Blog: Pay No Attention to the Power Plant Behind the Trees

If any of you looked at ' latest renditions of their new power plant, you've seen the before and after pictures that are apparently intended to convice us that the new plant will hardly be visible. I don't think the residents are as stupid or gullible as AES seems to think.  

AES' rendering of the new plant as seen from the harbor is included above.  Note that first they went as deep into the harbor as a person can possibly go without being on a boat or walking out the breakwater. And then they conveniently took the picture so that trees would obscure the location of the new plant. Surprise, surprise.

We took AES' rendering and added a rendering of the plumes from the three smokestacks. As anyone can see, it would be practically impossible to hide the exhaust plume with palm trees.  

I have attached a photo that shows the alignment of the same palm trees from a viewing perspective about 75 yards north of the AES's original perspective. Note the trees would no longer hide the new plant because they no longer align to form a virtual wall.

The final photo shows the view from Harbor Drive, from which most residents and visitors would view the new plant. The only way to hide the new plant from this persective would be to put tall buildings or a forest of trees between Harbor Drive and the new plant.

It is clear, that AES renderings do not tell the whole story on the visibility of the new plant. I let it to the reader to decide, but to me, AES' renderings are an insult to our intelligence and a thinly veiled attempt to manipulate the public.