Washington voters passed Initiative 937, also known as the Energy Independence Act, back in 2006.  According to this law, the state’s energy utilities must obtain 15 percent of their power from”appropriately sited” energy facilities by the year 2020.

The problem with Initiative 937, is the term “appropriately sited,” because it has not been clearly defined, so therefore, it has been grossly ignored.  Due to the poorly defined wording, the door has been opened to developers, planning on taking advantage of huge government subsidies.  Some developers, have NO regard for the voters, or the controversy that will arise, from placing industrial scale wind energy projects in very inappropriately  sited areas.

Indian petroglyphs in Columbia River Gorge near The Dalles Dam. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At the heart of this controversy, is the Whistling Ridge Project, that has been proposed along the rim of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. This year, marks the 25th anniversary of the creation of this National Scenic area, which has been ranked by National Geographic Traveler, as sixth internationally, and second nationally among sustainable tourist destinations.

The area is one of the crown jewels of the entire Pacific Northwest, and brings in more than a million visitors yearly, from all over the world. The visitors expect to see these world class views, that are unique to our region.

The Whistling Ridge Project, would line the Columbia Gorge with 430 foot wind turbines, that would be visible for miles, taking away much of the scenic views, that people come to see and appreciate.  It would also harm wildlife, unique to the region, by removing hundreds of acres of forested habitat.  To top it off, the Whistling Ridge Project, would cost more money than it would even begin to benefit anyone who lives within the area. The projects average power capacity would only be 25 megawatts of power generated, as compared to 17,000 megawatts, already being generated by existing projects in Washington and Oregon,  and that are located in more wide open appropriate areas.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are not lacking in the area of wind energy production.  Infact, we currently produce so much wind energy here, that a vast majority of it is distributed to California.

In most instances, I am a supporter of renewable energy and laws and policies that support their development.  However, in this case here in Washington, we do not need this particular project.  It implies a high cost to the environment, the economy, and to tourism in the area, and it would greatly harm one of our regions greatest natural assets.

While all states have their own unique beauty and treasures, The Whistling Ridge Project, shows an inappropriate use of funds, resources and land. It should not be allowed to move forward, because it is a prime example of unintended misuse of current energy laws and policies that have gone horribly awry.

As of today, our Governor Christine Gregoire, has approved this wind farm project as a source for jobs in the area.  Currently, area citizens are planning an appeal. Your thoughts and comments on this topic are appreciated, as we work toward a better tomorrow.

Special Thanks to Nicole Whiteley, for this insightful post, on the use of wind energy in the workplace. I think you will find it interesting and thought provoking.

Wind energy in the workplace

Whole Foods uses it, New Belgium uses it, even Wal-Mart sees the value of wind energy. So, what is holding back the rest of the country?

Image via Wikipedia

Miguel Gonzalez, Graduate of the Master’s program, on Sustainable Architecture and Energy Efficiency at BES La Salle, Barcelona, Spain and LEED Green Associate Course with Everblue Training Institute, explained the obstacles of wind energy in the following way:

“Wind Power needs to be taken care of, it takes a lot of money and time to run a wind farm, but the government offers incentives to develop the technologies and improve our current technologies. In Europe the wind farms and technology development are usually funded by private companies that receive huge government incentives. Any green incentive requires three parts to be successful – people, to run the program, a strong care for the planet, and a way to be profitable. No one wants to invest in a project that they won’t see a profit even if the investors have a strong sense of environmental integrity.”

Wind energy is a passionate environmental cause

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As you  may recall, Google hosted a contest last year. The winner in the category for wind turbines/power, was the Jellyfish Wind Turbine from Clarian technologies.  I thought this was such an innovative idea, I posted about it in January 2009, as Jellyfish Windpower , and updated the topic again in June 2009, as JellyFish Plug-In Windpower .

The JellyFish, is a great innovation in Wind Turbines. It changes the public perspective, that a wind turbine should be big, expensive, and has to be, more than 30 feet tall. The Jellyfish has dimensions of only 48” x 36” (1.2m x 0.9m), and weighs about 30 pounds.  Roughly, it is able to generate about 40 kWh / a month, on an average windy day. That’s enough to power a room with CFL light bulbs, a blender, or a toaster. There is no fancy setup, to use the Jellyfish. Just plug it directly, into electrical sockets. It also comes with Wi-Fi and WiMax, modules.

The Genius behind Jellyfish, is Seattle’s  Chad Maqlaque.  He visions that, “We could have 10,000 of these sitting in a city, when  networked—it’s like a virtual utility…”

The Jellyfish Wind Turbine, is not available for market, just yet, but will be in 2011.  However, you can sign up online(Below) for pre- order,to be sure to get yours, through their site, at clariantechnologies.com. It’s expected to retail for around $400. At higher production volumes, the prices may be dropped to $199. This is where if we start demanding these products, more will be made, and they should become cheaper.

My friend Linda, at Forced Green, recently posted about the JellyFish, and the SunFish.  We both love the idea, of what these products can do.  Let’s work together, by contacting QVC and Costco, so we can help get these products, on the shelves.  These two companies, have been quite helpful, in getting new and innovative products on the market, and they’ve been doing it for years. Together, we can all be working, toward better and greener tomorrows for everyone!

What would these tools do for your business, and your POCKETS?