Wind power here and abroad

Con Edison is famous mostly for the NYC blackouts of a few summers ago; less so for its environmental views, in spite of its recent subway ad campaigns with suggestions for saving energy. So it was a bit surprising to receive a letter this week announcing that

It's real. Wind energy is the fastest growing energy source worldwide, and has the potential to produce as much as 20% of the electricity generated in America today. Now this energy source is available to you.

Frankly, wind has always been available to all of us. But it's nice that Con Ed is trying to make a difference, even at a premium of 2.5¢ per kilowatthour. Were they inspired by the high price of organic food? Frankly, it doesn't matter; a financial incentive is the only incentive most businesses will require to go green. And I'm signing up for sure.

Meanwhile, on a small island in the oil-rich Persian Gulf, a wind-powered colossus has been erected in Bahrain. The tiny island country's new World Trade Center has two towers that channel the Gulf Winds between them and through three giant turbines that have been integrated into the building's design, making it the first wind-powered building. Welll, partly wind-powered. According to Treehugger, the turbines will eventually provide 11-15% of the skyscraper's electricity.