But is that really a good idea?

WASHINGTON - Two decades from now Americans could get as much electricity from windmills as from nuclear power plants, according to a government report that lays out a possible plan for wind energy growth.

The report, a collaboration between the Energy Department research labs and industry, concludes wind energy could generate 20 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2030, about the same share now produced by nuclear reactors.

Such growth would pose a number of major challenges, but is achievable without the need of major new technological breakthroughs, said the report released Monday.

So America could be getting 20% of its power from wind.  The problem is that wind isn’t a consistent power source.  When the wind isn’t blowing wind mills aren’t producing electricity.  Do we really want 20% of our nation’s power to come from a source as inconsistent as wind?  When it’s 100 degrees outside, or -40, do you want your energy coming from a power plant you know will work regardless of the weather?  Or do you want it coming from a source that only works if weather conditions are right?

Now, wind power could become a lot more consistent if we figured out a way to store excess energy produced by windmills during windy times but currently that technology doesn’t exist.  It’s use it or lose it.  Plus, the government is saying that we can get 20% of our power from windmills without any significant technological developments.

I, for one, think that’s the sort of nonsense born of politicians more enamored with the political expediency of supporting “green” energy alternatives than sound energy policy.  Which speaks to the problem with letting the government, instead of the market, dictate where we get our energy from in the first place.