As a resident of Delaware, about 30 minutes from the beach, I am excited about the prospect of wind-generated electricity. Most everyone I speak is also in favor of the windmills. We all want to get rid of the Indian River Power Plant.

However, I have a question about maritime safety. The proposed wind farm would place hundreds of giant structures along both sides of a rather-busy shipping lane to the Port of Philadelphia. What will happen when (and I mean, when) a tanker goes off course and plows into a field of these windmills? Will there be an ecologocial disaster here? What will the wind-power company do to ensure this does not happen?

I agree with the Landed Elite in this case.

-subsidies for these project are WAY higher than for established (albeit less environmentally friendly) alternatives

-Cape Cod at least relies on tourism to generate a good deal of wealth, be one a Landed Elite or otherwise. My uncle's fish and tackle store barely makes it now. Any decrease would shut it down, and he'd have to rely solely on oxycodone sales, which is more dangerous and if he isn;t feeding his doctor fishing tips, the doc won't write his 'prescriptions.'

-That section of Massacresettes has a surplus of power. Is dropping that much loot necessary to continue to prove Mass. is the liberal leading light in the nation. A) California will always have you beat and B) the Chicken-and -hog states already think you a bunch of commies.

-Why not in some one elses back yard?

What's the alternate solution? Clean coal? Natural gas? Nuclear? While these are all cleaner, I don't see why a "corporation" putting up a wind turbine is bad, necessarily. Who is supposed to put them up, all the collective farms on Cape Cod?

Quit whining and buying the self-serving propaganda of the yachting class and suck it up. Global warming requires sacrifices for everyone and a sort-of compromised view is by no means the worst case scenario for the Cape.

I like the idea of clean, cheap wind power. However, one thing bugs me about the thought of a bunch of equipment set up along the beach (or built offshore) that is designed to capture the wind. Maybe it because I am a Gulf Coast baby.

What are they going to do with the windcatchers when the hurricanes come as they tend to do for four months every year? Will they dismantle them everytime there is a warning? That means that the power will not be reliable. Or will they just ride out the storm? A direct hit will take out these structures, I am pretty sure. Is this stuff cheap and easy to replace? It is biodegradable? Will the debris that washes up on shore affect the environment? Has the cost of rebuilding been factored into the cost?

I am all for wind power on the Great Plains, but I think someone needs to rethink wind power along the Gulf and Atlantic Coast. Unless the arms are built to fold down in case of an approaching storm suddenly making the whole thing wind resistant instead of wind sensitive, these things are going to have to be treated as disposible---and I do not see how that can be cost effective.

Thanks for this story, Salon. Please be sure to put an update to this story in salon.com come June! This could bode well for many communities.

From windy Colorado,

Kevin

Alby, you're right that individual choices to help the environment, like a person's reducing or giving up beef consumption, are a mere drop in the ocean, but if hundreds of millions of people make those choices, pretty soon you've got yourself an ocean. I truly believe in "think globally, act locally."

As for my running for office, I'd like to thank you for your support. Between you, me, and my wife, I'm sure to get 3 votes. Since my campaign will go down in flames anyway, I may as well stick true to my principles. Instead of running on a "More expensive meat!" campaign theme, how about a "Everyone go vegan!" campaign? That's what I thought. ;)

Why don’t we erect a few thousand windmills in Yellowstone Park?

We could line the rim of the Grand Canyon with them.

I bet we could fit a few hundred into Central Park. All you would have to do is cut down most of the trees.

Hell lets just replace the Statue of Liberty’s torch with one.

To which I respond; ok let's do that. It's been my experience that concern for the environment, and I'm not convinced this is actually that, or least those loudest about that, are not likely to alter to alter their lifestyle dramatically to accommodate it. But - - you first. You get electricity 4 hrs a day now. Thanks for the sacrifice.

It's always about someone's tradeoff, isn't it? The idea that we can't aethetically change the landscape is no more rational than any other non solution. I suggest you go to western Europe where literally every square meter of land has been developed for something.

I've looked at good wind projects and bad wind projects. "Bad" factors include; poor siting, not matching technology to site-specific weather/geographic factors, no community benefit agreement, using unproven technology. These machines are getting more expensive by the day and because of the prevailing wisdom (male engineers' bias?) of making them larger and larger, the equipment and cost to service these behemoths gets more expensive, too.

This is not mature technology, it's in its adolescence. I toss in my 2 cents as a financial advisor who has worked on commercial onshore projects and attended many wind conferences in the US and Europe. 3mW turbines are untested, on land or offshore. The industry is still awaiting the operating results of the 2mW and 2.5mW turbines. You can't just enlarge it and expect to project the output based on performance by smaller machines. I liken it to the first crop of 7ftrs playing basketball. Compare their mobility and production to the current crop of big men. Sure they were taller, but with few exceptions that was their only advantage.

There are also many complicating and expensive factors added to offshore wind. Just one is the fact that you need a customized ship (because of the size of the blades and nacelle) to service the plant --just starting the ship and heading out to sea would probably cost over $100k - and what if the weather doesn't hold and you have to turn back?

The Delaware project may be good, it may be bad. The article doesn't provide enough information to know.