Report: Pa. wind power saves water, protects air
The Exelon-Community Energy Wind Farm at Somerset, Pennsylvania. (PRNewsFoto/Community Energy)
A new report says wind energy in Pennsylvania is yielding environmental benefits by saving water and avoiding pollution that contributes to climate change.
The report released Wednesday by the environmentalist group PennEnvironment says Pennsylvania’s two dozen wind farms annually save nearly 600 million gallons of water that otherwise would be needed to cool power plants.
The report says the use of wind energy in Pennsylvania last year avoided emissions of more than 1,200 tons of smog-causing nitrogen oxides and more than 1,500 tons of sulfur dioxide that causes acid rain and soot.
State Sen. Daylin Leach, a Montgomery County Democrat who’s running for Congress next year, says development of wind energy should be encouraged because it creates jobs while preserving natural resources.
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