Editor’s note: This op-ed is by David Hallquist, CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative.
An open letter to the Northeast Vermont Development Association:
I understand that you are going to consider voting on a resolution on July 28 (Thursday) to have a three-year moratorium on wind development in the communities that you represent in the Northeast Kingdom. At VEC we understand that there are no easy answers when it comes to generation choices, however, I do think a moratorium is an “easy answer” that does not address the underlying issue, which is that many people want renewable power, yet do not fully understand the implications to the electric grid, economic development, and cost.
I do think a moratorium is an “easy answer” that does not address the underlying issue, which is that many people want renewable power, yet do not fully understand the implications to the electric grid, economic development, and cost.
As a “boots on the ground” manager, who ends up having to keep the lights on while meeting the requirements set forth by the Vermont Legislature, I will tell you this vote will only heighten the risk that Vermonters will face upward pressure on rates. If you remove industrial wind as an option, and the Legislature continues (as demonstrated this year) on the path toward higher penetration of renewables, you leave only one option; that is solar, at 31 cents per kilowatt-hour. Solar (and wind) require storage to meet these higher levels, so you can add another 23 cents for storage. Meanwhile, the market price for power is less than 5 cents right now.
Rather than removing a lower cost option from the table, I would urge the board to vote for a moratorium on renewable requirements. This would allow a comprehensive and healthy discussion about our energy needs along with our economic development, rather than one at the expense of another.
