Wind Over Water: The Debate Over Wind Power

In today's energy environment, what's not to love about wind power? It's clean, renewable, and locally available, right? Ole Tangen Jr.'s half-hour documentary Wind Over Water looks at a proposed wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts's Cape Cod--the first of its type in the U.S.--that has polarized nearby communities. Located about six miles offshore in the federal waters of Nantucket Sound, where the wind is always blowing, and modeled after a successful offshore farm in Europe, the project would be a hefty installation--130 turbines spaced over 34 square miles--that would generate 420 megawatts, which would supply most of the area's energy needs. Protestors against the wind farm include a group of citizens who fear the potential noise pollution, and object to the idea of a private developer profiting from its placement in federal waters; hotel and resort owners who are worried that the wind farm will spoil the view; and fishermen whose livelihood depends on the waters. Greenpeace, on the other hand, supports the proposal as a step towards combating global warming. Meanwhile, a recent oil spill from a tanker bound for the area's fossil-fuel burning power plant has more than muddied the waters of the debate. While the fate of the offshore farm remains uncertain, wind power currently accounts for one percent of the energy produced in America, and through the use of land-based farms, is rapidly growing. An informative look at a timely environmental topic, this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (C. Block)