The wind power CO2 conspiracy

www.climatespectator.com.au
31 Jan 2013

Yesterday I explained how those who doubt human activity is leading to global warming seem to see cover-ups and conspiracies on every corner. Often these very same people seem to have a similar propensity to see cover-ups at work with wind power as well, where a range of organisations are working together to obscure the truth that wind power doesn't work and is harmful.

Using Maurice Newman one more time to illustrate this broader mentality, he suggests in The Spectator that state and federal governments are hell-bent on supporting wind in spite of it not saving CO₂ and in spite of it hurting poor local land holders, due to the efforts of an extraordinary coalition: "But don't expect help from academia, mainstream media or the public service. They are members of the same establishment and worship together at the altar of global warming. By ruthlessly perpetuating the illusion that wind farms can somehow save the planet, they keep the money flowing. All the while the poor become poorer, ever more dependent on welfare and colder in winter".

This argument about wind not saving CO₂ is a long running one that has been comprehensively refuted for example from the UK Energy Research Centre and the CSIRO.

Just back in September, in response to claims by Hamish Cumming published in The Australian newspaper a few months ago that wind power had failed to reduce emissions because brown coal generators were producing output in excess of Victorian demand, Climate Spectator published three stories (here, here and here).

These explained in quite a bit of detail how, in spite of wind power's variability, it would act to substantially displace fossil fuel consumption in other power stations. As part of this it was explained that Victorian brown coal generators were unlikely to be the plants whose output and fuel consumption was displaced because of their very low operating costs. Instead it was explained that South Australian and NSW generators were most likely to be displaced by wind power output.

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