Now, what do we do about NIMBY-ism on this, such as we see in the case of Cape Wind?  It's very frustrating that we're wasting time while the planet burns...

but there are lots of places  -- and off-shore on wind is certainly far less destructive than off-shore on oil-drilling.

on the Cape, with names like "Kennedy," oppose any chance that their pristine views might be tarnished, even slightly.  Thus, these so-called environmentalists are holding up one of the most significant, environmentally-friendly programs in years.  Infuriating.

  I live in the virginia mountains..  no I'm not a rich land owner.  5 yrs ago when I heard that  a power company wanted to put 400 ft wind turbines on our ridges I was thrilled..  You see I live a very conservative life style.  I have energy saving light bulbs. I turn off all lights as I leave a room. I unplug TV and computer when not in use..
  I could go on with this  list of  "what I do to be kind to mother Earth" for a very long time. 
  but that is not the point of this comment.
  I was thrilled to hear about this , and surprised  to hear many local folks were against them.  so I started researching.  at first all I could find was what the power companies put out.  all good stuff.
  Then I started digging deeper,  reading everything I could find about wind energy around the world.  I've spent 4 yrs doing this research and I have come to the conclusion that jumping into wind energy would be just another BIG mistake.
  the power companies push wind because of the billions of dollars in tax revenue they will receive.
  wind has problems no matter where you put these monsterous  turbines.. but on top of ridges  they are a disaster.  the bird and bat kills will be huge.  as we are THE main  flyway for  inland birds in the east.
  bats use sonar and it reads clear ahead, then a blade comes up or down and kills them.
  the list of what is wrong with wind is very long.  for our county  it will be devestating not only to birds and bats, but also  for our economy.  you see our only growing industry is tourism..  tourists come here not for the excitement.  but for the night sky, the  birds, the beauty and the quiet. lining all our ridges with  400 plus ft tall industrial wind turbines will destroy all those reasons. 
  once our homes and these ridges are destroyed by wind turbines , all the power they produce (and they are not terribly efficient) will be shipped out of here via  huge power lines.
  I personally think it is unfair to ask us to get out of the way, and allow our homes and beloved mountains to be destroyed so that  people in cities who are not all conserving energy can maintain their lifestyle.
  why are we not forcing the issue of conserving? did you know that not one country who embraced wind energy has ever shut down a power plant?  do you know that  the human race cannot survive without bats?  bats eat bugs that eat crops, bats eat bugs that cause diisease.
  my arguement with wind is not a whim, nor is it all about my back yard..  it comes from 4 yrs of  hard research.  It also comes from driving through cities and seeing huge houses with every light in the house on.. and knowing that computers and TV's all over this nation are wasting huge amounts of power when they are turned off.  this so that we have the convience of instant on.
  Yes I know global warming is real,,, but making yet another huge mistake is not the way to fix it.  there are other fixes that work better.  wave energy is very promising.  very  small turbines that run a small town hold much promise. solar  is  on the verge of being available to all.
  One more thing. I need these mountains and  the  unspoiled beauty that surrounds me.  BUT , those of you who live in those  cities need these mountains to remain  as they are.  your kids need them and your grandkids need them.
  that is all I have to say on the subject for now. I will gladly share my research with anyone who is interested.
  thanks for reading this.  if you still think wind is the be all and end all of  fixes.  come out here to see what it is you want to destroy.

Thanks, You have brought up issues with ridged based wind turbines I hadn't considered.

Do these same concerns effects off shore turbines?

  off shore has it's own set of problems..  I have been trying to get ahold of an article recently published in a news paper about wind. according to the author  "they" , being the power companies are actually planning on  building a new power plant to accommodate the cape cod off shore turbines.  wouldn't that create more pollution?
  the list of problems with  turbines seems to grow monthly.  As soon as I can get a copy of the artlicle I will do a diary. there I will lsit all the problems I know of.
  view shed may be the knee jerk reaction..  but the problems wind turbines create are real.  and huge..
  think about who is pushing them.. power companies... when was the last time a power company did  something because it was good for the planet?  How often in your life have  they stepped up and said  " let's clean up this mess we made?" 
  the  money they receive from the gov't for putting turbines up is huge.  if the tax  subsidies  were not there , would they be pushing turbines? 
  there is much to lose by rushing  into wind turbines as a source of energy.
  check out wave energy.. why not put all those subsidies into  helping to develop wave energy?  wave energy, as long as the ocean moves,  it produces energy.
  why not put those subsidies to work putting solar onto rooftops of low to moderate homes?  choosing a method of  " energy reform" that makes the power companies richer  seems more like  rewarding them for  the mess they have created.
  (yes I know we all created the mess, but they played a special part.)
  one more thing ...  as we have fought our fight I have been amazed at some of the things  said about us and the wind turbines.. for example... during a meeting with politicians and the public.. this was said about our county..  not an exact quote, but  the context is  correct.

  I don't know what is wrong with the people in Highland county. they are desperate for money and we are trying to help them.  putting up wind turbines would help all the concrete and rebar suppliers in the county...
  well isn't that nice of them?  A. we are not desperate for money in this county.  if we were we would not live out here.
  B.  there are exactly 0  concrete and rebar suppliers in our county.
  all the concrete would have to be hauled in from neighboring counties or west virginia.  a very long way to haul all that concrete.
  how can I trust the motives of people who say  things like this? am I supposed to believe they did not know?  well that would make them stupid business men.  I find it hard to believe they did not know, especially since  the power company hooked up with a local land owner to  start this battle.