Wind energy development is the favorite source of new electricity generation in the US and worldwide, at least by the environmental elite. The drivers for new wind generation include claimed environmental benefits (which are often offset by negatives), coupled with significant financial incentives paid for by taxpayers and ratepayers--the production tax credit, which far exceeds any subsidy to other technologies. The public is beginning to recognize that the favoritism given this technology is not without downsides. In an article I recently had published in PERC reports available here I provide a modest catalog of some of the negative impacts traditionally unrecognized in the rush to build more and more turbines. It goes beyond the issue of killing endangered species, although that appears to be the main issue the public is using more frequently as reported in West Virginia and, as would be expected, in California.

Other issues that are driving a more rational, and likely slower, approach to wind development include the need for more transmission (more than for traditional and more reliable generation sources) and wind’s greater impact on an already stressed transmission network. The latter is recognized tangentially by FERC Chairman Pat Wood.

Let's hope that the valid concerns of private citizens (and property owners) don't get drowned out by accusations of 'industry support.'