I hope we can all become better educated on renewable resources and more informed on wind power specifically, which I believe will only become more and more important as we continue into our future.
The Major Players.
The debate over wind energy and its usage can be brought down to three sides. Environmental groups, liberal activists, and Americans focused on living a "green" lifestyle are all in support of expanding wind energy(Wind Energy America). Fiscal conservatives and local residents in proposed wind farm areas tend to be against the expansion.(NAPW) While both of these sides believe strongly in their opinions, both seem to be willing to give some concessions. Wind Energy of America lists some of the issues and negatives with the use of wind power, while the North American Platform Against Wind Power states that renewable resources are important and should be pursued, just more responsibly.
The third part of the debate is the large companies and manufactures wanting to cash in on any future building or expansion in the market. Wind Capital Group, a part of General Electric, has been lobbying hard for the use of wind energy. (Wind Capital Group) While organizations such as this may have their hearts in the right place, I don't feel it is prudent to use their opinions or facts in this debate as they have so much to gain financially.
The Facts.
The presence of wind farms is growing not only on land, but in and under water as well. At the end of 2010 nearly 35 states had some sort of wind facilities with the states of Texas, California, Oregon, and Washington producing the most wind power.(US Department of Energy) .
The cost of producing wind energy is a striking point for many. Depending on whom you ask you will find some very different information. According to the Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC), the cost of wind power has gone up, but has gone up substantially less than that of coal, natural gas, or nuclear power.