Onshore wind development has progressed rapidly in the United States, so that it is number one in installed capacity. However, there are problems, both economic and environmental.
Environmental problems include bird collisions, the possibility of local weather effects, and the visual esthetics. The pictures above show how the Palm Springs wind farm (one of the largest) affects the view of the San Jacinto Mountains in the background.
Many of the best areas for wind resources are far from where the electricity is needed. Large wind farms in these areas require expensive transmission systems to link them to faraway cities. Developers are reluctant to build unless there are transmission lines to transport the power. If the federal government provides those transmission lines, it is in effect a subsidy. On the other hand, there is no incentive to build transmission lines if there is no power generation facility. Along the proposed routes, overlapping governmental jurisdictions with often conflicting regulations or political concerns complicate the issue further.