A recent letter from Steve Clark criticized the Sun Journal’s editorial supporting the Redington wind farm. Clark, who didn’t mention that he heads the “wind power committee” of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, said that he didn’t believe the output of the wind farm would replace 50,000 gallons of oil a year. Clark is correct. The wind farm will actually replace a lot more than that. An oil-fired power plant would have to burn 50,000 gallons of oil each and every day – not each year – to produce as much power as the wind farm.

Oil and natural gas are the highest cost source of power in New England 85 percent of the time, and will be the first units to reduce output when pollution-free power is flowing from Redington. The Redington wind farm will prevent over 800,000 pounds of pollution a day – equivalent to taking 26,000 cars off the road while providing power to 44,000 Maine homes.

Our current energy system is not economically, environmentally or socially sustainable. We need to move toward more renewables and fewer fossil fuels. The Sun Journal was right on in its editorial: The state should find a way to capitalize on the enormous potential wind power holds.

Harley Lee, president,

Endless Energy Corporation,

Yarmouth

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