| Not too long ago, physicists, engineers, and electricians | | | | installation of single-family wind generator. In big-city |
| agreed that residential crowding and quirks in urban | | | | neighborhoods and major suburban housing tracts, |
| weather patterns made wind turbines for homes not | | | | developers separated houses by the minimum |
| simply impractical but flat-out impossible. They should | | | | distance the law allows. Hence, wind turbine towers |
| have known better. Technological advances and a little | | | | cannot safely reach high enough and the rotors cannot |
| imagination have brought wind turbines for homes | | | | sweep enough area to generate reliable residential |
| back into the realm of the plausible and possible; with | | | | power. Experts doubt the day will come when |
| just a little more work, wind experts will make wind | | | | homeowners can drive to their favorite big-box stores |
| turbines for homes practical and desirable. | | | | and pick-up a residential wind turbine to go. |
| So, why invest in wind turbines for homes? | | | | Housing density and weather do not, however, doom |
| Fossil-fueled production of electric power soon will | | | | residential wind generators. Economists, engineers, |
| become obsolete-too unwieldy, too expensive, and too | | | | urban planners, and even a few visionary politicians |
| toxic to continue. Ordinary citizens will catch-up with | | | | agree community wind power holds tremendous |
| economists who stress American dependence on | | | | potential. |
| fossil fuels has crippled the manufacturing base and | | | | Communities achieve economies of scale as they |
| transferred most of the nation's wealth to the Middle | | | | install larger wind turbines to power their homes. |
| East, decimating the middle class. Investment in wind | | | | Because taller and bigger always are better in wind |
| turbines for homes represents an exceptional | | | | farming, communities easily can dedicate large, |
| opportunity to capitalize on the growth of an industry | | | | relatively unobstructed parcels to generation of their |
| about to explode across the landscape. Although | | | | own electric power. Because skilled builders can erect |
| considerable doubt remains about the feasibility of a | | | | towers and install turbines just a few feet apart, |
| one-size-fits-all residential wind turbine, the future of | | | | communities can erect dozens of efficient wind |
| community wind power beckons big investors to get in | | | | turbines on as little as an acre. The more towers and |
| early, buying and holding for decades to come. | | | | turbines a community adds, obviously the more power |
| What about the future of community wind power? | | | | it generates, and not-quite-so-obviously the quicker it |
| Older urban and suburban neighborhoods typically do | | | | retires its debt, making its wind farm a |
| not allow enough space or proper wind conditions for | | | | revenue-generator. |