Wind Farm Dilemma

United Utilities wants to build seven 350 foot wind turbines, in Saddleworth, near Greater Manchester in Northwest England.
These turbines can make enough power to supply the electrical needs of 8,500 homes. This wind farm is located in the picturesque hills of the Saddleworth Moors and would be visible for miles. Government mandates say that 10% of the England’s energy production should be supplied by renewable resources by 2010, including
the Saddleworth Moors turbines. Environmentalists from across the U.K. have opposed the creation of wind farms in picturesque rural locations like Saddleworth Moors.

The Saddleworth Moors Action Group, formed in opposition to the large-scale wind farm, says the turbines would have a negative impact on a unique landscape. The group also insists their campaign against the wind farm is not a “not in my backyard” mentality, but a genuine and heartfelt desire to preserve the character of the local area, and other local areas in the future.

The question that begs an answer is, if governments consider coal and other fossil fuel powerplants obnoxious, and environmentalists consider wind farms to be equally as obnoxious, how then will a modern society generate their electrical needs?