Giant Wind Turbines Greet EU’s Tourists?

Having travelled Rhineland as young man zu fuss from Mainz to Cologne, I don’t want to see precious centuries old landscapes & hillsides dotted with giant wind turbines. BUT is EU’s “Future of Power” at stake if not?

The WSJ asked the Q in reporting on the growing fight between the EU’s “Tourism and Manufacturing” interests, especially as its energy grid can be seen grinding to a halt in the wake of the Ukraine War. That war did not only shut off much of Europe’s traditional supply of natural gas and oil, but in so doing forced its nations to go BACK to finding (rather than avoiding) new sources of those fossil fuels to keep its economies running and homes lighted; for many folks, the pause from a headlong plunge into alt energy & the unproven value it presents is a welcome one. Meanwhile, many Green people (and business interests) are doubling down and insisting upon accelerating the shift away from increasingly expensive natural gas to wind and solar power no matter the costs. The Catch 22 scenario is getting ugly as many a beautiful Norwegian evergreen is caught in the middle.

Mind you, as one WSJ example points out, a typical wind turbine can be as tall as 345 feet and look like a stationary alien tank in “War of the Worlds.” And, to fuel a factory let alone light a nearby town can take scores if not hundreds of the contraptions on and about what has been idyllic scenery. I’m reminded of that environmentally-inspired ad, in which a tearful Native American Indian looks on at his now spoiled but once beautiful countryside. There’s got to be a better way?

Davd Soul