A story last week in the Washington Post gave me a jolt: Pentagon objections hold up Oregon wind farm. Two weeks prior to breaking ground on an 845-megawatt, $2 billion project in Oregon, the Department of Defense has blocked construction owing to concerns about radar. Two weeks! The project has been on the drawing boards for nine years. This is beyond shameful. It is, though, but one more chapter in the inglorious and ongoing story of how the United States shoots itself in the foot over renewable energy.
One comment at the WaPo story noted “… renewable energy sources will do more for our national defense than a radar installation in Oregon.” Hear, hear. Another commenter said “There are many available radar systems that would not only eliminate wind turbine interference issues, but also provide much better protection from America’s enemies. A great example is the Lockheed TPS-77 that is being installed in England to improve air defense and compensate for impacts from wind development. A $20 million radar system upgrade would clear the way for several billion dollars worth of job-creating, energy-producing investment.” What is the government thinking?!
This story today from SolveClimate says “Software and hardware upgrades can eliminate the problems.” According to the American Wind Energy Association, more than 9,000 MW of wind power have been held up, deferred or abandoned due to radar issues. (I’m trying to stay calm here.)
Caithness Development, which is building the project, says that DOD’s concerns threaten “…to crater literally billions of dollars of renewable energy in the United States and tens of thousands of jobs in renewable energy.” Let’s really hope that the White House figures this out quickly and does the right thing.