They are hard to miss and impossible to ignore. They also are a signal of a slow but significant transformation in the nation’s energy production.
Over the past several weeks, wind turbine blades have been making their way from the Port of Vancouver to Eastern Washington. East on Highway 14, south on Interstate 205 and then onto eastbound Interstate 84 in Portland — the blades inevitably induce rubber-necking from local drivers. That is what happens when a truck carrying a 160-foot, 10-ton blade guided by pilot cars makes its way down a busy freeway. Well, that and quizzical expressions that mean, “What the heck is that?”
The answer: An update to Washington’s burgeoning wind energy industry. The port recently received 198 blades from a manufacturer in Italy, and workers are intermittently placing them one-by-one on trucks headed for a PacifiCorp wind farm near Dayton in southeastern Washington. PacifiCorp is in the midst of a $200 million renovation at the farm that includes replacing outdated turbine blades with new ones.
Wind farms scattered throughout Washington — mostly in the Columbia River Gorge and in the eastern part of the state — produce about 7 percent of the state’s electricity. Nationally, wind generates nearly as much electricity as hydropower.
That seems worth mentioning with American Wind Week — at least according to the American Wind Energy Association — having kicked off Monday and with Gov. Jay Inslee declaring a similar designation for our state. It also seems worth mentioning given President Donald Trump’s absurd attacks on wind power.
Trump has variously claimed that wind turbines cause cancer (not true), that “when the wind stops blowing, that’s the end of your electric” (not true) and that a wind farm causes the value of nearby property to decline by 65 percent (not true, although it’s unlikely many people would want a wind turbine in their backyard).
According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 100,000 Americans are employed in the wind energy industry, while the coal industry employs about 52,000.
Still, Trump continues to suggest that he is bringing back coal; perhaps he should spend some time around Vancouver to get a close look at how wind energy is putting people to work — at the port and through transportation of the huge wind turbine blades, not to mention on wind farms. With farms being located in rural areas, local taxes and local jobs are blowing economic opportunity through often depressed areas.
It’s not that wind energy is without problems. A wildfire was triggered last month in Klickitat County when a turbine caught fire and melting pieces fell to the ground. And there are ongoing dangers to eagles and other birds that sometimes fly into the rotating turbines. But weighed against the health problems created by the burning of fossil fuels and against the danger presented by climate change, these are minor issues.
Equally important is the economic opportunity presented by investment in renewable energy. Reliable, inexpensive hydroelectricity long has fueled the economy of the Northwest, and the solar industry employs about twice as many people as the coal, gas and oil industries combined. Wind energy offers similar opportunities; in addition to making environmental sense, boosting renewable energy makes economic sense.
All of that is demonstrated on a daily basis by the giant wind turbines making their way along the area’s freeways. They are quite a sight to see.
