Wind Energy Controversy

Link: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1115667,00.html

“Energy: War of the Winds.” Time Magazine. TIME Inc., 9 October 2006. Web. 12  
             September 2011.

The article “Energy: War of the Winds” debates one of this century’s most highly controversial topics - clean energy, particularly in the form of wind turbines. Wind turbine farms have sprouted up all over the United States and Europe in the past ten years, and there are many people who do not think they are worth it. As the article states, the main concerns surrounding wind turbines are noise pollution and scenery disruption that lead to local dissatisfaction and drops in property value. However, wind turbines also offer what many see as irreplaceable benefits.

This article's purpose is mostly informational. It begins with an example of a woman who escaped the suburbs of Detroit for a picturesque beach on Lake Michigan only to learn that the dunes would soon be dotted with giant, towering white windmills. Of course, the woman was none too happy. However, this example is followed up with the views of one of her neighbors, a man who is grateful to receive yearly payments for renting out his land to the wind farm owners.

This leads into one of the article’s main points – money. This is the main draw for many people who allow windmills to be placed on their land. If everyone opposed windmills, it would be easy for them to disappear completely. However, farmers and ranchers cannot resist the draw of an extra couple thousand dollars a year.

Inversely, windmills can also lose people money. According to the article, a Michigan man’s property value dropped nearly $20,000 over the course of three years simply because windmills were installed in his area. It is also known to be difficult to sell homes located near wind farms due to scenery disruption, noise pollution, and annoying shadows created by the huge blades.

This article is not very biased. It states both sides of the story and supports both the opposition and the supporters throughout. One of its main goals is to highlight that wind turbine usage is very debatable and will continue to be in upcoming years. For this reason, it is probably meant for audiences that have not yet decided if they support wind energy or not.

Wind energy is a difficult subject. It is hard to decide which is more beneficial – ruining the skyline by installing gigantic metal beasts or clouding that same skyline with coal and oil smoke. At the present time, wind energy will probably be met with opposition no matter how convincing the pros are. However, as time goes on and natural resources run out, it will become necessary to harness the power of the wind. Eventually, people will not be able to argue against it.

Wind energy is a perfect subject for me because I have experienced it firsthand. I live about a mile from a gigantic wind project, and next year they will be installing turbines in the field next to my house. My grandpa has even signed his land off for a few windmills. I absolutely despise the blinking red lights at night and the sight of the dusty white blades churning away during the day. However, I would like to read up on the benefits as well. My opinion may be swayed if I find a few convincing arguments. I think this is a good subject for other students as well. Most people in this area have to deal with the windmills, so it is important for us to learn more about them before deciding if we support them or not.