According to the Daily Astorian:

“Activists now decry windmills with a fervour once reserved for nuclear plants”….Opponents, however, say they are driven by concerns about windmills’ effects on everything from bird migration…to earthworms.

Now, with this in mind, let’s consider a recent Boston Globe article:

[In Canada] soaring white wind turbines generate electricity for a surprising customer 650 miles to the south: Massachusetts.

And much more Canadian renewable energy could be coming. Developers are building or planning nearly four dozen wind and hydroelectric projects in the next four years, enough to power more than a million homes.

Canada is the biggest exporter of oil to the United States, [but now we are exchanging] dependence on foreign oil for dependence on foreign wind.

Do we see how this is working? Massachusetts is exchanging the importation of oil for the importation of energy generated from wind. To be frank, this is not helping the cause for energy independence. In fact, it is hurting it. One of the major benefits to renewable energy sources (like wind, geothermal, etc.) is that fact that they contribute to energy independence. Currently we, as Oregonians and as Americans rely on other nations for our energy. However, this does not need to be the case. Instead of importing wind energy from Canada, Massachusetts should build its own wind turbines, and produce their own renewable energy.

Let this be a warning for Oregon.

According to the Oregonian:

Hilderbrand, the first in Sherman County to allow turbines on his land, reaps about $30,000 a year in lease payments. And the checks come without fail, he says, unlike the income from his wheat operation, which is squirrelly as the weather.

More wind projects are in the works, including a 400-megwatt project (which could double to 800 megawatts ) by BP Alternative Energy, a subsidiary of BP, and two more projects by Iberdrola totaling 700 megawatts.

The turbines’ concrete pads eat up some land, but farmers work around them. Hilderbrand estimates that his 11 turbines take three acres of his 1,200 acres out of production.

The Hilderbrands’ turbines are part of the Klondike wind power projects, owned and operated by Iberdrola Renewables, a Spanish company and one of the largest wind energy developers in the United States. Klondike has been going up in phases — the first in 2001 — and now involves 242 turbines and generating capacity of 400 megawatts. Accounting for the wind’s variability, that’s enough power to consistently light up more than 115,000 homes.

Farming of soft white wheat, most of which is shipped to Japan, remains the mainstay, he says, but “I make a really nice amount” from the turbines.

We at Lights On Oregon have been covering the power of wind for quite a while now. Wind is providing a stimulant to Oregon’s economy. It’s also slowly working us off fossil fuels. Because wind is both clean and renewable, it performs an important role in energy production. T

he question remains, why do radical environmental groups oppose wind energy?

The Lights on Oregon blog has been running strong for over two months now. We’ve covered a lot of ground. We started out in late August by showing the early economic returns of Oregon’s wind power. This was followed by another post noting that Oregon’s innovation in the field of renewable energy helps secure the future of all Oregonians, and could turn into a profitable export to California. Then Google announced that they were investing millions in wind power.

Then, the time came.

Environmental groups challenged a series of wind energy projects. According to the Eastern Oregon:

As wind power is becoming increasingly successful, radical groups oppose its expansion in the Columbia River Gorge’s shrub steppes….

Finally, this last month we saw renewable energy surge, wind was an important contributor to this success.

Wind gives us, as Oregonians, the power of freedom. Freedom from fossil fuels. Freedom from environmental pollutants. Freedom from high-energy prices.

Some good news, for a change. According to the latest “Monthly Electricity Review” issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration:

Renewable energies, biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, and wind accounted for 11.0% of net U.S. electricity generation in June 2008 compared to 8.6% in June 2007.

Compared to June 2007, wind power grew by 81.6%, solar by and hydropower by 34.7%.

Renewable energy sources now account for 37% of the non-fossil net electricity generation in the United States.

We’re making progress. It takes some time, and it takes some work, but we’re making progress.

Eastern Oregon could hold the key to meeting the world’s green goals

According to the Eastern Oregon:

Envision a possible future for Eastern Oregon. Along with the rolling hills of wheat, fields of onions, potatoes or peas and cattle ranches, stands another potential crop.

Energy.

Rising high, hundreds of feet in the air, wind turbines stretch their giant feathering propellers. They hum with the activity of transferring wind motion to energy. Many of the turbines huddle together to form an expansive forest covering the landscape.

[Turbines]…harness and pull the energy in all directions. It moves the energy to local municipalities no longer dependent on foreign or out-of-state sources.

“There’s more than enough renewable energy opportunity in Eastern Oregon than is needed to meet all of our heating cooling industrial and transportation needs for the state,” said Chris Dymond, an energy analyst with the Oregon Department of Energy.

Unfortunately, radical environmental groups oppose, yes, even wind.

As wind power is becoming increasingly successful, radical groups oppose its expansion in the Columbia River Gorge’s shrub steppes because of potential danger to birds, including the golden eagle.  In the Northwest it is reported that about 1.9 birds are killed per turbine per year.  The Predatory Bird Research Group at the University of California, Santa Cruz conducted a three-year study of golden eagle mortality from wind turbines and concluded, “the population of golden eagles…remains intact.”  According to Greenpeace, “Studies show that for every 10,000 bird fatalities, less than one is caused by wind turbines. For comparison, cats cause about 10 percent of bird deaths and nearly half are caused by collisions with buildings or windows.”

Fundamentally, why is this? Is it ignorance? Is it misguided benevolence? Why would an organization oppose renewable energy?

Here we go again. This time it’s radical environmentalists opposing wind power. If wind power is not clean enough, or renewable enough, what is? If we cannot have

wind, wave, nuclear, hydroelectric, geothermal or biomass, what can we have?

The answer: nothing.

All of these are better options than coal or oil. But no….

Harney County’s planning commission approved a 104-megawatt wind power project for Wilson’s ranch last year. The developer is currently building roads and preparing the ground for wind turbines, which are scheduled to be installed by autumn 2009.

The Harney County [wind] projects could provide a huge boost to Oregon’s wind energy industry, increasing the state’s 964-megawatt wind power capacity by 43 percent.

Oregon is currently the seventh-largest wind energy producer in the U.S. Wilson said he hopes the investment in wind power will help reinvigorate Harney County and other areas in rural Oregon, which have struggled due to diminished logging on federal lands. “Without an economy of some kind, you can’t provide even the basic functions like schools and roads,” he said.

The Oregon Natural Desert Association, the Audubon Society of Portland and the Nature Conservancy have all raised alarm about the projects.

Making a living in rural Oregon is tough these days, and renewable energy may provide an economic lifeline without disrupting agriculture, [Wilson] said. “It’ll have a zero impact on our grazing operations,”Until now, financially strapped farmers and ranchers have often turned to development, which consumes both farmland and wildlife habitat, Crowley said.

The wind provides another alternative, he said. “It keeps them from breaking it into 160-acre ranchettes,” Crowley said. “It keeps these large tracts intact.”

Yes, It’s true. Google has invested $15 million in the wind start up Makani Power. According to Clean Tech

Alameda, Calif.-based Makani won’t release details of its kites, which use wing-shaped membranes to harness wind energy at high altitudes. The company says the elevation allows them to gather 10 times more energy than traditional wind turbines.

This energy investment, joins Google’s similar investment earlier this month. Forbes reported that,

Google.org, the philanthropic arm of search giant Google, announced it would try to help spur companies to reach underground to produce clean electricity. It is investing a total of $10 million in a geothermal energy company called AltaRock Energy and a drilling company called Potter Drilling, and it is funding research and mapping efforts and a policy agenda.

It is part of Google.org’s effort to help bring about renewable energy that is cheaper than coal by investing in companies, research and policy development. The organization is focusing on three main technologies: solar thermal power, which uses the sun’s heat to generate electricity; advanced wind technology; and, now, a way of tapping geothermal energy called enhanced geothermal systems, or EGS.

Energy matters. Google recognizes this. Shouldn’t Oregon?

As we noted here, Oregon’s wind power is showing early economic returns. Now, California is interested in Oregon’s renewable energy. According to the Ashland Daily:

California, whose laws require it to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010, has its eyes on Oregon’s growing wind power industry.

“They’re certainly trying to grab it everywhere they can,” said Lee Beyer, chairman of the Oregon Public Utility Commission.

The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power and Pacific Gas & Electric in San Francisco are among those securing long-term contracts for wind power in Oregon and Washington

San Francisco’s PG&E would need 2,400 megawatts of wind to meet the 2010 requirement, if that were the only renewable source. That’s more than the total capacity of Oregon and Washington’s wind farms.

“We’re aggressively adding renewables,” said Jennifer Zerwer of Pacific Gas & Electric. Renewables account for about 12 percent of PG&E’s electricity. “We’re on track” to meet the 2010 goal of 20 percent, she said.

The utility has secured 175 megawatts from the 300-megawatt Klondike III wind farm in Oregon’s Sherman County and the entire output of the 103-megawatt Rattlesnake Road project in Gilliam County. A megawatt, adjusted for wind’s variability, will supply about 300 homes for a year. Prices are rising.

PG&E also has signed a contract to buy 120 megawatts of geothermal energy from a project near central Oregon’s Newberry Crater if it is built.

Iberdrola, Horizon Wind Energy and other wind power developers are scrambling to meet the surge in demand.

“We’re here to sell all over the Western markets,” said Jan Johnson, an Iberdrola spokeswoman. California utilities are “motivated buyers,” she said.

Oregon’s innovation in the field of renewable energy, not only helps secure the future of all Oregonians, but also could turn into a profitable export to other states. Clean, renewable energy is critical. We have the ability to lead in this field. Will we take it?

While still in it’s early stages of development, the Shepherd’s Flat Proejct (located between Ione and Arlington) is already looking to be a huge success for Oregonians, both environmentally and economically.

This innovative project, that is expected to generate 2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, has apparently led to a significant deal with one of California’s leading energy suppliers, Edison International.

From Reuters:

NEW YORK, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Edison International’s (EIX.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Southern California Edison unit signed a 20-year contract with DCE, an affiliate of Caithness Energy, for up to 909 megawatts of wind power from Oregon, SCE said Monday.

The company did not disclose the terms of the deal and officials of SCE were not to comment.

The project, called Caithness Shepherd’s Flat, will involve the installation of 303 wind turbines across 30 square miles in Gilliam and Morrow counties in north-central Oregon between 2011 and 2012.

Shepherd’s Flat will generate about 2 billion kilowatt-hours per year of renewable energy, which is more than a tenth of SCE’s overall renewable portfolio.

The project will not require additional or upgraded transmission lines, which should lessen the time it takes for the power to reach customers.

n 2007, renewable energy constituted about 16 percent of SCE’s total energy portfolio. The company currently has sufficient contracts in place that, when delivering, will meet or exceed 20 percent or more of customers’ energy needs with renewable energy.

One MW powers about 700 homes in California.

Edison International, of Rosemead, California, owns and operates about 14,000 MW of generating capacity, markets energy commodities in North America, and transmits and distributes electricity to about 4.8 million customers in central and Southern California. (Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Walter Bagley)

I’m quite confident that this is only beginning for major contracts coming into Oregon for the purchase of clean, renewable energy.

With each contract comes more income for the state’s economy, increased potential for job growth, and most importantly, Oregon secures it’s place as one of the leaders in advancing the development of clean, renewable sources energies.

Click here for more on Oregon wind energy: