Re: Wind Turbines

Donnie McAlear | Jan 20, 2016

I am writing to you today because of my concerns over the targeting of my community for a large renewable energy project. The township of Greater Madawaska has been approached by Innergex Renewable Energy out of Longeuil Quebec. They have informed our CAO Allison Holtzhauer that if the province asks for bids to construct more wind power projects, the company intends to put in an application for a power project in Greater Madawaska.

The township formed a committee to advise council on the pros and cons of these types of projects. As a member of the Wind Advisory Committee I have done much research on the issue.

I am frankly shocked at the gross injustices I have found. The huge increases in our hydro costs are abhorrent, causing widespread “energy poverty.” The removal of our democratic rights by the Green Energy Act is something you would expect from a third world country. All of it under the disguise of Green Energy.

The Province already had an oversupply of power before it contracted for Industrial Wind Turbines. The intermittent power from these facilities has to be backed up by fossil fuel sources such as natural gas generating stations, which increases the costs to ratepayers and nullifies the green aspect of the programme -in short, wind isn’t “green.”

People who have signed leases for the use of their land, to install these turbines, are typically getting less than one percent of the revenue generated by the turbines. Homes in the vicinity of these projects are devalued sometimes to the point of not being sellable.

The Green Energy Act has created winners and losers. The winners are the huge corporate interests and the losers are the people of Ontario.

In the 1960s when the Madawaska River was turned into a hydro supply for the province there was a net gain for the people of Ontario. Now, with the huge profits from the unneeded Green Energy going to global corporations there is a net loss to the province. The four generating stations along the Madawaska operate far below capacity while the wind generators take our hard earned income. There are no carbon emissions from hydro power.

The Independent Electricity Systems Operator (IESO) is a good source of information on this issue. They manage the large renewable energy projects and the power supply in the province. Wind Concerns Ontario has lots of info on the issues as well. I would ask your readers to learn more about these issues.

The Auditor General’s Report for 2015 points out that hydro costs have increased 70 percent since 2006 and that the people of Ontario have overpaid for wind and solar power in the billions. We have a surplus of power that we are selling off at a loss, yet Ontario is asking for more? At what cost?

Everyone wants to help the environment, but from what I’ve learned so far, wind power is not our answer. Landowners must understand, before singing a lease to allow turbines on their property, how these projects drive up the costs of electricity for themselves and their community. The only sure way to stop these projects is to not sign leases.