A New York Times piece today on a new Energy Department report is entitled, “Expanding Use of Wind Power Feasible, but May Be Costly.” The study in question reprises a DOE report from two years ago that suggested we could have 20 percent of our electricity derive from wind power by 2030, even though wind currently accounts for roughly 1 percent of Americans’ power. The new study looks at the possibility that wind could account for 20-30 percent of the electricity supplied in the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. by 2024. Not surprisingly, DOE says this is eminently achievable.

There are several caveats, however. One is the exorbitant cost involved. Another is the need for what the Times delicately calls “a reorganization of the power grid,” which means massive amounts of costly new transmission and all the NIMBY questions that would entail. Oh, and substantial backup-power generation to cover wind’s intermittency. Which would come from new fossil-fuel plants. All in all, this “technically feasible” scenario doesn’t really appear so feasible. The kicker, however, is that the study shows that vastly expanding wind “would have only a modest impact on cutting carbon emissions.” What, then, is the point?