now i know that i start many of my posts with this, or some version of it: i am really annoyed by (fill in the blank), but here it is yet again.

i am really bugged by some of the debates that are going on regarding our current energy situation. but the one that is most annoying is the proponents of Wind Energy. yeah, the wind is free (as is solar). that is nice that it is free, and it is nice that we have over 6,000 megawatts installed in the US. but it also costs us about $23 in government subsidies vs. 25 cents for the same amount from our petroleum sources of energy. as a Capitalist, that right there makes me not want to support Wind farms. but more than that, lets think a little deeper… 6,000 megawatts Installed is not the same as 6,000 usable. that number is just the potential that we have to produce. it is only produced when the wind blows. and the wind doesn’t always blow strong enough to produce that. what is more, wind energy can’t be stored for future use. this just damns it further in my eyes. as far as i can tell the proponents of wind energy are out for a buck just as much as the big, bad oil companies. except for one thing, wind is has a much higher profit margin.