Saw this article today about the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management proposing a major wind energy installation off the North Carolina Outer Banks. Located just six miles from beach towns Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Southern Shores and Duck, these windmills would be visible during the day and have red blinking safety lights at night. Needless to say, the locals oppose the plan.

I spent the weekend in Cleveland and saw lots of windmill out there. From a solitary turbine at the Science Museum (that seemed more show than function) to various wind farms visible along the drive. Having never worked on any wind energy projects, I wonder about the true economics.

Is it like photo-voltaic solar, not remotely close to being economical without big government incentives? Or does the almost constant wind in some locations allow the installations to actually make energy sense?

It’s so difficult to get a straight answer to that type question. Seems everyone writes from their predetermined perspective. Do any of my readers have any insights into this?