It's difficult to say wind energy is contagious in our neck of the woods. You get the feeling some northwest Arkansas residents would like to back any proposal for alternative forms of energy, but many others aren't enamored with every plan. ...As much as one sees the sense in developing alternative energy, one must also recognize the potential for clashing interests when someone proposes adding these massive wind turbines to large sections of land.

It's difficult to say wind energy is contagious in our neck of the woods. You get the feeling some northwest Arkansas residents would like to back any proposal for alternative forms of energy, but many others aren't enamored with every plan. About the only sign we see of change on the horizon is a church along Interstate 540 that actually installed small wind turbines to power its worship center.

But is large-scale commercial wind power even feasible in northwest Arkansas ?

We've heard more talk of it lately than we ever imagined we would. Aren't there far, far more places with greater potential for wind power than the Ozark Plateau ?

While the answer to that is clearly yes, that doesn't mean our region doesn't hold any potential at all. And it appears some players in the windenergy industry are lining up to test the waters, to mix metaphors. They apparently don't believe they are tilting at windmills.

Washington County Planning Director Juliet Richey, for instance, recently planted the seeds for possible regulatory action as she informed county planners that she'd been contacted by people interested in wind farms - swaths of land with big, modern mono-poled propellers rotating their way to energy production. Understandably, county government has no real regulations to deal with proposals for wind farms. With people sniffing around for potential sites, it's smart business to consider whether the government needs regulations to deal with the blending of windmills, farms, homes and environment.

It's easy enough to understand why wind energy is popular these days. Unlike coal and oil, it is as environmentally friendly as can be. Unlike those key technologies of the 19 th and 20 th centuries, wind is also endlessly abundant. It will always be with us. Considering the rate of energy production / consumption in the new global economy, inexhaustible sources of energy will become increasingly popular. At least we should hope so.

But do northwest Arkansas residents want to see rotating blades whooshing around this area ?

As much as one sees the sense in developing alternative energy, one must also recognize the potential for clashing interests when someone proposes adding these massive wind turbines to large sections of land. As "clean"as wind energy is, that doesn't mean nobody will be offended by the addition of wind farms to the local geography. Any real proposal to install wind turbines will undoubtedly inspire a heartfelt discussion among the people who live or work nearby the proposed "farm."

A couple of these energyproducing propellers are one thing; dozens, or even scores, are quite another. We believe lots of northwest Arkansas residents would fight the spread of wind technology into their neighborhoods tooth and nail. We believe this is an issue that has within it the potential for controversy. No, it doesn't seem right to completely ditch a new technology based on merely simple aesthetic qualms, but then good ideas have been shot down before for much less. Add to this suggestions by people who know better than us that Washington County's geography isn't ideally suited as a home for wind farms, and you begin to wonder whether the subject of wind energy is really worth all the effort.

Yes, it is. Just like past generations, it will matter a great deal which nation or region has enough energy to fuel its society. More so, it will matter how that energy is generated. Our nation likes to talk about energy independence, but we're hooked on fuel from Saudi kings and princes who are pushing yesterday's energy solution. That must change, and with the assistance of incentives offered by state and federal authorities, it will. Wind energy is one way we can do this, but it is not the only answer. It will require a mixture of ingenuity combined with the smart and passionate use of nuclear power, electricity, clean coal and so on to really make a difference in our energy fortunes. Aesthetics alone shouldn't be enough to kill this discussion. But we wouldn't be surprised if, in the short run, it helps stall the development of local options. Not to mention the fact that it's just not that windy around here.

Web link: http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/Editorial/66957/