The windmills where not even built at the Perrin Ranch wind farm before the Arizona Public Service utility company asked for a raise. A June 1 press release asked the Arizona Corporation Commission for a rate increase of 6.6% effective July 1 of this year. For a customer using 1100 kilowatts, that translates to $135.61 a month, according to their press release.

“Two years ago, we came together with the ACC and 21 other stakeholders to create a long-term vision for Arizona’s energy future. That shared vision includes continued upgrades to our power grid, ambitious goals for a cleaner energy supply and new energy efficiency programs for our customers,” said Don Robinson, APS President and Chief Operating Officer. “We are meeting those goals and spending about $1 billion each year to create a cleaner, reliable and more efficient energy future for Arizona. Now we are asking the ACC to continue its support of this plan.”

“The rate request also would enable the company to incorporate more smart technology into Arizona’s electric grid and enhance control for customers over their energy use and bills,” according to the press release. “Smart technology” translates, most likely, to “smart meters” which not only monitors your electrical use, but phone, Internet and other uses of electricity. Opponents of the smart meter technology claim that it is essentially an invasion of your Fourth Amendment rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. One video shows how to opt out of the program.

Their press release concentrates on their efforts to harness the energy of the sun. “All of these are huge steps, but especially our commitment to take advantage of the energy potential of the sun,” said Robinson. “The sun is an abundant resource in Arizona and reduces our need to burn fossil fuels. The funding provided by this rate request will help build a reliable and sustainable energy future for Arizona.” The press release does not mention how much they receive from the federal government out of your pocket to pay for some of these projects. The release, also, does not mention the amount of water required to cool solar cells, another resource becoming scarce.

This year, federal government agencies banned the sale of incandescent light bulbs because they use too much energy—even though they have become more efficient. They replaced them with mercury laden light bulbs. When an incandescent light bulb burns out, it simply extinguishes and you can throw it away. Some of the new light bulbs spark and spew gas into the room. They require that you follow EPA guidelines to dispose of them.

All of these measures, including windmill technology, is supposed to lower electrical rates, according to the agencies that hail them as the global warming weapons of tomorrow. Very few of the new technologies fail to meet their alleged potential and rate have risen considerably to pay for maintenance of the useless projects. This has been a major complaint in England since ministers their called for a new windmill every day for twelve years in 2008.

In Scotland, Struan Stevenson—a Tory MEP—complained, “We need to back up the wind turbines, which only produce electricity for 22% of their life, when the wind is actually blowing. Already a third of households in Scotland are in fuel poverty and that’s going to get worse. Nuclear certainly is a cheaper option than off-shore wind, off-shore wind is about double the price of nuclear, it’s absolutely useless.”

Results in a study published in Forbes shows that wind mills are not even a cost effective reducer of carbon dioxide.