Wind power is a renewable energy resource that is stirring debate as an alternative to coal-fired power plants

A modest breeze is all that is needed to turn the six towering windmills nestled on top of a Somerset County hillside near the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

One of the first wind farms in Pennsylvania, the 11/2-megawatt wind turbines became operational in October 2001 and have turned into a symbol of wind energy.

Robert Will, the man whose 310-acre farm is the site of four of those turbines, has no regrets about his decision seven years ago to allow their construction on his land.

"If there's a red sunset, there's nothing more pretty than seeing those white windmills turn," Will said. "I think it's a very pretty sight."

The 70-year-old dairy farmer hopes the wind farm is an alternative to coal-fired power plants.

Wind energy is part of the state government's initiative to promote renewable resources. At the urging of Gov. Ed Rendell, the state Legislature in 2004 passed a bill that mandates that 18 percent of all electricity generated in Pennsylvania come from renewable resources by 2021. State officials hope wind will generate 3,000 to 4,000 megawatts of electricity by that time compared to the 293 megawatts generated now.

However, not everyone sees wind energy as the solution.

Some experts claim the technology is being overhyped and that wind is not consistently available. And people living near wind farms complain that the vibrations and noise coming from the turbines are more than just a nuisance.

Pros and cons

Wind energy undoubtedly is growing at a frantic pace across the country.

Christine Real de Azua, a spokeswoman with the American Wind Energy Association, headquartered in Washington, D.C., said wind power increased nationwide by 45 percent and new wind farms accounted for nearly one-third of all new energy generation last year. Only the use of natural gas in power plants is growing faster, she said.

The 10 wind farms in Pennsylvania - many of which are located in Somerset, Fayette, Cambria and Blair counties - produce enough electricity to power more than 77,000 homes. Over the next decade, John Hanger, president of Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future based in Harrisburg, expects that number to increase to 1 million homes.

"We're pretty confident that wind power is just beginning to take off," he said.

Yet coal is still king in America, as wind represents just 1 percent of all energy. Currently, energy from all of Pennsylvania's wind farms combined generate just one-fifth the electricity that Hatfield's Ferry power plant in Greene County supplies over a year.

D. Daniel Boone, an independent consultant from Maryland who has studied the issue, thinks the turbines are inefficient and overhyped. The turbines near Somerset only generate power when there is sufficient wind.

"I think it's been oversold as an effective solution," Boone said. "At best, it's a minor substitute for fossil fuels."

Hanger countered that there is "no perfect way" to produce electricity and that wind is just one of many renewable resource alternatives.

"At this time, when our economy is being knocked flat by exploding energy prices, that's a very important feature of wind," Hanger said. "The (wind) is free."

The construction of wind farms, however, can be expensive, and they must be refurbished or decommissioned after 15 to 25 years, according to wind experts. Companies that build them rely heavily on substantial federal tax credits. In addition, area power companies are offering customers the option to voluntarily pay higher energy bills to promote wind energy.

Because of all the complications, not all plans come to fruition, including a proposal to build 25 turbines in Cross Creek Township that developers recently scrapped. But as technology develops, Real de Azua thinks wind turbines will become cheaper to build and generate more electricity.

Environmental effects

The placement of turbines is decided primarily by the amount and frequency of wind and proximity to high-voltage transmission lines. But there are other factors that must be weighed, such as impacts on wildlife and people.

Birds and bats are especially vulnerable and have been a central issue in blocking some wind farm projects across the country. Three environmental groups on Tuesday announced their intentions to file a federal lawsuit to block construction of a wind farm in northern Somerset County where endangered Indiana bats live.

"I think it's fair to say wind isn't perfect, but compared to the mercury that is being found in birds and fish from burning coal, the wildlife impacts are much, much less than burning of coal," Hanger said. "Every way of making electricity has an impact on the environment."

Some of the loudest complaints have come from people living near the wind farms.

Jill Stull of Juniata Township, Blair County, said the 100-acre farm she owns with her husband has been surrounded by six turbines since they were installed in 2006. She and her husband, Dr. Todd Stull, an Altoona physician, can hear them humming roughly once a week, even with the windows shuttered. She said her husband is now having difficulty sleeping because of the sound and vibrations.

"I think renewable energy is wonderful. I'm all about solar energy because there are no side effects," she said. "But why does (the wind farm) have to be so close to my house? Any proper siting would have been able to predict that."

Robert Will has not experienced the same problems on his Somerset County farm. In fact, the pivoting turbines help him predict what kind of weather is coming.

Of course, he approved the decision and receives about $4,000 in annual royalties from each turbine, which helps supplement his income as a dairy farmer.

But he is honored to be part of Pennsylvania's pioneer investment in wind, and his farm has become an attraction for bus tours traveling along the turnpike.

"I was truly amazed by the height and the awesome (nature) of the windmills," Will said. "I have no second thoughts."