Environmental historian Robert W. Righter follows up his 2003 report on
Wind Energy in America, which detailed the struggles of wind-derived energy developments gaining acceptance, with
WindFall at a time just a decade later when wind is suddenly the world’s fastest-growing source of energy.
"With so much activity in the industry, it became apparent that I had to do more than update an old book. I needed to write more on the contemporary situation, much more," Richter explains. "Who would have thought in the 1990s that giant wind turbine 'farms' would be radiating across the country, creating a scourge for some, a blessing for others? Whether welcome or not, wind developments are coming on line and being planned faster than American, Japanese, and European manufacturers can produce the turbines."
In a surprisingly short amount of time, skepticism about the feasibility of wind farming has been eclipsed by objections to the environmental and aesthetic impacts of industrial-size wind turbines on rural landscapes and visual corridors.
As a work of history,
Windfall effectively documents the major issues and developments in wind energy up to 2009, from debates about role of government and the location of wind farms to questions about the efficacy of wind turbines and their role in addressing future energy needs.
Wind Energy in America Today
by Robert W. Righter
University of Oklahoma Press, 2012
Outrider Books
Outrider Reading Group
Book Store
Energy Farming
Wind Energy
What if one simple change could save you from heart disease, diabetes, and cancer? For decades, that question has fascinated a small circle of impassioned doctors and researchers.
First published in 1969 and out of print for more than twenty-five years, The Long-Legged House was Wendell Berry's first collection of essays, the inaugural work introducing many of the central issues that have occupied him over the course of his career.
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