Wind Power & Water Power: So Happy Together

Michael Giberson

Earth, Wind & Fire may be a funky soul powerhouse band of the late 60s and early 70s, but in the Pacific Northwest the element that really gets them juiced is water. The region gets about 2/3rds of its electric power from hydroelectric dams. But as the region seeks to increase its electric power generation capability, perhaps they were inspired by these lines from EW&F:

Do you need a guide
To make you feel satisfied
Head to the sky
Will tell you why

Wind power may have many fine attributes as a power source, but steady predictability is not one of them. Water power, on the other hand, is often highly controllable. Proponents of wind in the Northwest say it is a match made in heaven.

(Lyrics from the EW&F song, which is itself titled “Earth, Wind & Fire” found here via Google, from EW&F’s Spirit album.)