The original purpose of this site was to document the projected wind farm project on Amherst Island, Ontario. It may be intuitive that wind energy is an unmitigated good thing. But as I researched the potential benefits and costs of wind turbines, I increasingly became aware that almost all of the favorable evidence presented by the wind industry was problematical (a typical example) in one way or another. And when I say "problematical" I'm not talking about minor details. In addition, there are now growing indications that the costs - human, environmental and financial - are very high. My purpose has now become more general, as detailed in the gory details section below, as well as more urgent.

I've tried not to assume any prior knowledge on the part of the reader while providing enough detail to make a solid case for my opinions. As I discover new items of interest I continually update the affected pages, so what is written here reflects my latest understanding of the issues. I keep a chronological listing of the changes, and you can also subscibe below to my RSS feed which I update for more important changes.

I have not worked in the power industry and I have no special academic credentials either. What I do have is a lot of time and curiosity, along with a scientific bent and a fair amount of skepticism. While I certainly have my opinions I would urge all my readers to do their own research. I have tried to provide enough references that anyone could dig as deeply as they wished into the material. So thanks for looking, and have at it!

One of my more depressing observations is that the wind energy movement has acquired almost a religious following, where faith is more important than real-world facts. But while our soul's origin and destiny may be unknowable, surely the effects of wind turbines on our power grid and environment should be known. I have been quite surprised that basic facts about wind turbines seemingly remain unknown. I've been looking almost on a daily basis for two years, I've asked the local universities, I've been in contact with researchers all around North America, and I cannot find any of the following:

• A study that shows carbon dioxide savings tied to wind energy, based on real measurements on a real grid. You'd think that at least in Germany and Denmark such figures would be available, but they aren't. And the more you look into the details, the more you doubt there's any savings at all. More details.
• A study that shows wind turbine noise levels actually conform to the models that are used to place them. There are several studies that show they don't, and the complaints from neighbors are growing. More details.
• An epidemiological study of any potential health effects from wind turbines. More details.
• A study that shows how wildlife adjusts (or doesn't) to wind turbines. The anecdotal reports are not encouraging. More details.

The following letters serve as good summaries of the position I've come to.

• A European consortium, EPAW, has written this letter.
• William Palmer, an Ontario engineer has written this letter.
• I've written this letter to President Obama.