Is campaigning against building electric wind farms selfish?

1. 60

   days leaperposted 13 years ago

   Is campaigning against building electric wind farms selfish?
   
   campaigners against wind turbines for electric:  Would you accept them if the companies offered to pay for sound proofing, and put up trees around them so you couldn't actually see them?

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2. 82

   arksysposted 13 years ago

   i would allow it ... if the sound proofing works. it's good for the environment and they would only choose a spot if they know the wind speeds are high and constant in that area.. so they are a bit restricted as to where to place the windfarms. they don't look ugly at all so trees don't matter.

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3. 60

   supplies expertposted 13 years ago

   I definitely wouldn't want to wake up every morning to a wind farm in front of me, and it could decrease the property value so I understand people's concerns. But at the same time it is a great alternative energy source. I understand why people would campaign against it and it's not really being selfish in my eyes but it's being smart, trying to save your house's value. Only way I'd accept the turbines being by me is if they could provide power to my house or something in the case that it would be ideal for me because I would have no electric bill then.

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4. 61

   nightwork4posted 13 years ago

   of course it is selfish. it's ok, i guess, to pollute the planet because most of us will be dead before it really does serious damage but these same people will say how much they care about our world. it drives me crazy when i see people boycot wind farms. we have them where i live and they are awesome. i wouldn't care if they were in my backyard, i do care if my grandchildren have air worth breathing when they get to be my age though.

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5. 61

   Krystal-Hostingposted 13 years ago

   Campaigning is fine, people are allowed to say and stand up for what they believe in. However wind farms will never generate enough power to support our power needs, they are expensive and only provide power when there is wind.
   
   Data shows that each turbine meets the average annual electricity needs of 1,000 homes. Where a nuclear power station would generate 8,891 GW•h annually where a Wind turbine will create 5.3 GWh annually. So we would need 1678 wind turbines to replace one nuclear power station.
   
   I don't think it is selfish, the sight of 1678 thousand wind turbines would be a bit much and ruin a large area of natural landscape.

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6. 84

   wychicposted 13 years ago

   I'm curious what manner of trees anyone thinks would be tall enough to conceal a wind turbine . While wind farms do take up a bit of space, they are excellent for energy and -- unlike nuclear plants -- do not pose a potential hazard to the world. I live in Wyoming, where we have a lot of land that can't be used for farming or anything else due to the lack of water and high clay content in the soil. However, we do have prevailing winds throughout much of the state. Here, wind farms have done very well. The space that has been used for them is still inhabited by local wildlife, and the farms have also created a number of jobs that pay much higher than the state average. Wind and water (hydroelectric) power the entire state and then some. There has also been a push recently for more solar power, and anyone who has done it for their homes and outbuildings have ended up with more than they need. They estimate that it will take about 5-8 years before the cost savings offsets the price of the panels, and most panels have an estimated life span of 30 years.
   
   Is campaigning against wind farms selfish? Possibly, though I'm sure those that do have reasons that are very valid to them. The one thing that I would consider selfish would be to campaign against any type of natural power. Nuclear power may be efficient, but it has proven many, many times that it is not safe -- and when something goes wrong it rarely goes a little wrong, and in severe cases it may take a lot of lives with it and leave a vast radioactive wasteland where the plant used to be.

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