With all of these possibilities for alternative fuel it’s no surprise that the most prevalent and practical is the one that doesn’t need to be manufactured, it comes to us like the breeze—Wind Power. Gigantic windmills pepper the hill lines of many states giving a safer, cleaner, and more economic power source.

With the exception of Don Quixote’s vicious and unprovoked attack of windmills, they are in general widely accepted as an efficient way to lower costs of electricity. Energy from windmills is significantly cheaper than the usual cost of electricity. Wind powered turbines yield three times as much energy for the cost as compared to gas turbines.

New York, Dedicated to Alternative Electric Power; New Yorkers, eh…not as much.

Big plans are in the works for New York City, who are so invested in the idea of a windmill it has been on their state crest for 400 years. It will take another 15 or so years to actually construct the windmills though. The windmills will be set up on bridges and buildings and could provide 10-20% of the city’s energy. So during the next city wide blackout in New York, a smooth 10-20% of the city won’t get looted.

The project is an ambitious one and, depending on the economy, it could be an unrealistic one. When approached with the possibility of windmills on his building, Donald Trump said he likes the idea of windmills in the city, but not necessarily on his building.

Why would he? It’s not like he has any trouble paying that extra 10-20% difference in his electricity bill.

Save the Birds Now, or Save Ourselves Later?

In Puerto Rico, windmills made some unlikely enemies: wildlife conservationists. Those who want to protect the environment by using a safe, clean, renewable form of electricity for humans were in direct confrontation with those who want to protect the innocent little Nightjar, a grey night bird who dwells in the forest that was the desired area to construct the windmills.

There were merciless battles of folk songs, free love, and picket signs. The battle field was riddled with burned out victims of protest, herbal tea, and Volkswagen vans. Needless to say, the need of the Nightjar beat out the need of the humans. Puerto Rico will not have the windmills that could sustain power for more than 20,000 families, but they do have Nightjars!

The rationale for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the opposition to the humbled windmill, was that Puerto Rico is all set with its oil, which burns more than enough to provide electricity for the island. A tip of my hat goes to you, Puerto Rico, and boy am I glad to know there is somewhere in this crazy world where I can still hunt Nightjars!

Whether it is Don Quixote, Donald Trump, or those at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, they show what a truly self sacrificing bunch we humans can be, if not downright masochistic. Whether it’s a keeping your corner office view windmill-free or keeping an ugly grey bird fat and happy, don’t ask us to sacrifice what we want, we will only sacrifice what we need: a renewable energy source and our earth.

Wind power, with its economy of scale and a price tag in the range of more conventional electric sources, is in use all over the world to generate the electricity that powers our lives. Centuries ago, windmills were used for mechanical power to pump water from wells and grind wheat to flour. This is an already practical and affordable alternative energy source that is currently quite underutilized.


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