I had not been paying much attention to wind turbines as a
source of power until two recent developments.
First, at the Food Marketing Institute Energy and Technical
Services Conference in California, a presenter talked about the possibility of
using such technology to partially power supermarkets. Then in the county in
Illinois in which a live, a battle has erupted over a possible wind farm being
constructed.
It’s a real donnybrook, this wind farm thing. Opponents are
concerned about the clacking noise, the turbines being in the path of migratory
birds, farmland being turned over to developers, and idyllic views being
disrupted. Those most in favor of the project are local construction unions,
who see more jobs once construction starts.
One of the most interesting quotes on this matter comes
from Mark Burger, president of the Illinois Solar Energy Association, who is in
favor of the project.
“We can no longer live in a segregated world where we want
certain things but are not willing to accept the consequences of them. We
cannot call for revival of the Midwest industrial base with green technologies,
but eliminate entire swaths of locations for them to be sited because we don’t
want our view spoiled. We cannot fight the look of a changed landscape while
it’s okay to blow up mountain tops to get coal.”
I’ll keep you posted, because if indeed this
technology has potential in supermarkets it could mean a great deal to HVACR
contractors.
A Mighty Wind
By Peter Powell
Peter Powell is Refrigeration Editor. He can be contacted at 815-654-7270 or peterpowell@achrnews.com. Peter was formerly Editor/Publisher of Service & Contracting, where he gained his refrigeration experience. Among his duties, Powell is responsible for the monthly Refrigeration Zone sections in The NEWS
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