What are the pros and cons of wind energy?

There are alot of wind farms going up in my area. The biggest con that I see from these generators is that they pollute the beauty of our mountain ridges here in Western Pennsylvania. Sure, I am all for energy independence, but I think we rush to solutions in this country. What are your thoughts?

Public Comments

1. We have those in Texas. I guess it depends on how close you live to them. At least they're quiet ! We need to use solar energy too. Probably a lot less land needed to "capture" it. There are some windmills out around Galveston. They are actually pretty out there on the beach !
2. There are three disadvanages: 1. You've already gotten one -- they detract from the beauty of the countryside. 2. They're very expensive to build. The average turbine will not pay for itself for 15 years. 3. They're not efficient, and therefore can never account for more than a few percentage points of the energy we need. All told, they look "green," and for that reason, a lot of people feel good about them. But really, they're just not practical. Cheers.
3. I'm in eastern Pa and have a wind farm not too far from me. Some people may not like the looks of them but I think they are magnificent looking when you come up upon them. If we want energy then we will have to put up with some con part of it. Nothing is perfect.