The Governor of Ohio, Ted Strickland, will sign the new energy bill passed by the state Legislature and Senate. He wants to sign it today. The quicker the better!

The law requires electric generation to get 20 percent of its source from non-fossil burning material by a certain date (some confusion as to exactly when.)

This will incorporate wind and solar sources. It may also be construed as accepting nuclear plants down the line. We have many nuclear generation plants, but no new ones since Three Mile Island. I think nuclear will eventually replace all fossil sources, once the stigma is overcome by common sense and good science.

The big deal with this bill is the wind source.

Northwest Ohio is relatively flat and seriously windy as a result of the topography. We have almost constant wind. Several companies have already explored locating giant German-style wind generation towers around here. Some have even gone so far as to sign-up farmers and land owners for locating (leas rights) the towers.

The large windmills are three-bladed giants. Most wind generation in the US is out west. If you have been to Palm Springs, you've seen them. There are tholusands. Also, near San Francisco in the Altamont Pass the mountains are covered with them. The US mills are tiny in comparison to the giant German mills. Out west the towers and blades are nothing compared to those on the flat landscape of northern Germany. Some of the giants stand over 300 feet from the ground! The blades are longer than airliner wings!

They are relatively quiet, too. The German engineers have estimated that a single giant windmill produces the same output as nearly forty of the smaller mills. They are less dangerous to wild fowl and can also operate in lower wind speeds than the old-style windmills. They are located at greater distances between units.

The depressed Ohio economy can use such a boost. It is estimated that 3100 immediate jobs will be created by this new energy policy. Also, sustainable energy opens the door for new manufacturing and service industries here.

There are also provisions in the bill to awaken solar energy here. That is a bit odd because you can't really get much solar heat from gray clouds. But it is OK with me to try!

Anything is better than burning Arabian or Venezuelan oil or Wyoming coal to light up this computer.