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Ignore that nutty prince

Dear Editor: Prince Phillip of England recently said that he doesn't like wind energy and believes it to be "absolutely useless.

Dear Editor:

Prince Phillip of England recently said that he doesn't like wind energy and believes it to be "absolutely useless."

Of course, Prince Phillip is well-known for saying all sorts of nutty, off-the-wall things, and there are plenty of websites that chronicle his many ill-considered utterances. For example, Prince Phillip once told the president of Nigeria, who was dressed in traditional Nigerian robes at the time, that the president looked like he was ready for bed.

In any serious, well-informed discussion of wind energy (and discussions of many other things), Prince Phillip's views are probably not the most well-considered ones available and probably not views that most people would subscribe to. Especially not here in B.C. where wind energy is proving to be a very successful, cost-effective addition to the province's clean energy mix. Northeastern B.C., for example, is known to have some of the best wind energy resources on earth, and some of the world's best offshore wind resources are also within the province's borders.

Part of the beauty of wind energy in B.C. is the fact that we also have massive hydroelectric energy resources that complement wind energy brilliantly. Wind energy peaks in B.C. in the stormy winter months, right around the time the province's hydroelectric reservoirs are at their lowest point. That allows B.C. to make the most efficient use of the clean energy resources we're so fortunate to have. And as energy demand increases in B.C. in the coming years, wind energy is going to be increasingly relied upon to help carry the energy load in this province; a task that wind energy is more than up to.

Donald Leung, Burnaby