Wind farms vs. neighbors - Solar, Wind and Land: Conflicts in Renewable Energy Development - page 19

2 Wind farms vs. neighbors

The worldwide expansion of the commercial wind energy industry over
the past several years has been astonishing by any measure. From 2001 to
2011, the total installed wind energy generating capacity across the globe
increased nearly tenfold, from 23.9 GW to more than 238 GW. 1 More
installed wind energy generating capacity was added across the planet
in 2011 alone than was even in existence just eight years earlier. 2 In this
dawning golden age of wind power, images of bright turbines towering
gracefully above green pastures have become iconic symbols of sustain-
ability and modernity.
Humankind's growing infatuation with wind energy is also powerfully
reflected in public opinion polls showing overwhelming positive support
for wind power. According to a 2011 Eurobarometer survey, 89 percent
of European Union citizens have a “very positive” view of wind energy. 3
A poll conducted in the United States in the same year found that 70
percent of Americans would favor additional wind energy development
in their own communities—a greater level of support than for natural gas
drilling, oil drilling, nuclear plants, or any other form of utility-scale energy
development. 4
The widespread appeal of wind energy comes as no major surprise given
the tremendous benefits it can provide, particularly at the national and
global levels. Once installed, wind turbines generate no new greenhouse
gas emissions. 5 Wind energy development can also be a source of jobs,
local investment, and economic growth and can allow nations to become
less dependent on fossil fuels and foreign energy sources. Unlike nuclear
power plants, wind farms produce little or no hazardous waste and do
not make regions vulnerable to catastrophic events like the 2011 nuclear
disaster in Fukishima, Japan, or the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in
the Gulf of Mexico. And wind power is increasingly cost-competitive with
more conventional energy sources, particularly in regions with strong wind
resources and ample transmission capacity.
Unfortunately, although wind energy projects enjoy broad appeal in the
abstract, they often garner far less favor within the communities where
they are proposed. A 2010 study found that 30 percent of proposed