Chasing the Wind: Inside the Alternative Energy Battle

188 Pages·2014·1.2 MB·English

by  Rody Johnson

Chasing the Wind
Other Books by the Author
Different Battles: The Search for a World War II Hero
In Their Footsteps: Warriors, Capitalists, and Politicians of West Virginia
The Rise and Fall of Dodgertown: 60 Years of Baseball in Vero Beach
Chasing the Wind
Inside the Alternative Energy Battle
Rody Johnson
The University of Tennessee Press • Knoxville
Copyright © 2014 by The University of Tennessee Press / Knoxville.
All Rights Reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America.
First Edition.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Johnson, Rody.
Chasing the wind: inside the alternative energy battle / Rody Johnson. — First edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-62190-069-6
1. Wind power.
I. Title.
TJ820.J66 2014
333.9'2—dc23
2013039693
To Ruth Baker Thomas Johnson (Tommye)

Contents
Prologue xi
1. From the Beach to the Mountains 1
2. A Thousand Years 15
3. Europe: Reality or Tilting at Windmills 25
4. Battle Begins 43
5. Rough Road 59
6. Wind in the States 73
7. Alternative Sources 87
8. Growth Issues 109
9. Endangered 123
10. A View of the Mountain 133
Epilogue 145
Notes 149
Selected Bibliography 161
Index 165

Illustrations
FIGURES
Florida Power and Light Presents Facts about Planned Wind Farm
in Florida 3
Approaching Mountaineer Wind Farm in West Virginia 5
Wind Turbine Foundation under Construction in West Virginia 10
Cutaway View of Turbine Blades, Rotor, Shaft, and Gear Train 12
Wind Turbines in the Tehachapi Pass Area of California 21
Traditional Windmill and Modern Wind Turbines in Dutch
Countryside 27
Ferry Cruising Past Offshore Wind Turbines near English Coast 38
Cattle Feeding in Williamsburg Valley, West Virginia 45
Map Showing Plans for Invenergy Turbines 50
Coal-Fueled Power Plant 67
Construction Begins on Beech Ridge Wind Farm in West Virginia 70
Dominion Resources Coal-Fueled Power Plant in West Virginia 89
Fishing Boat near St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant 96
Solar Cell Installation at Denver International Airport 100
Solar Thermal Panels 102
Wind Turbines Surrounding House in Western New York State 111
Transmission Lines 115
Partially Constructed Wind Turbine Sites in West Virginia 129
John Stroud of Mountain Communities for Responsible Energy 140
Strip Mine near Wind Turbine Site 141
Beech Ridge Turbines Overlooking Farm 142