I had not been paying much attention to wind turbines as a source of power until two recent developments.

First, at the Food Marketing Institute Energy and Technical Services Conference in California, a presenter talked about the possibility of using such technology to partially power supermarkets. Then in the county in Illinois in which a live, a battle has erupted over a possible wind farm being constructed.

It’s a real donnybrook, this wind farm thing. Opponents are concerned about the clacking noise, the turbines being in the path of migratory birds, farmland being turned over to developers, and idyllic views being disrupted. Those most in favor of the project are local construction unions, who see more jobs once construction starts.

One of the most interesting quotes on this matter comes from Mark Burger, president of the Illinois Solar Energy Association, who is in favor of the project.

“We can no longer live in a segregated world where we want certain things but are not willing to accept the consequences of them. We cannot call for revival of the Midwest industrial base with green technologies, but eliminate entire swaths of locations for them to be sited because we don’t want our view spoiled. We cannot fight the look of a changed landscape while it’s okay to blow up mountain tops to get coal.”

I’ll keep you posted, because if indeed this technology has potential in supermarkets it could mean a great deal to HVACR contractors.