People wonder why we should be putting up wind turbines when they put out relatively little energy compared to large fossil fuel plants. Indeed, you can build a coal plant that is relatively compact that puts out in excess of 1,000 megawatts. Wind turbines only put out between 1.5 – 5 MW of energy.

Critics say that wind turbines are ugly beasts at an industrial scale. They say they are little more then an industrialization of the countryside with massive industrial structures towering over farmland and forest. They put ugly objects on ridge-lines and forever change the landscape.

Critics argue that in 20 or 30 years when the paint is peeling on these outdated and abandoned wind turbines, they will be a blight on our community. There are even weirder theories about how turbines kill birds, make people go crazy, or throw ice, that people believe in even when the evidence contradicts them.

But the reality is as energy sources go, wind is highly desirable and low-impact. Money made from wind turbines go back to landowners and taxpayers alike, making farm and forest land more viable in our overtaxed society. Small towns get money from power that is sent far away. Revenues from the Altona project are funding a professional rescue squad in that town. It brings money to rural places, without people or pollution.

Capital-wise, wind is cheap source of energy. Wind turbines provide energy without the need for fuel or expensive pollution control. Capital costs are low for wind energy, even if per MW they may be slightly higher. You can build a few 1.5 MW turbines at a time, in contrast conventional power plants must generally be built at a far larger scale. Power companies have flexibility with wind turbines, while fossil fuel plants are limited in size, and usually must generate large amounts of electricity.

Most importantly though, wind energy through it’s lifespan is the least carbon intensive form of energy bar maybe hydro-power. Wind turbines are big and require a lot of energy to manufacture, transport, and install them. Yet, that’s a fraction of energy needed to build a nuclear plant, and extract and refine uranium – even per megawatt of energy generated. Hydro-plants might be more efficient per megawatt, but they can be more environmentally troubling for the effects that have on stream ecosystems.

The look of wind turbines is a matter of perspective. To many they are a symbol of clean energy with minimal effect on the countryside. They are money turbines to farmers and forest owners, and they are a buffer against suburban sprawl. People don't want to live near turbines, much like they don't want to live next to large livestock farms. We need more energy, and wind is a definite way of obtaining that energy.