It never ceases to amaze me how completely irrational people get when they discuss renewable energy. Last week the Canadian province of Ontario announced that the remaining coal-fired electrical generating stations in the province would be closed. This news has "gone viral" with numerous blogs and news agencies heralding this development as a sign that all jurisdictions in the world can easily rid themselves of the need to burn "dirty" coal. A typically misleading example can be found at http://www.awaken.com/2013/01/wind-blowing-away-coal-in-ontario/.

Don't get me wrong. I am happy to see the elimination of coal-fired generation plants in Ontario (where I grew up) because in my mind they are not part of a sustainable energy future. Wind farms are, so increasing the amount of electricity generated by wind is a good thing.

But to suggest that the two are related in the case of Ontario is simply factually incorrect ...continued

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