Sustaining the Wind, Part I...

[RiverLover]

7. So, I guess you would disagree, then, with this from Nat'l Geographic~

...Wind is a clean source of renewable energy that produces no air or water pollution. And since the wind is free, operational costs are nearly zero once a turbine is erected. Mass production and technology advances are making turbines cheaper, and many governments offer tax incentives to spur wind-energy development.

Some people think wind turbines are ugly and complain about the noise the machines make. The slowly rotating blades can also kill birds and bats, but not nearly as many as cars, power lines, and high-rise buildings do. The wind is also variable: If it's not blowing, there's no electricity generated.

Nevertheless, the wind energy industry is booming. Globally, generation more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2006. At the end of last year, global capacity was more than 70,000 megawatts. In the energy-hungry United States, a single megawatt is enough electricity to power about 250 homes. Germany has the most installed wind energy capacity, followed by Spain, the United States, India, and Denmark. Development is also fast growing in France and China.

Industry experts predict that if this pace of growth continues, by 2050 the answer to one third of the world's electricity needs will be found blowing in the wind.

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/wind-power-profile/

Once a turbine is produced & erected, what is its life span? I apologize if that's in your article & I missed it....Do you feel the same about solar? Is your answer to this nuclear? Or do you think the only true way to stop or slow down climate change is complete abandonment of using energy in any form? That will never happen....