Is wind power the answer for Michigan, the Midwest?

It's "Baby steps," as Dr. Leo Marvin's book from the movie What About Bob? calls it, when it comes to wind power. There's a lot of talk about it in these days of alternative, renewable, and sustainable energy... but is it going to be the answer? The Christian Science Monitor reports that it will be an answer, but not the answer for the Midwest.

Excerpt:

For those hoping renewable-energy technologies will save the economy of the Midwest, there's a long way to go. Only 7 percent of US energy consumption last year came from renewables, and a June report by the Pew Charitable Trusts said the renewable-energy industry accounted for just 89,000 jobs in 2007.

But President Obama has urged a national goal of 25 percent renewable energy by 2025, a standard that the Union of Concerned Scientists estimates would yield 297,000 new jobs (44,500 in manufacturing).

Moreover, 26 states require utilities to draw part of their energy supply from renewables, and the economic stimulus legislation Congress passed in February included $21 billion in tax credits for renewable energy and $30 billion for clean-energy programs. Measures to curb carbon emissions, now in Congress, would no doubt be a boon for the renewables industry.

Read the entire article here.