PITTSFIELD -- While the Berkshire hills are being eyed as the primary location for wind power projects on state-owned land, turbines aren't likely to start popping up anytime soon, state officials said Wednesday during a public input session at Berkshire Community College.

"We are extremely early in this process," said Commissioner Richard Sullivan of the Department of Conservation and Recreation. "There are no proposed sites and no proposed developments."

About 170 people gathered for last night's session in BCC's Boland Theatre to discuss Gov. Deval L. Patrick's vision to generate 2,000 megawatts of electricity -- enough to supply electricity to 800,000 homes -- by 2020. The session was conducted by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

State environmental agencies have identified 37 potential sites in the county out of 44 across Massachusetts that could harness wind energy. If all locations were used, they would yield 947 megawatts of electricity.

Both supporters and critics of wind power were concerned pending state legislation to reform how wind turbines are sited would override local review and permitting of such projects.

"Removing local control will show a willful disregard for local planning," said Holly Stover, chairwoman of the Richmond Conservation Commission, who supports wind power.

Stover added, "Projects proposed by state entities should be subjected to the same review as private citizens."

"If that [bill] is passed, whether we like wind energy or not will be a moot," said the executive director of Green Berkshires, Eleanor Tillinghast, who's been critical of the state's plan.

Tillinghast was one of several speakers who felt the "little electricity" generated by the wind turbines would be at the expense of the Berkshires' natural beauty.

"Mountains should be our first choice, not our last choice," she concluded, drawing loud applause from most of the audience.

Other opponents accused the state of being misguided into believing wind power will help the state meet future energy needs, citing countries like Germany that have constructed thousands of wind turbines and yet are increasing coal consumption to meet energy demands.

However, proponents of wind power see the renewable energy as one way the Berkshires can reduce its dependency on Western Massachusetts Electric Co. and National Grid, the two electricity providers that serve the county. They too want the projects carefully sited and don't want turbines on every ridgeline.

"The fear of having too many shouldn't be the basis to not have any," said Laura Dubester, the co-director of the Center for Ecological Technology in Pittsfield.

Brian Casey, who owns 115 acres in Peru, welcomes wind power to his town, which has some of the highest elevations in Massachusetts.

"Western Mass. and the hilltowns have never had such a plentiful resource -- a lot of wind," he noted.

Three sites in Peru are among the 37 listed for possible wind power development on state-owned land. The other locations are in the Mount Greylock Reservation, Pittsfield State Forest, Savoy, Florida, Mount Everett Reservation in Sheffield, October Mountain State Forest in Washington and six wildlife management areas.

While state-backed wind turbine projects would jump start the industry in the Berkshires, the only ones existing or yet to be built are on private property. Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort erected the first wind turbine in the county two years ago, followed by Williams Stone Co. in East Otis, which completed its wind project in May.

The Berkshire Wind Project on Brodie Mountain, Hoosac Wind Project in Florida and Monroe and the Minuteman Wind Project in Savoy, which have been in the planning stages for several years, are all awaiting construction.

While representatives of the Jiminy Peak and Brodie Mountain projects touted the advantages of wind power, one speaker who favors solar energy urged state officials to take the same approach to renewable energy as it did with health care coverage.

"If you can mandate everyone have health insurance," said the unidentified woman, "you can mandate a solar panel on every building."