Windpower? Yes please, but not in my neighborhood!

There is an interesting debate on wind power now in Sweden. We have about 2000 wind turbines producing more than 6 TWh electricity in 2011. In the next few years, the number of wind turbines will be almost doubled, while the turbines will be bigger and are expected to produce about 18 TWh electricity in 2015.

Yesterday, in the tv program "Vetenskapens Värld" in the Swedish SVT, there was debate about it. People are interested to environment and renewable energy. But, nobody wants wind turbines in their backyard. It has too much noise and disturb the silence of the area around it. In a radio program this morning (Swedish Radio P1), there was also news about the 700 wind turbines that is going to built offshore, but got protest in for example damaging the landscape over the sea!

There are many such news in Sweden. Wind power is growing, and so the protests against it. These debates remind me the debates a few years ago about ethanol, in which negative news about ethanol was circulated in media after this fuel was established in the market in Sweden.

I believe we as human are too naiv and selfish. We are looking for a superman to save the world. We first just talk positively about it, and then when it comes to the market, we talk just negatively and look for its drawbacks!

All the renewable energies have their own advantages and drawbacks, as the same as oil, gas, and coal. In this market, there is no angel and no evil. With this volume of global energy consumption in the world, we should have all these energy sources in the market. It is a fact that we have to accept it, even if we have to put in our backyard!


(The number, installed capacity and yearly production of wind power in Sweden)