endangered) and bats are being killed – the list of undesirable and highly threatening effects can go on and on. Agricultural land with wind turbines on it is taxed as commercial/industrial. Great areas around them cannot be cultivated – an enormous loss of highly productive land.

Ontario’s government promised creation of 50,000 new “green” jobs; what the government does not say: because of the above, there is a potential loss of 185,000 jobs. As a result, the unemployment from present 8.1% would rise to 10%.

The idea of “green” province is a very tempting one but this green-up can be achieved on much less destractive scale; perhaps these billions of dollars to be spend of mega projects like wind farms, could be spend of continuing grants for the individuals to help with installation of geothermal systems, small wind turbines supplying one or several dwellings, photo-voltaic….

These would be monies well spent….

Eva Hans
Cavan Ward