Today I am off to the annual conference of NOW (National Opposition to Wind Farms) to meet some of the victims of what I believe is the greatest public health scandal of the 21st century.
The great wind-farm scam is by no means a problem peculiar to Britain. All over the world, families are being driven out of their homes, electricity prices being driven sky high, jobs being killed, eagles being sliced and diced, cherished views being blighted, rent-seeking scuzzballs being rewarded. Some countries have proved better at fighting back against the menace than others. Right now, probably the most vigorous opposition is coming from Australia.
ERCOT, the grid operator for 85% of Texas electrcity demand, set records for June peak electricity demand on two consecutive days this week. On Monday, June 25, demand peaked at 65,047 megawatts from 4 to 5 p.m., surpassing the previous June record of 63,102 megawatts set on June 17, 2011. Then the next day, another June record was set at 66,583 megawatts, again from 4 to 5. ERCOT’s all-time peak demand record occurred on Aug. 3, 2011, when demand in the ERCOT region reached 68,379 megawatts.
During the peak on Monday, June 25, wind power contributed 394 megawatts, or 0.6 percent of demand. During the peak on Tuesday, June 26, wind power contributed 339 megawatts, or 0.5 percent of demand. On both days, 96 percent of ERCOT’s 9600 megawatts of taxpayer-subsidized wind power sat idle.