I’m from the midwest too, and lately, I’ve been seeing them sprout up all over the place! Even in shopping metropolis-areas! Let’s keep it up!

A very valuable and viable source of energy.  Only drawback surrounds the baseload demand of electricity.  Wind, unfortunately, is not 100% reliable in terms of being able to provide a continuous, uninterrupted, source of electricity.  That being said, when it is available, this energy can be used to feed the grid, and generation providers can then cut back on the production at those facilities which produce emissions (i.e. coal facilities).

Our family supports wind energy through our utilities company that offers a Renewable Energy Program that allows people to purchase blocks of renewable energy at $3/month per each 300 kilowatt-hours (kWh) block purchased.  A portion of these renewable resources comes from wind energy.  So, the more contributors to the program, the more money can go into maintaining and creating more renewable energy sources.  However, the best answer is to find the personal answers that bring us to reduce the amount of energy we use...to stop doing/using/taking so much.  Though maybe not as ugly as a smoke stack along side a river, wind farms are a bit creepy too...and I’m sure the birds would prefer we’d just stop “using”...so much.  I think it all comes down to that...it’s just another reflection; another example...of how Jack put it, “we went beyond where we should have gone.”

I’m really disappointed that the wind farm proposed off Cape Cod was resisted so heavily. I think wind turbines are beautiful but people didn’t want to see them from their expensive homes. Coastal areas are great for wind turbines because wind is pretty consistent going on or off shore.

the cape cod thing failing is such a crime - it’s like the best place on the east coast for wind power and they bailed on it because it was minorly ugly

I also live in the midwest, Iowa to be exact, and we have several wind farms which is great....unforunately LS Power of NJ (not be confused with LS Energy of Carslbad, CA) is now trying to build a coal factory here.  Hoping with continued support, we can stop it! 

The ironic thing is, the site was chosen here to supply energy to Chicago since IL will not allow for any coal factories to build there, and the coal would be transported from CO....this really affects more than just our state. 

What are they thinking, and don’t they realize “the answer is blowin’ in the wind”

I am from the north of Germany. Our politicans plan to build lots of windmill-powered plants at the coast of my state, at the Nordsee.

But I recently read an article in the newspaper about this. In this region coal-burning power plants should build, too. But the power lines to the south, where peope need the power, just suffice for the energy of the coal stations. So the energy of the windmill powered plants fall into disuse.

And in the same time the politicans passed a concept for planning the building. But this concept just constain the building of it. If any then they can stop the coal-burning power plants.
They should encourage the building instead of constaining it. This is a problem here.
Exspecially because power out of wind is a really good sustainable energy source.

really interesting i love this thing

I didn’t notice this thread when I posted the Picken’s Plan thread.  I probably should have posted that here.  :)

I live in Vermont and there are alot of people who keep saying things like “If we put up wind turbines it will take away from the beauty of Vermont.” Personally i think they’re bautiful too.

My thought is would u rather look outside and see more smokestacks or see hundreds of wind turbines moving in the breeze