Letter: Wind energy is becoming more reliable

To the Editor:

The October issue of the Mother Earth News has an article about renewable energy that includes solar, geothermal, and wind. It states: “Wind is becoming the focal point of the new energy economy. It uses no water, no fuel, and little land. No other energy source can match this combination of features.”

It has been argued that wind is unreliable. However, this article points out that with wind farms in many locations, if wind isn’t blowing in one area it might be somewhere else making it a “remarkably stable source of electricity.”

The article states that “Value of ethanol from corn on one acre equals §1,000. Value of electricity from wind turbine on one acre of land equals $300,000. Farmers and ranchers can receive $3,000 to $10,000 a year in royalties for each wind turbine on their land.” Many farmers and ranchers in the Midwest are saying, “Put it in my back yard.”

With the temporary storage of waste at the Prairie Island nuclear plant looking like it will be permanent, the people of Prairie Island are living in concern about what will ever happen about that. Wind sounds like a safer form of energy.

Nancy Ellison

Zumbrota

Tags: opinion, letter