This past weekend, I had the privilege to travel to South Dakota and Minnesota to learn more about alternative engery and in particular wind energy. Minnesota has been very aggressive over the past decade in developing wind farms and currently have well over 600 turbines up and running. It's fascinating that ancient cultures used wind for power and yet we are just now rediscovering its use as we look to replace oil and coal as our main power staples.
For some reason Michigan is trailing other states when it comes to developing alternative energy and I am not sure why. In some parts of the state where wind farms are being discussed, many local people oppose them as a nuisance because they are loud and ugly to look at. While I was in Minnesota I was able to stand right at the basin of a turbin and it really isn't that noisy. And while you see them dotting the countryside, they are no more obtrusive than power lines.
Hopefully, once the first wind farm is up and running in Michigan, these misconceptions will be eliminated. While wind might not be the only answer to for increasing our state's renewable energy supply it should be part of our overall plan.
2 comments:
Ironically, some of the biggest organizations to challange windmills are the enviromentalist wacko's. They claim the big propellers kill too many birds.
Frankly, I hate to to see them also, I think they ruin the landscape much more than a few oil rigs.
Just imagine the power we could get if we put windmills in Virgina and Maryland. I think it's worth trying these alternate forms of energy. but I can't (ok I can) believe that the Republicans punked out again with ANWAR.
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