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Category: Readers' Opinions

Windy logic

Sep 08

7:56 AM

RE 'WIND FARM OFF Virginia coast is doable,' front page, Aug. 31: One of the proponents from Old Dominion University was quoted as saying it 'really seems to make sense.' However, aspects of the story pointing to the success of the Horns Reef wind farm in Denmark made little sense to me.

It experienced numerous problems with its transformers and generators, requiring dismantling of all 80 units. Furthermore, repairs on-site were not an option because of rough weather conditions in the North Sea. As a consequence, all nacelles and blades were transported ashore to accomplish repairs.

Horns Reef is emblematic of enormous subsidies to industries that would not exist in a free market.

In the U.S., such industries are being supported by massive government subsidies and tax write-offs that shift the cost of resulting electricity to unsuspecting Americans' tax bills and monthly electricity bills.

Manny S. Medeiros

Kitty Hawk, N.C.

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Old Sea Dog/ Highly Subsidized Windmill Farms.

Submitted by sw36029 on Mon, 09/08/2008 at 3:56 pm.

Ditto Old Sea Dog.

Election time cometh; so remember who is for the People and who the enemies are.

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Couldn't agree more...

Submitted by C.B. on Mon, 09/08/2008 at 8:46 am.

I couldn't agree more or have said it better than the OldSeaDog.

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Windy logic

Submitted by OneOldSeaDog on Sun, 09/07/2008 at 10:36 pm.

Wind power (and solar power) can be a part of a comprehensive stragety to unleash us from foreign oil. But to think that wind porwer alone, as the editorial implies, is a suitable replacement for oil is hopeful thinking at best. Only a small percentage of our energy needs can be supplied by wind power even with agressive wind power deveopment. I suspect the real underlying goal of this editorial is another attempt by the Pilot staff to promote the Democratic party by supporting their flawed energy strategy of no additional domestic drilling and no additional nuclear facilities.

What we need is a comprehensive national energy strategy including an agressive solar, wind, geothermal and nuclear development program coupled with increased domestic drilling to give us oil an gas resources in the short term. John McCain is the only Presidential candidate advocating this approach.

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