Will wind finally wind up?

It's not as if wind turbines are uglier than, say, coal-fired power plants, so I've long had trouble understanding the NIMBY-ism on this issue.

A recent Energy Department report said wind power could supply 20% of the country's energy needs by 2030.

There are already more than 20 offshore wind farms producing electricity in Europe but, in this country, such proposals have sparked opposition from the Great Lakes states to Long Island. Opponents, including seafront homeowners, say such installations would threaten avian and aquatic life and ruin scenic vistas. With such environmental concerns pitted against the demand for clean energy, there is not a single offshore turbine anywhere in the United States.

Onshore, U.S. wind-power capacity is growing fast, thanks to federal tax credits and new state laws encouraging the production of energy from renewable sources. In 2007, the nation's wind-power generating capacity grew by 45% to nearly 17,000 megawatts per hour, second only to Germany. Wind turbines in this country are expected to generate about 48 billion kilowatt hours of energy this year, or enough to power about 4.5 million homes.

Even so, that is only about 1.2% of the nation's demand for electricity. By comparison, wind already meets about 20% of Denmark's needs and about 12% of Spain's.

I mean, come on: we've heard people singing "the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind" since the '60s... let's get with the program!

(HT: Instapundit)