A Thought or Two on Wind Farms

So, I came across this article about the wind farms in southern Scotland that were just approved to add 36 more, making the Whitlee wind farm the largest onshore wind farm in the UK. Now, onshore wind farms have caught the same slack in the past as offshore farms have, namely in the Cape Cod area and off the coast of Los Angeles. And Scotland is not early the size of LA of Massachusetts, but still they have felt the need to change the way they get power. And guess what? WIND IS TOTALLY FREE. No one has to give anyone any cash to generate wind...so why not harness it? It's just like solar power. And now, I'm not saying wind turbines aren't flawed, but they are a step in the right direction to eliminate the carbon from our atmosphere. The change we need to accomplish, as far as the environment goes, is not attainable over night. We simply cannot expect the scientists and engineers of the world to solve this problem, that has taken hundreds of years to come to fruition. We are responsible for it as humans, and now, as humans, we are trying to dig ourselves out of this hole.

Back to the wind... while people have legitimate arguments for not wanting to plot down 36 110m high poles in the middle of the countryside, but lets also think about the numbers:

That will allow the £300m wind farm to power 250,000 homes and could create up to 300 jobs, Mr Salmond said.

Now, 300 jobs isn't a huge amount, but it is 300 jobs that weren't even available before. That means 300 people who couldn't work, can work now. Lets focus on the real number, which is 250,000, as in the wind farm will be able to power all those homes, with only 140 turbines. Now, that is a lot, but this is ONSHORE. Just think if we plopped down 600 of those things offshore somewhere? Because, lets be honest, the ocean is huge, and for people to complain about the "eye-sore" factor of these wind turbines is just childish and sophomoric. By those calculations, 600 turbines would be able to power over 1 million homes. Now, this is assuming our technologies don't improve in the coming 10 years, (which, is HIGHLY and BASICALLY unlikely...scratch that, we are getting better information and knowledge everyday, so 10 years will make a difference) hence, that number can only grow. I understand there are opponents of the farms, people who are involved in a few nature societies, and I understand why they would be upset. But, YOU LIVE ON THE PLANET TOO. You want to drive your car, to turn on your lights, to e-mail your kids, etc. It seems ridiculous to complain and lash out against these sources of alternative energy, because then nothing is getting accomplished. Instead of just saying " oh, that idea is dumb, that won't work"...suggest something. Do your own research. Be your own scientist if you think no one else can do it right. Because lashing out against people who are TRYING to think of new and still profitable ways of changing the way we consume and deliver power to the ever-growing population of the world is just counter-productive, and for lack of a better word, DUMB. So, let's at least applaud the efforts of people trying to make a difference, trying a new pathway, learning something new about themselves and about all of us. We can all envision the end of fossil fuel mass-consumption, but can we do anything about it? Sure, just go look outside. Any thoughts?