In 2005, Washington Electric Co-op stuck its neck out early in support of the First Wind project in Sheffield, which was approved for construction by the Public Service Board in 2007, upheld by the Vermont Supreme Court in 2009, but is still awaiting resolution of an appeal by opponents of a stormwater construction permit. Wind energy has been in the news again lately, so I'd like to remind Vermonters why WEC has supported responsible large-scale wind development, whether it is the project we will receive power from, or other projects.

While a potential project in Rutland County is on hold due to local opposition, two other projects are moving forward. In June, Georgia Mountain Community Wind, in Milton and Georgia received PSB approval. And Green Mountain Power's Lowell Mountain project has received a lot of attention because GMP and its partner Vermont Electric Co-op (which will purchase some of the project's output) put a lot of effort into getting local support for this large project. There has been opposition to this project as well.

Following these recent developments was a bit of a déjà vu for me, having been in the middle of the debates earlier on. At a special town meeting I attended, a majority of Sheffield voters voiced their support for First Wind's project. (Voters in neighboring Sutton were opposed.) The August 2006 issue of our Co-op Currents newsletter (available on WEC's website) contains some vivid personal accounts written by eight WEC board members, who on their own initiative had visited large wind farms in the Northeast, Tennessee and as far away as New Zealand, to see and hear for themselves what big wind turbines look and sound like, and how local residents and communities feel about them. It's worth reading what those individuals learned from their visits. It also shows how serious our own decision-making process was.

Commercial scale wind farms have an impact on the landscape — there is no getting around that. In Vermont, they must be up on the ridgelines to capture sufficient wind. Like any large project, the construction has an environmental impact, as does the ongoing operation. The towers and turbines are large, and visible.

When First Wind was first proposing the Sheffield project, a number of surveys and the Department of Public Service's "public engagement process" showed that a strong majority of Vermonters favored responsible development of large scale wind in Vermont, that they understood the tradeoffs involved, and that they would still be in favor if the project was going to be visible from their own backyards. Since that time, Vermonters have gained further understanding of the tough energy choices we face. The local support for the Lowell Mountain project shows that Vermonters are able to weigh those choices and support major wind projects when they are presented with facts, and when their concerns are respected and acknowledged.

Recent articles and letters to the editor from wind opponents seem familiar. Some claims about wind energy are being made once again. As a utility manager, one that is frustrating to see resurface, is that wind energy, which is intermittent and does not generate at full capacity all of the time and sometimes doesn't generate at all, somehow does not replace electricity generated by fossil fuels or other sources. Opponents keep mentioning the need for "spinning reserves." These are usually fossil-fueled generators that are already running and whose output can be increased very quickly if a major power plant shuts down if or if there is some other sudden change. Well, these spinning reserves have always been needed for grid reliability whether there is wind generation or not. Simply put, whenever kilowatt hours are generated by wind turbines, less kilowatt hours need to come from other sources.

Most Vermonters support wind energy, with the understanding that it can't be built just anywhere, and that developers, whether it is a wind development company like First Wind or a utility like GMP, will be held to a very high standard with regard to the environment, benefit to Vermonters, and relationship to Vermont's communities. Vermonters understand that there is no one silver bullet when it comes to renewable energy alternatives. With wind turbines, they are willing to look at where some of their power comes from.

Avram Patt is General Manager of Washington Electric Cooperative of East Montpelier.