Our vision is to replace carbon-based energy and nuclear energy with renewable sources as quickly as possible in Canada. Sometimes this may involve big wind farms, but just as often it will involve smaller projects that generate energy for local use and contribute to the grid, without causing huge environmental impacts. We hope to see suitable small scale windmills on the rooftops of highrises and industrial buildings. Where there are large populations, smaller scale projects may be more appropriate. As we see in the reports below, when people give the wind a chance, the vast majority are not inconvenienced by it, nor does it cause health problems.
Look at the damage caused by a nuclear accident such as in Fukushima, Japan, or the environmental costs of mining the Tar Sands in Alberta or the coal mines in the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia (where they have taken off the tops of 240 mountains in the last five years). This scale of activity destroys whole ecosystems, wiping out the habitat of all the species who live there. In West Virginia they not only destroyed the mountain ecosystems, they dumped the refuse in the river valleys, clogging the water systems.
We have not begun to realize the terrible costs we will pay for the climate change that all of these projects will simply escalate.
What price are we willing to pay to turn on our lights and our computers, heat our homes, and run our cars? Surely we can put up with the minor inconveniences of windmills in preference to the terrible costs of carbon fuels and nuclear power.
David Suzuki on why we should have a good supply of wind energy in our energy mix, and how we can mitigate the potential negative impacts of wind.
Wind Power Cuts Down on Emissions 1:1 Hydrogen Fuel News 2014 05 09
Wind Energy growing in Africa and Russia – Market Watch 2014 05 03
David Suzuki on Wind Energy is Beautiful – 2014 04 03
EcoBusiness 2013 10 25 Spanish Researchers demonstrate that wind energy is effective, dramatically reduces greenhouse gases, and could replace oil as core energy.
Boston Globe 2013 09 23 Wind Contracts Cheaper Than Coal or Nuclear
Newer Wind Turbines more efficient and have the capacity to store energy for later Huffington Post 2013 08 07
The Ontario Sustainable Energy Association supports the development of wind and solar co-ops and other forms of renewable energy in Ontario. It’s goal is to move us towards a 100% renewable energy future.
Pembina Institute Wind Report shows few complaints from those living near wind power installations.