The future of wind farms and ethanol

Closer to home a wind farm is being proposed east of Benson. So far the only opposition to that wind farm was from the township commissioners who want economic guarantees from the wind farm developer to help keep the rural roads maintained. The commissioners indicate that the heavy equipment used to transport and put up the giant windmills will cause extensive damage to the roads.

Wind farms appear to be a economically viable solution to harness energy since it is a renewable source of energy. However, many people are against the wind farms because they feel that the huge windmills will destroy the scenery and tranquility of the countryside leading to a decline in property values for home owners. In addition, some environmentalists say the windmills will kill a large number of birds. Lastly, there is the problem of what to do with these giant windmills if they become uneconomical or the developer goes broke. Who maintains the windmills then?

I have mixed feelings toward the wind farms. If the wind farm east of Benson is developed, there is a good chance that there will be a giant windmill within 1/2 mile of my property southwest of Minonk. I can't say that I am delighted with this possibility. Nevertheless, I realize that we must develop renewable sources of energy and there is always going to be a price to pay somewhere. In this case, it is the visual pollution of the countryside. I am sure that the farmers who live near the power lines that crisscross the Minonk countryside were not too happy with them either when they were put up 50 years ago. Now they are accepted as part of the countryside and for the most part are ignored.

The Pantagraph's letter to the editor section is loaded with letters both pro and con for wind farms. What do the people of Minonk think of wind farms. Will we object to having 400 foot windmills 1/2 mile from the city border just as much as we reject having a landfill located next to the city?

That leaves switchgrass as the best source for ethanol. Sandy McLaughlin of the U.S. Department of Energy stated that, "Ethanol from switchgrass can produce about five times more energy than you put in. When you factor in the energy required to make tractors, transport farm equipment, plant and harvest, and so on, the net energy output of switchgrass is about 20 times better than corn's." In addition, switchgrass does a far better job of protecting the soil, virtually eliminating erosion and removes considerably more CO2 from the air, packing it away in soils and roots. Using corn for ethanol is not only inefficient it will make the price of corn so high that it will raise the price of all other foods dependent on the price of corn. We will have lower gas prices at expense of higher food prices.

The impetus for using switchgrass instead of corn will have to come from the developers of ethanol as farmers will continue to grow only those crops that will bring them the best revenue. The government must get behind the push to using switchgrass for ethanol and work with ethanol developers and farmers to develop a plan for changing over to switchgrass. This will be met with some resistance from the corn lobbyists. However, it is imperative that we develop the most efficient form of energy. If ethonal developers finally realize that switchgrass is more efficient than corn for developing ethanol, the increase demand for switchgrass will result in higher prices for switchgrass which will result in more farmers growing switchgrass.

It will be ironic if area farmers do start to raise switchgrass as it would result in a full circle return to the native prairie our forefathers found when they first settled in this area. Ten foot tall stands of switchgrass would be remininscent of the big blue stem prairie grass that covered the Central Illinois prairie 150 years ago. But the biggest bonus is that we may someday be energy independent again.

To learn more about switchgrass, click on this link.