Beach Produces Occasional Discussions on Renewable Energy

I  like to jog on a dog-friendly beach in Santa Barbara to get a bit of exercise and to take in the beautiful sights, sounds, and fragrances.  After my run, I slow to a walk and often stop to talk with people with unusual-looking pets, or doing interesting things. 

The other day I happened upon a geologist who was examining an oil deposit of a certain sample of shale – a natural lead-in to a conversation if there ever were one.  I was saddened that he wasn’t too great a fan of renewable energy.  He pointed out that there is no free lunch, i.e., it takes a certain amount of energy to build a solar panel or wind-turbine, and that wide-open prairies look better when they are pristine; he doesn’t approve of the aesthetics.

All this, of course, is perfectly true.  Having said that:

• The energy return on investment for wind turbines is somewhere between 15 and 30, averaging in the low 20s, meaning that the typical wind-turbine will produce more than 20 times the energy that went into building, installing, and maintaining it. 

• It’s impossible to be that precise in the debate concerning aesthetics.  Though I too prefer a pristine area, there are some people who think turbines look cool – and I have yet to encounter anyone who thinks that coal-fired power plants are attractive, or that mitigating the vast ecological damage they’re creating isn’t worth some sacrifice.