Harvest The Wind, by Philip Warburg

This book is about people, about the stakeholders in wind power, about their personal perspectives. Philip Warbug tells stories about those who see economic gain, ruined views, energy security, bird and bat kill, climate stability and so on. The author, a Harvard lawyer, spent over two years talking to farmers, hardhats, regulators and CEOs, from Kansas to Denmark and China. The subjectivity and emotion in their perspectives are joined with objective facts about wind power, such as: comparative costs, investment and growth rates, policy considerations and wind turbine scientific data. So, whether you are looking for a general education about wind power or trying to understand better why your view about wind power is not shared by others, this book is a great read. Buy it :)

Excerpts:

“I found out that [one turbine] puts out electricity for a thousand homes, pays for itself in five years, and lasts fifty—not a bad deal! We don’t buy the air. Somebody might start chargin for it, but for now, it sounds better’n coal.” Bill Stovall, a long haul truck driver who delivers components to wind farms.

“Rose’s voice stayed calm as she shifted to talking about the wind farms, but her steely determination as an ant-wind farm fighter came through in her choice of metaphor. ‘I personally look on the wind complexes as a rape of the landscape, and I don’t use that term lightly.’” Author describing and quoting a Kansas wind farm opponent.

“Either we are going to have to put wind turbines on our Kansas prairie or we’re going to continue to put our fine young men and women under it.” Kirk, Cloud County Kansas Economic Developer, referring to the human toll of our dependence on foreign energy resources from the war-torn Middle East.

Good Facts:

On average, a turbine’s blades turn at the rate of 15 to 20 revolutions per minute in winds blowing 13 – 14 miles per hour

Bats killed by turbines die not from being struck, but by internal hemorrhaging caused by flying through low pressure zones caused by the rotating blades

A farmer receives a $3000 to $8000 annual lease payment for each turbine on his farm

China will increase its existing wind power capacity by 300% by 2020. 7 of the top 15 global wind turbine manufacturers are Chinese companies

The cost of new wind farm averages $65 to $110 per megawatt hour (assuming existing tax subsidies) compared to a new coal plant costing $69 to $150 per megawatt hour

But the book on Amazon ISBN 978-0-8070-0107-3

For more information about the book and Philip, check out his website