With the rush into alternative energy, one of the most contentious areas is windpower. Though at an aethestic level the concept of gossamer-turbines quietly churning out Megawatts for consumer use sounds good, there are huge impediments to this form of power. First and foremost, the economic benefits of windpower are sill being debated:Wind power brings little benefit . Second, the "Not in my backyard" syndrome is probably just as prevalent with wind power as with nuclear.
A great example of this is the Cape Wind Project, off of Nantucket, MA. The idea is to develop a massive offshore wind project that would make that area of costal MA significantly more energy independent. The source of the resistance? The affluent community of homeowners in the Nantucket area that don't want their view lessened by the wind farm. Read more about this here: Download cape_wind.pdf
Having grown up in Northern California, I've always considered the Altamont Pass project to be quite visually appealing. From the resistance to Cape Wind and other projects, I might be very much in the minority. In order for wind power to succeed in the US, the aethestics and NIMBY component will need to be addressed early.
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