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Show How about windmills? Energy expertdiscusses solar, geothermal sources During his recent question and answer an-swer period with the Cedar City Electric Utility Board, ICPA consultant con-sultant George Ward spoke briefly concerning alternate sources of energy such as geothermal and solar energy. Geothermal, hot water areas, fairly abundant in central and southern Utah, is still in the same category of development as windmills, Ward Said. ICPA, he said, won't put a nickel into development of geothermal energy. "It's too risky. There is no assurance that steam is going to be there for more than 15 minutes. It is impossible to invest public money in that kind of unreliable source." If electricity is generated from geothermal sources, he said, ICPA has indicated it will buy it, but will not invest in it's development. Solar energy is not practical, he said, unless subsidized, "and I hope we don't come to that." It is "way too expensive," ex-pensive," he said, costing nearly 10 times as much as more fully developed sources. Wind as a source of generation, he said, is also at an unbelievable cost, as well as practicality. Ward said it would take 5,000 miles of windmills, nearly side by side, to produce enough energy for Utah's needs. That would mean four or five rows of windmills up and dow n the state, he said. "The only possible source for electricity elec-tricity until nuclear fusion or a new-breakthrough new-breakthrough in solar energy is coal-fired coal-fired generation," Ward said. Coal is reasonable low-cost energy, he said, now hydro-electric (falling water sources are limited. "Utah alone has enough coal to produce electricity for the entire nation for 100 years," Ward said, "let alone what Wyoming and Colorado have." He said ICPA. a cooperative of rural and municipal power companies, plans to keep their members supplied with power. He said he doesn't dare rely on Utah Power and Light for power, "so we hope this plant w ill go," referring to the planned ICPA power plant in Wayne County. (See related story on this page.) |