Yes, many more windmills are on the way if the United States continues to ramp up its efforts to use more wind power.

According to an article written by H. Josef Hebert of the Associated Press, residents of the United States could get just as much electricity from windmills within the next 2 decades as they do from nuclear power plants.

That means wind energy could be producing 20 percent of America’s electricity by the year 2030.

While 20 percent may seem like an easy percentage to attain, keep in mind that currently only 1 percent of the United State’s electricity comes from wind power.

To reach the 20 percent goal it means that about 75,000 new wind turbines (larger than the ones operating today) would need to be erected. Part of that energy could come from wind turbines erected in offshore waters.

This information is in a government report that lays out a possible plan for wind energy growth. That means the United States may not get to a 20 percent wind energy goal by 2030 but the report shows it is technically possible to do so.

Increasing wind power to a 20 percent level would do a lot to help the environment. It would decrease natural gas consumption by 11 percent; coal consumption by 18 percent; and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 825 million metric tons a year - the equivalent of taking 140 millions vehicles off the road.

Wind energy is not without controversy. I know that firsthand because two windmill farms are being erected as I write this within a 20 mile radius of where I live. A third one has been approved but is still receiving a lot of attention from opponents who are still trying to block it.

I understand that many people don’t see the windmills as a thing of beauty but instead as an eyesore. Personally I would prefer to look outside and see a view unobstructed by electric and telephone poles but I’m not willing to give up electricity or phone service so I put up with it.

I think wind power is a necessary step towards lowering pollution and dependence on fossil fuels, something most opponents aren’t willing to address. I personally have not heard one opponent give environmentally friendly alternatives. Instead it’s a “not in my backyard” attitude with lots of reason why they’re bad (an eyesore, kills birds who fly into the blades, and the strobe effect from the blades spinning when the sun is behind them).

Yes, windmills can be considered an eyesore but I think they look a lot better than electric poles.

Yes, it’s a fact they kill birds but care is taken to avoid putting windmills in the direct paths that migratory birds are known to take. And cars kill birds and other animals too - lots of them - but I don’t see anyone offering to give up their vehicles. Plus electricity kills animals as well.

Yes, the strobe effect is a known problem in wind turbines and one that can be bad when the sun is low enough in the sky for it to be directly behind the blades of a wind turbine. But, if the turbines aren’t with their blades pointing in a direct North/South direction the effect is lessened. Plus good curtains and blinds will block it out during the few hours it occurs some days. Plus wind turbines are kept as far away from houses as possible but it is pretty hard to keep them at least 1 mile away like some people want because of how developed the United States is.

I’m all for wind power and for developing other alternative energy sources. It’s not like we have a choice. Fossil fuels are not a sustainable resource plus our planet can’t sustain humans if we don’t lessen the negative impact we’ve been having on it - particularly over the last 100 years.