clair031

Summary.   The growth of the U.S. from an agricultural society to an industrial power was driven in important ways by ambition, a positive attitude, and an ability to see opportunities and develop them.   Examples of changes that contributed to this growth include new means of transportation and communication. As our economy grew and matured, however, unforeseen harmful effects of some activities became apparent.   Acid rain from electric generation was identified as the cause of dying forests.   Synthetic refrigerants were flagged as the cause of the depletion of ozone in the stratosphere.   Increased carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels for energy was marked as the cause of global warming and its harms. The industries in question ignored the science behind these findings, and fought the need to change their business activities. Global warming remains an unresolved problem.   Because of the vast size of the fossil fuel industry and the major changes...

Summary: The author recently participated in a tour of Connecticut ’s first wind farm.   Operation of the wind farm represents the success of its campaign to gain permitting and financing, and to complete construction. Wind generation capacity has grown dramatically, but erratically, in the U. S. in response to the cyclical operation or expiration of a series of production tax credits.   The current credit, in place for five years until the end of 2019, will provide a more stable investment and business environment for wind development. The Department of Energy foresees major expansion of wind energy by 2030, and even more by 2050.   Wind could provide a significant fraction of U. S. demand for electricity by then.   On a beautiful sunny day at the end of June 2016 I joined a group of interested citizens on an organized tour of the state of Connecticut ’s first wind farm.   Our guide was Gregory Zupkus, the CEO of BNE Energy, the business venture that bui...