Winds of change

The cruel reality of so-called "green" energy may be catching up with the McGuinty Liberals.

After years of touting wind projects as a critical piece of the alternative energy puzzle, the government let slip — very quietly — that offshore wind projects are no longer part of the game plan.

But it's not just offshore wind projects that are proving to be impractical. A legal challenge to the Green Energy Act is being heard by the Ontario Divisional Court:

If the challenge is successful, it will significantly impede wind development in Ontario until the province can provide satisfactory evidence that there is no evidence of negative health impacts associated with wind farms, an issue that has been the subject of much debate.

It gets even worse. Kelly McParland on the solar energy front:

On Friday, hundreds more Ontarians were told that installations they’d erected at the behest of the government can’t be connected to the provincial grid because of technical problems. Rural residents, some of whom have invested large amounts in solar generating operations, will be left high and dry.

Instead of trying to please his latte sipping yuppies in the GTA with his "green" policies, McGuinty should have given some thought to thousands of rural residents who will be forced to live in close proximity to his wind machines. They're angry. And those people who have invested tens of thousands of dollars into solar panels only to find they won't be getting the exorbitant rates they were initially promised. Or worse, they can't connect those panels they spent their life savings on. They're way beyond angry.

The way I see it, thre are two problems with investing in solar and wind. First, these energy sources are not economically viable on their own. Massive taxpayer subsidies are required. Which leads to the second problem, reliance on the government as a partner. And this government is looking less and less like a reliable partner.