MD Legislators Balk at Wind Power

O’Malley wind farms face more challenges as Maryland legislature returns

The day Maryland lawmakers left Annapolis nine months ago, Gov. Martin O’Malley chided them, saying the legislature had “choked” on his signature environmental initiative: a measure to subsidize development of a multibillion-dollar offshore wind farm. The plan would have added a couple of extra dollars to every Marylander’s monthly electric bill for 20 years and thousands onto those of the state’s largest businesses. O’Malley (D) argued the costs would be worth it for about 2,000 jobs and a foothold for Maryland in a promising new green-energy market.

But as the legislature returns this week to Annapolis for the start to the 2012 session, there is little evidence that O’Malley’s ambition for offshore wind has grown easier for lawmakers to swallow. Rather, political currents that seemed poised to help propel the industry just a year ago have since turned against it. The high-profile collapse of Solyndra, the federally backed California solar company, and the paralyzing summer showdown over mounting federal debt have led Congress to cut off funding for loan guarantees and tax credits considered critical to the economics of the nascent offshore wind market.

“The situation has gotten worse — not better — for offshore wind since the last time it was up for debate,” said Del. Dereck E. Davis, (D-Prince George’s), chairman of one of two key committees that would have to back O’Malley’s plan.

I'm agnostic on the issue of wind energy.  Wind energy can certainly provide part of the solution for energy in the future, but it has several limitations.  First, when the wind doesn't blow, you can't make power.  There are ways to store power, but none are especially satisfactory or efficient.  So you need to have a back up.  Solar?  As long as the wind only fails in the daytime.  But when the wind dies at night, what do you do?  If you're me, you go fishing, but that doesn't help Google's server farm...

Wind generators are also tough on some charismatic fauna, raptors and bats in particular.  Environmentalists tend to gloss over this issue, unless this is one of their particular bugs.

Finally, wind generators are just really big structures, and some people, like say, the late Ted Kennedy, find them unsightly when it turns out their going to be located in their line of sight. I just see them as a good fishing structure at night when there's no wind.

However, I do insist that wind power should satisfy the first principal of business; it should make enough money to pay for itself.